Meet our creative team: Illustrator Emma Ferguson

DRAWING ESSENTIALS FROM ARTSHED’S ILLUSTRATOR AND GRAPHITE ARTIST EMMA FERGUSON

We spoke to beloved Art Shed team member and Illustrator Emma on her creative process, her must-have tools, where she finds inspiration and her advice for budding artists. Keep reading to learn more about this superstar and how she creates her signature graphite dreamscapes.

'Whalesong' by Emma Ferguson, Wren of Ruby^TM  , @wren.of.ruby

Tell us about your work? How did you get started drawing?

"I’ve loved to draw my whole life, but I only really started to focus on realism back in 2015, teaching myself how to draw in a hyper-realistic style mostly by observing other artists like Jono Dry, and by re-creating pictures I found on the Internet. I’d work on the pieces between my classes at school, and my skills and love for the medium developed even more.

It wasn’t until 2019 that I realised you could earn a living as an artist when I heard about how other artists were. Alongside doing commissioned wedding portraits in collaboration with The Wedding Depot, I also did a small business course, put together my brand Wren of Ruby^TM , and started taking commissions and creating original pieces, and the rest is history! Since starting at Art Shed I feel like I’ve learnt so much and developed my skills so much more just by being surrounded by so many creative staff and customers."

‘Whalesong’, Emma Ferguson, Wren of Ruby^TM, 2020, Graphite on Watercolour Paper

Where do you source your inspiration, and what artists do you look up to?

"So many places. I’m ever inspired by the divine feminine, and love exploring the connection between the female form and the natural world, and the power they emanate together. I also love a lot of artists that create somewhat surreal and dreamy art, and adore the work of @carlyrenee.art, @tanyashatseva, and @jonodry.  In particular Jono Dry. He’s an insanely talented realism artist and I love his YouTube Videos for inspiration and helpful insights."

Tell us about your creative process

" I’ll feel an emotion or capture a fleeting moment, and an image will then pop into my head from that feeling. I then observe how that image projects itself, and then I start to play with different animals and lifeforms to match that.

I’ll then try to recreate this image by taking my own reference photos with myself or with a model and mock-up a reference photo with Procreate or Photoshop on my iPad to get a sense of composition, then I’ll grab out my tools and start drawing!

For the drawing, I’ll first do an underdrawing and basic shading to lay out the composition as a bit of a map for myself. I’ll then start on either the right-hand side or the centre so I don’t create any smudges while I’m working (I’m left-handed), and try to start with the details I know I’ll have the least patience for haha.

I’ll then render segments of the piece, for example, the hair, then the torso, the face. I’ll usually fully render each segment as much as possible until its complete.

Once the drawing is finished, I then use the Micador Workable Mat Fixative to set it, and then frame it!"

What are your must-have essentials for creating Graphite Art?

"I primarily work with graphite pencil and for this, I would recommend the Faber Castell 9000 Graphite Pencils, they are high quality, artist-grade pencils and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in drawing. The Faber Castell 9000 Graphite Pencil Sketch Set 8pc is a great first start, it also includes a sharpener and eraser. I also love their eco-friendly ethos, sourcing wood from sustainably managed forests and use of environmentally-friendly water-based varnish.

For coloured pencil drawing, I love the Derwent Procolour Colouring Pencils - 12 Assorted Colours.

I would also suggest looking into some blending stumps and a kneadable eraser if you love drawing. Blending stumps are a great tool for blending graphite and charcoal pencil, and is really helpful for portrait drawing or detail work.

I also love to use makeup brushes or a soft Taklon brush for blending.

Faber Castell Kneadable Erasers are one of my favourite tools for drawing, as they can be moulded into any shape needed for rendering drawings. They are also good for lifting light layers of graphite or charcoal at a time without completely erasing the work.

The Tombo Mono Eraser is great for creating really fine detail. You can sharpen it with sandpaper to a fine point for those super small areas.

Bristol Paper is a really lovely, high-quality paper perfect for drawing, both in colour and graphite or charcoal. (Any of the diaries in this link will be a great surface)

I also love to use a hot-pressed Watercolour paper for my drawings. The Saunders Smooth Hot Pressed 300gsm pads are a lovely, heavyweight paper that's less prone to damage than a low gsm Bristol paper, and it holds graphite really nicely. 

The Mont Marte mechanical pencil sharpener is fantastic for getting pencils to a really sharp point.

Mont Marte’s Electric Eraser is great for precision work like erasing highlights or erasing larger areas.

I also love using a Mechanical pencil for fine details like whispers of hair. Mechanical pencils are great because you don’t have to sharpen them, and the leads are replaceable. The Tombow Mono Graph Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm – Black or the Pentel Stein Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm - White are both great options.

I use an Embossing tool or a 1millimetre crochet hook for scoring the paper to create hair textures.

A non-porous brush is essential for brushing away eraser dust without smudging. I like the Derwent eraser pencil as it has a brush on the end.

A Sandpaper block is a must for sharpening pencils and erasers

Masking fluid is also great for keeping areas of an artwork protected while the piece is in progress. The Masking Fluid by Winsor & Newton and is my favourite.

Pencil holders are also essential for when mine gets too short. The Derwent Pencil extenders are the best."

Photo by Emma Ferguson, Wren of Ruby^TM  , @wren.of.ruby

What art supplies are currently on your Wishlist?

"Definitely the Faber Castell Polychromos Colour Pencil Tin Of 12. They are made with high-quality pigments in beautiful bright colours, and are water-resistant, smudge-proof and have a high break resistance. These are gorgeous, professional artist quality pencils and I can’t wait to get my hands on them.

I’m also excited to get myself a Mont Marte Creative Art Station- either the Desktop or free-standing Desk version. They are really beautiful, sturdy art desks that will make a great addition to my studio space. "

Photo by Emma Ferguson, Wren of Ruby^TM  , @wren.of.ruby

What advice do you have for budding illustrators/ graphite artists?

"Just keep drawing. Sketch as much as possible, and try to learn from people that inspire you, there’s so many fantastic tutorials and classes out there.

The more you practice the more you’ll learn. Just start somewhere and keep trying, and don’t be afraid to experiment!"

You can follow Emma’s art journey here:

Website: www.wrenofruby.com.au

Instagram: @wren.of.ruby

TikTok: wren.of.ruby

Facebook: Wren of Ruby

Pinterest: wrenofruby