Two Artists, One Storybook World: The Illustrations Behind Our Clara's Corner Suitcase

Every detail on our Clara's Corner suitcase, from Hettie the Hedgehog, to the frog paddling his little boat, has passed through the hands of two illustrators. Emma Earnshaw created the original collage characters, and Nicola Ward brought them into the wider illustrated world of our suitcase. We sat down with both of them to talk process, inspiration, and a few secrets hiding in plain sight.

Emma Earnshaw, Character Designer

What's your process from first sketch to finished artwork? Do you start with pencil, and how much changes between the rough concept and the final line work?

Once Tor and James, and I had discussed the characters and ideas, I began drafting them out in pencil to get a feel for how they would best sit, lie, run, fly, etc. Tor also sent me lots of photographs of the animals, which were really helpful in capturing not only their likeness, but also their individual personalities and characters. From there, I start gathering materials such as scraps of paper, magazine clippings, fabric, old envelopes and anything else I can find that might help bring each character to life and give them that quirky, handmade collage feel.

Each design is built up by snipping and sticking individual pieces together, layering shapes and textures to create the character. Once the artwork is built, I scan it into Photoshop, where I can tidy up any glue smudges, add a few clean lines or even move a leg or two to finesse the final artwork. This digital stage also allows the clients to suggest any final tweaks or adjustments before the character is finished.

Where do you get your inspiration for the collage elements? We noticed Hettie the Hedgehog is made from pencil sharpenings- was that always the plan, or did it evolve into that?

Collage has always been my signature style, ever since studying BA Illustration at university. I'm naturally drawn to shape, texture and colour, and I love how these elements can bring an almost 3D quality to a design. The pencil sharpenings for Hettie's spikes came from that same way of thinking, finding an unexpected material that naturally lends itself to the character. I'm always looking for patterned paper, fabric, or unusual materials that capture the essence of what I'm trying to create. Once I find the right piece, it's a case of snipping shapes and sticking until the character starts to come to life!

Who's your favourite character and why?

Hard to choose, as all have the individual charm that brings them to life, but probably Hettie the Hedgehog, as she is one of the first and came naturally to design. I also think she would work so well in animation, I can just imagine her shuffling along!

Any other behind-the-scenes secrets or unusual techniques you used that we wouldn't spot at first glance?

Yes, some of Daphne's hair and the deer's antlers are made from very old script writing paper. It has a warm yellow background, and the tiny old scroll typeface adds interest and detail. Along with pale sandpaper and brown envelopes from bills that make up Daphne's gorgeous classic Spaniel coat! The leg feathers on the Red Kites are from real pheasant feathers, not sure if they're happy about that!

Nicola Ward, Scene Illustrator

What's your process from first sketch to finished artwork? Do you start with pencil, and how much changes between the rough concept and the final line work?

I actually work digitally, so although there might occasionally be the odd pencil sketch, most of the time everything is drawn by hand on my iPad. There is still plenty of rubbing out, redrawing and changing my mind along the way!

For this project I was also working with Emma's beautiful collage designs of the Clara's Corner characters. Working digitally gave me the freedom to bring those characters together and create these little scenes around them, without ever changing or compromising her original designs.

Everything is built up in layers, so many layers! It means I can move individual elements around, resize things, recolour them and keep playing with the composition until it feels right.

Tor's brief was for the illustrations to feel childlike and really capture the essence of Clara's Corner. We knew we wanted little scenes that referenced the products and how they might be used, but also had that lovely storybook feel. My first sketches were actually quite rigid, so there was a lot of refining along the way until they felt much looser, freer and more natural.

Each scene on the suitcase feels really thought through. Did you map out the scenes in advance, or did they evolve naturally as you worked with the shape of the case?

A bit of both really. We knew the products and some of the little moments we wanted to reference from the beginning, but the scenes definitely evolved as I worked with the shape of the suitcase.

It became a bit like putting together a puzzle. I'd create one scene and then realise there was a little space where something else could happen, or that an element needed to be bigger, smaller or moved slightly. The flowers, insects and tiny details started creeping in quite naturally and became a lovely way of connecting everything together.

I didn't want it to feel like lots of separate illustrations placed around the case. I wanted it to feel like one little world, where your eye could wander around and keep discovering something new.

Who's your favourite character on the suitcase, and why?

Oh, it has to be the frog in the boat. I was reading The Wind in the Willows to my daughter at the time and the idea was born from that. I just think he's the sweetest!

I'm a mum of three, so my children find their way into my work all the time. It might be something we're reading together, something they've said, or just the way they see something completely differently to me.

Any other behind-the-scenes secrets or unusual techniques you used that we wouldn't spot at first glance?

One thing I discovered very quickly is that drawing in a childlike way is actually much harder than it looks! My natural strength probably lies in quite detailed, precise line work, so letting go of that and drawing in such a loose, free way was surprisingly challenging at first.

At one point I actually got my children to sketch a bath and a few of the other elements for me, just so I could see how they would approach them. Children don't have that same instinct to make everything technically "right," and there's something so lovely and free about the way they draw. My nine-year-old daughter also gets drafted in as my unofficial art director quite regularly.

Little details like the balloons, the picnic basket and the dragonflies scattered around the edges- are these just decorative flourishes, or do they build towards a bigger narrative you had in mind?

A lot of those details came from watching the way my own children look at their storybooks. They love finding all the tiny things hidden within an illustration.

I also wanted the artwork to feel rooted in Clara's Corner and the beautiful countryside around West Wycombe Estate. The swans are inspired by the lake, there are wild flowers, snails, dragonflies and lots of little nods to nature, and the snowdrops reference the estate's annual Snowdrop Walk.

I suppose as I worked on it, it became its own little world. Some of the details have a story behind them, some are there simply because they made me smile, and others just felt like they belonged.

Shop our gift suitcase on our website. Perfect for newborn gifts.