francesca iannaccone is a talented artist from north england with the most darling illustrations. her fun use of color and really caught my eye, and really owns up to her shop's name: shape colour pattern. i'm sure it won't take you long to become smitten with her work either!

what is your background?
i wanted to be in the arts from a young age. i think if you have that creative bug there is just no shaking it and i was fortunate to have some very encouraging teachers along the way. i went to art school and completed a b.a. in imagemaking and design. it was very freeflow and covered everything from printmaking, photography, film, and illustration.

how did you get started selling?
the uk was late in discovering etsy, but i had a friend in australia, where it was starting to take off, and followed a link from her blog. i couldn't believe there was somewhere you could get your work out to anyone, anywhere in the world, it was such a revelation. when i first started out, i was selling my little folded wooden books, they did ok but were pretty niche and having a new baby around meant i had to think of something a little less time consuming, so i started selling prints of my illustrations.

what inspires your designs?
so many things. i get a lot from my kids - happy cat was originally an idea from my youngest and he gets half my earnings on that one! i get a lot of my ideas when i'm not trying hard, in the middle of the night or in the shower.

what has been the best thing you’ve done for your company?
taking online workshops keeps me inspired and motivated, so there is often new work in my shop which keeps it fresh. i like to give the shop a shake up now and then, but i do find it hard to get rid of things that aren't selling, especially if i still like them!

what are you most looking forward to this year?
just creating more really, there's nothing i love more than sitting at my desk making stuff. it's bliss. this year i'm hoping to carry on licensing more work as that adds to the pot. i'd love to see my work on stationery and homewares.

what advice would you give to makers who are just getting started?
don't be disheartened if things are slow. it can take a long time to find your groove and start getting sales. if you want it you just have to keep plugging away and if your work is good it will be seen.

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francesca is kindly offering a 20% discount to all everglow handmade readers with the code 'everglow' at her etsy shop, which expires on march 4th, 2016 . be sure to pick up some goodies for yourself!

check out more of kristina's work by checking out her website and instagram, it's so much fun to look at the amazing body of work she's built up. thanks so much for sharing, francesca!