Meet Liv Cleverley | Illustrator & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liv Cleverley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liv, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Creativity has always been a massive part of my lifestyle and upbringing; I have fond memories of my Dad taking me around art galleries and exhibitions even as a child. However, throughout school, I didn’t think a creative career was a feasible option to create a living. The only options seemed to be an art teacher or fine artist. Once I found out I could pursue my hobby and passion as a career, I decided that was the only option for me. I did lots of research into illustration and design and, luckily, the information about how to become an illustrator is becoming a lot more readily available! After all, if I can do a job I truly love, why wouldn’t I want to do that?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have grown and developed so much as a creative since deciding to pursue an illustration career, and this was neverendingly bolstered by the tutors at Falmouth University. I would say I really struggled in my first two years at university with my creative identity. It’s hard not to be influenced by all of the other amazing illustrator’s work you can access on social media! However, in my third year, I really developed my visual language, and this is still so evident in my work today (over a year later). My work centres around texture, colour and composition. I think this makes my illustrations really distinctive as I make all of my textures by hand, either by painting paper or printmaking.

A true challenge in the current creative climate though seems to be staying relevant and keeping up with all of the new software! As a result of this, I have been really pushing myself into the design world to help support my illustration work. One tip I would have for anyone starting out their creative career is to always stay open-minded, keep learning and experiment where you can!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m very fortunate to live in lovely Falmouth in Cornwall, UK, so there are a number of things we could do! Depending on the British weather, we would definitely have to get a coffee in one of the amazing coffee shops in town. Then, we could go on a tour around some of the beaches; we could either walk to Gyllyngvase or we could drive over to Grebe beach, which is always a favourite! Following this, we’d have to end the day having food at Pizza Pls in Penryn – it can’t be beaten! Other than that, there are some lovely art galleries in the local area, such as The Tate in St Ives, or the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens near Penzance!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Dad has been a massive supporter of everything I’ve done throughout my life. He has helped nurture my interests by always expressing an interest in my passions and helping me access the resources and information I needed to begin a creative career. I am also unbelievably thankful to my fellow illustrators and tutors from the Falmouth University illustration course; there is no chance I would have been anywhere near as prepared for my life as an illustrator and designer without them!

Website: www.livcleverley.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livclevillustration/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liv-cleverley-97a281210/

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/livillustrates

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/livclevillustration/