Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi my name is Jo. I’m based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, but I spend over half the year travelling the UK and Europe in a motorhome with my husband Mr. Dean and our dog, Thomasina. I’m a full time artist and illustrator and I’ve been painting for as long as I can remember.
What made you start designing greetings cards?
I come from a big greeting card-sending family, so it was always one of my goals to design cards at some point in my career. There is nothing better than getting what I call ‘nice post’ in the mail and a greeting card is a perfect way to let someone else know you’ve been thinking of them.
How is your personality reflected in your work?
Well, I love animals and especially dogs, plus I have quite a dry sense of humour. I think both come through in my work.
Does your work have a theme or an aim?
As an animal lover and dog owner, the one thing we all have in common is a shared love of our pets, I think my main aim has always been to help share the joy that we all get from our pets. I try to capture the character and some of the behaviours of our pets that make us smile.
Which occasion or season is your favourite to design for?
Christmas is a big favourite of mine and I’m working on a whole new collection which is very exciting.
What are your design influences?
My first love was Snoopy so definitely Charles Schultz, Javi Aznarez who did a lot of the illustration work for Wes Andersons film The French Dispatch, I love his work and that of Angela Smyth and watercolourist Tom Shepherd. More recently in my Conversations with my dog collection I’m channelling a bit of Sir Edwin Landseer and in general I love David Hockney, Marc Chagall and such a variety of other artists it’s difficult to pin down specific influences.
What inspires you?
Whilst dogs are my main influence, their behaviours and quirks, we love to travel and a lot of the work in my sketchbooks is influenced by travel, the people we see and the locations we visit. A lot of my ideas come from our travelling.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
Often there’s nothing better than going for a walk in nature, my favourite walks are woodland trails or coastal paths, but anywhere away from my desk works. Travel always helps, if I’m stuck designing a new collection, putting it aside and either working on something completely different for a day or so, or taking a break and physically going to a different town or countryside spot. But setting some time aside for dedicated play with my sketchbook or some new materials is my second favourite thing to do after going for a walk.
Which is your favourite design from your collection and why?
My current favourite is ‘Top Cat’. I think it covers a few occasions from birthday, new job, exam, congratulations as well as that favourite occasion of mine called ‘just because’! My goal is often to capture those expressions in our animal friends that mirror our own and in this particular case I think I’ve really captured a look of smug confidence.
Why did you decide to sell your designs with You Said It?
Firstly you asked me very nicely if I might like to , you print square cards which is the shape I design for, the quality is as good as the ones I produce for my bricks and mortar stockists, plus you have the option to personalise and include messages in the cards. You provide such an excellent service it was an easy decision to make!
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about?
As I’ve mentioned, I travel a lot, and I’ve designed my creative business around supporting ourselves on the road. I’ve started to share stories, insights and behind-the-scenes action over on my blog page, as well as greeting cards I am a freelance illustrator and have illustrated maps for ultra marathons around the world, the one in the photographs is from the Gobi March in Mongolia to maps of campsites in Portugal.
You can meet me once a year at Crufts where I have a regular stand of my work in Hall 2.
I illustrate for dog rescue charities and I’m also available for commission work if you’d like me to paint your pet.
View the whole Jo Scott Art collection
Jo Scott Art You Said It Designer Page
At the time I was drawing a lot just as a way to keep calm and pass the time. Michael was looking for extra ways to make money online as we had lost my income because I didn’t want to go back to a full-time job, after having children. I agreed to it as long as Michael would help out with the technical/admin side of things. Having a newborn wouldn’t leave me much time to draw let alone do all the other things that come with running a business! Originally we started out designing apparel on Red Bubble, but soon we came across the greetings card industry and fell in love with it.
ore I had kids.