Hear from the illustrator of our new Black History Month badge

Did you always know you wanted to be an illustrator?

'Not really, I’ve just always had a passion for drawing and creating! I’ve been drawing since I was a child, from about 5 or 6 years old. Then I went to college and found a really strong love for art, and went on to study accessories and handbags at uni. But I was never actually taught how to draw - I just always loved it and had it in me!'

Were you inspired by anyone?

'My earliest inspiration was probably Jacqueline Wilson books. I always liked the illustrations in her books by Nick Sharratt. And I’d try to create my own stories and draw my own characters - so I guess he was my earliest inspiration.'

What’s your favourite thing about being an illustrator?

'Being able to create characters that resemble my friends and my family. And being able to represent characters that I haven’t seen represented in this way before, who are Black and British and have the same sort of style as me. It’s not just illustrating Black and Brown people who are superstars or singers or doing something extravagant. I like presenting people doing normal things like chilling at home, or being on the sofa… I love that depiction of everyday life.'

And do you always base your drawings off people that you know?

'I always used to have a person in mind - it started off with friends and family. But then as time went on, I started to create individual characters from my imagination. I’d take different details from friends and family, and even myself, that I wasn’t so in love with when I was younger. But as I’ve grown up I’m like, yeah, we need to see more of this. Because these details and features are unique and what makes us beautiful.'

Tell us about your design for this year’s Black History Month badge.

'It’s inspired by growing up having my mum do my hair, then having my cousins do my hair, or my friends when I went to school. It was just such a lovely bonding process that we took for granted when we were younger. Although I still get my hair done, I tend to go to salons more often nowadays.

I just liked that aspect of being younger, that sisterhood, and the bonds that you create in the conversations you have when you’re having your hair done.' 

What advice would you give to girls who want to become an artist, illustrator or designer?

'Stay true to what you like and what you think is beautiful in your creations. Have fun with what you’re doing, don’t worry about other people’s opinions on your work. Creating art, drawing or illustrating is all about expressing yourself. So have fun with it and stay focused on your vision!

I came up against opposition to my brand in its earlier days. Before 2020 I was selling cards at Portobello Market in London, and some people would come up to me and suggest I needed to have White people on the cards. I took this to heart, going home and working to come up with new characters, and it just wasn’t working. Because what I was trying to create was representation that wasn’t there, not representation which was already visible in the high street. This helped me remember I needed to stay true to my own brand, and stick with it even if people weren’t getting it at that time.'

Do you have any favourite books, artists or resources that celebrate Black culture and history?

'A great inspiring and short read is We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

For inspirational Black hair sources - growing up I would always grab a copy of the Black Beauty magazine that was often found in Black hair shops or salons. I also owned a book called I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. It had beautiful illustrations and made me feel seen as I could relate to the experiences shown. In my adult years I recently bought a comic style book called Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser. I loved the representation of the ladies in this book, and the hairstyles were relatable and inspiring!'

What’s one message you hope every girl takes away from the badge you designed?

'Embrace the simple moments you have in your friendships and sisterhoods! A lot of the time society leads you to believe you have to go out and do extravagant things with your friends – when actually those sacred moments so often happen when you’re just spending time together relaxing. So embrace those simple moments!'

We’d like to say a massive thank you to Cherelle Brown for the fantastic work she’s done on creating this year’s Black History Month badge, and the time she spent talking to us and sharing her wisdom.