We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cherry Watson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cherry below.

Cherry, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I remember my first real pay check from my artwork – I was working in a golf bar at a local country club and whilst there I had come to know a few of the regular customers who ranged from local golfers, to business men and women flying in from all over the world, or actually flying the planes!

I’d been chatting a while with a regular at the bar about my hopes and dreams of starting my art business, I’d been saving and saving readying to quit my job and jump in headfirst, when an American gentlemen joined our conversation and wanted to see some of my work.

I showed him immediately and gave him a business card which he critiqued politely as “not good”, if I remember correctly, (fair – it wasn’t) and by the end of the evening he had commissioned me to draw his dog and ordered 6 gift cards for commissions for friends for Christmas.

I resigned within the week and here I am 6 years later, still at it!

Cherry, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Cherry and I have been lovingly drawing pet portraits and wildlife since 2017.

I started Cherry Watson Illustration after completing my foundation illustration degree, I was scrolling Instagram one day and saw so many gorgeous drawings of dogs in coloured pencil. Having never used coloured pencils during my degree, I just had to have a go myself and fell head over heels immediately.

When a customer approaches me for a custom commission, there’s nothing I love more than hearing about the animal – they are such characters and some of the stories I hear are just glorious – from sassy cats and daft dogs to cheeky horses!

I work really hard to make sure the finished portrait is a true reflection of the animal, choosing what coloured paper and creating a number of mockups of the composition for the family to choose from.

Coloured pencils are very humbling – as a medium they are slow, repetitive and the detail work is intricate and sometimes frustrating. I am so happy with the growth in my work, it’s been a true labour of love. Looking back at the first drawing I ever did in coloured pencil of my dogs Ruby and Hunter and comparing them to new portraits I’ve recently completed of them makes me so proud. I always say practice makes progress not perfect, and just because you don’t see improvements as fast as we’d like, doesn’t mean you aren’t making any over time.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me, is when a family comes to me with a very old photo of a pet long since lost, and being able to take that treasured photo and turn it into something tangible, to bring their animals spirit back to life on paper.

There’s something really palpable about coloured pencil and fur, the way it can flow on paper and gives you a real sense of depth and realism.

I love giving families something that they will hang in their home and look at lovingly for years to come, something that will make them smile remembering this animal that was such a huge part of their lives for even a short time but hopefully a long one.

There’s something very rewarding about being able to ease a little of the pain, about giving them something to focus on to remember the good times.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is like a house plant, the conditions have to be just right and you have to give it just the right amount of attention otherwise it’ll protest and die before you’ve filled a watering can.

My best advice for growing a social media presence (I’m specifically talking about Instagram for this), is to be consistent! However often you post, once a day, twice a week – make sure you keep that up.

Use relevant hashtags to reach people who will be interested in your content.

Be yourself, authenticity is key.

Interact with people who interact with your posts! And then go and interact with posts that are interesting to you. Grow your community of like-minded individuals.

Don’t take it too seriously, followers are nice but what helps your business grow are engaged followers who care about you and your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cherrywatson.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/verycherryamber
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verycherryamber
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/verycherryamber
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@verycherryamber

Image Credits
Cherry Watson