ABOUT ME

Me...

I'm Niamh Derner (pronounced Neeve, like Eve with an N on the front) I grew up in North Wales but I moved to Manchester with my husband and three cats and then we bought a house in Cheshire!

The art...

I've always loved art and crafting but being able to move to a city and see all these amazing artists inspired me to quit my job and get started as an artist!

I love to experiment with art but my heart is in traditional art and my favourite medium is colouring pencils! I'm pretty honed in on them now.
When I was still working in retail I decided that I had to draw at least one thing every day and I started some draw-a-day books in 2023 and I haven't missed a day yet. I don't use draw-a-day books any more, I just buy small format blank books. My draw-a-day is where I can try something new without worrying about perfection because I'll be doing something new in an hour, it's my space to challenge myself. I do them in one flat colour to help really focus on only the emotions and not get too distracted by colour combination ideas.

My inspirations...

I am inspired by the beauty of everyday life with my illustrations. My work isn't fantasy based or magical creatures. It's based on the magic of everyday; getting caught in the rain and racing to a cosy home, finding the perfect pumpkin to take home, stargazing with friends, discovering a hobby that turns into a lifelong passion, making a home cooked meal with your mum, autumn leaves etc. Having these images in children's books will help to show children that there is wonder and charm in the everyday .
Alongside the magic of the everyday, my art also depicts cosy settings and scenes from my favourite seasons and celebrations (halloween and autumn!)
In today's fast paced, technology based world, i truly believe it's important to find the beauty in the everyday and I hope my illustrations provide that breather and cosy corner for you and help you take a moment to slow down and find the beauty in the everyday

The extras...

I love crafting as well as illustration! One of my favourite hobbies is needle felting, I love creating these little critters!

I also enjoy embroidery, macrame, and I've experimented a bit with cross stitch and loved that. My husband and I made these and they featured as decoration in our wedding.