This week we had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Ruth Bennett aka @doodle_ru as our artist spotlight of the week.
Hello! Please can you give us a brief little introduction?
Hi! I’m Ruth, and I currently reside in a small country village in Norfolk, England. I have always been creative and love to doodle. As a kid I would constantly doodle all over my workbooks in school! I studied animation at university and since graduating I have worked as a freelance illustrator for The Bright Agency. I love picture books and creating exciting stories in my head so feel very lucky to be working in children’s illustration at the moment! I also love creating fun, silly characters and will occasionally dabble in animation as well.
I love watching films, eating cakes and going for long walks along the Norfolk coast. I have two very naughty cats called Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria who constantly give me fun ideas for stories!
What inspires you?
People watching! Norfolk has a lot of very interesting and unique personalities and I always find myself noting down certain people I spot to draw later on. Also chatting to other fellow artists and seeing their beautiful work makes me want to be more creative. Pinterest and Instagram are great for discovering new artists and being inspired.
What is your favourite thing to draw?
I love drawing characters! Animals, humans, aliens, unicorns, you name it! However above everything else I love to draw kids. They're just full of energy and are always up to something and I want to capture that in my work.
What art goals do you have for this year?
I want to work on creating more backgrounds, environments and scenes for my characters. I’ve set myself this same goal for the past few years and this year I’m going to stick to it!
What techniques/supplies do you use?
I use Photoshop and a drawing tablet for most of my illustrations. I love using Kyle T. Webster’s brush packs as they create very fun textures and lines.
In my sketchbook I’ll draw with whatever comes to hand, usually that would be a biro pen or HB pencil. I want to start experimenting more with different materials like ink, watercolour and coloured pencils which are also very fun to use.
What advice would you give to another doodler/artist?
Draw from life! This is something that has really helped me to improve my work over the past few years. Once you’re more comfortable drawing something it’s easier to stylise it and make it your own.
Make time to draw for yourself with projects you enjoy. Those tend to be your best pieces!
Get involved with the art community! I have met lots of lovely supportive friends over on Instagram. Taking part in Friday Doodle Club and seeing everyone encourage each other is really motivating and super fun!
Never stop doodling!
Learn more about Ruth Bennett by visiting them at:
