Bex Parkin is a freelance illustrator from the UK. After studying History of Art at Reading University Bex moved to London and worked in various artistic jobs including the Royal Academy and fine art publishers the Medici Society. She started illustrating a year ago by just posting my artwork on Instagram, then started taking it really seriously when commissions started rolling in! Bex works from her studio at home in the countryside where she live with her partner and three children.

Tell us a fun fact about you I played rugby for my university!

How did you get into illustration? I started posting artwork on Instagram a year ago and very quickly got clients contacting me. The last few months have been mad!

Who or what inspires you the most? My degree was in Art History and I'm constantly turning to this for inspiration - everything from Persian textiles to pop art. I'm also inspired by my travels and obviously nature which is core to my work - luckily I'm surrounded by it where I live!

What does a typical day look like for you? The alarm goes off between 5 and 6am as I like a peaceful hour before dragging my three teenagers out of bed! Then its school run, dog walk and a run for me. I'm lucky in that I have a studio at home so I can work in between running family life. I work weekends too. I try and switch off by dinner time but like to get a quiet hour sketching in the evening.

What do you do when you have a creative block? Exercise! It always helps me to switch off and blow the cobwebs away. I normally find giving myself a break from the studio with a run or long walk with my spaniel lets my mind wander and usually the ideas just pop up!

Top three clients you've worked with? Early Bird Publishing, Kerbholz and Book Block

What tools (digital or not!) do you use to create your work? I paint everything using gouache. I then scan the artwork and tidy up using Photoshop

What's your favourite resource for inspiration? My collection of art books, Instagram, my travels and the botanical gardens.

Do you have any tips for artists thinking of doing freelance? Stay true to yourself and your creativity by producing work you are happy with. Although listening to the clients needs is incredibly important, they approached you because they saw something in your work they liked. Also, I think being nice and polite to everyone you deal with - you never know what may happen in the future!

What would your dream project be? Creating artwork for textiles and clothing would be really cool but also some packaging or book covers would be really great.

How can fans keep up-to-date with your work? Instagram