After completing a degree in Visual Communication, Lesley was drawn to ECA’s Illustration MA by the strong work of both staff and students. Having developed her practice throughout the year, Lesley’s work culminated in a collection of zines and illustrations she exhibited at the graduate shows. 

Having stayed in Edinburgh after her studies, Lesley works part-time, as well as freelancing, and enjoys hillwalking in the city’s abundance of green space. 

Why ECA? 

Back when I was studying for my undergraduate degree in Visual Communication, I already knew that Illustration was what I wanted to pursue the most. I was then offered a student placement at Moonpig, who bought every single one of the cards I designed during my time there, and even commissioned me further. This gave me some confidence, but no real plan for my future. After graduating, I worked and travelled for a couple of years - and realised that I wanted to be back in the academic environment. Out in the real world, it was incredibly difficult to develop my practice, and I felt like I needed time and space to focus on my work. I employed a rather rational method to decide on a programme: I compiled a list of all Illustration MA degrees out there. ECA stood out for two reasons: the work of past students and staff looked strong, and although I’d never visited, Edinburgh seemed like a city with a lot to offer. Luckily, I was accepted! 

Tell us about your time at ECA 

I moved to Edinburgh without knowing anyone and was ready to throw myself into every opportunity that came my way. Looking back, it was a whirlwind of different experiences!  I spent a lot of time in the studio, often working alongside others and exchanging critiques - not necessarily during normal office hours, because I also spent a lot of time outside of the studio, getting to know Edinburgh. I chose to take the elective “Representation in Animation” - it taught me the valuable lesson that I never want to hand-animate a 2-minute film again. Following a Friday Talk by local design agency Whitespace, I completed a placement there over a few weeks, working on real briefs as an artist. I entered and won the NB magazine cover prize, which I’d seen advertised on an ECA email newsletter. I took full advantage of access to the Riso printer in the print room. For our degree show, I volunteered to be an organiser - I used my knowledge of printing to make a set of postcards with everyone’s work. I went on the Illustration trip to Oban with MA and undergraduate students, which was a highlight of my year. A pivotal moment of my artistic career occurred during a comics workshop with Maria Stoian. It turns out that I may have a knack for putting words and images together. Any previous plans I’d had for the year of illustrating books and doing observational drawings were scrapped. Throughout the year, I developed a completely new way of working, resulting in a series of artist books. In my degree show, I presented a couple of volumes of zines with autobiographical comics, as well as illustrations and sketchbooks. I want to say that I have no regrets. I suspect I’m now looking back at this time with rose-tinted glasses, because of course, it wasn’t just plain sailing. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I wish I could go back and tell myself not to worry so much and that I was doing my best. 

Tell us about your experiences since graduating

Having won the Cheltenham Illustration Award the year I started on the MA (2018), I had vague but lofty ambitions for what I would do during and after my year at ECA: surely, I would begin a successful career as an editorial illustrator or I would at least become part of a cool and trendy underground community of artists. It all ended up a little bit different when the pandemic happened only a few months after graduating.  Going from the MA to the isolation of lockdown was difficult. But I managed to channel this into my artwork. Since 2020, I have been working part-time while also working as an illustrator. The success of this has varied greatly over time. I’ve been lucky enough to have had some really great freelance Illustration job opportunities. I’ve illustrated two middle grade books with a publisher in the US, have drawn comics for the Wellcome Collection and the Nib, and I’ve been selling prints and books of my work online. I have also had the pleasure of delivering a couple of lectures to students at Nottingham Trent University, which I enjoyed so much.  It may sound cheesy, but I consider it my biggest achievement that I’ve kept my discipline and motivation up enough to consistently create art.  

While I’m not sure what will come next for me, I’m certain that my time at ECA had a defining impact on my life. I still live in Edinburgh, 5 years later, and am so happy to call it my home. This city continues to inspire me! I also need to mention the easy access to the outdoors. Thanks in part to trips I took as a member of the Edinburgh University Mountaineering and Climbing society I’ve developed a real love for hillwalking. It’s wonderful to be able to escape from the city and recharge, and it’s a brilliant way to connect with nature and other people. 

Alumni wisdom

My advice if you’re entering art school now: it may take you a while to find a way of working that suits you, or the right group of peers, or a hobby to balance it all out. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get it right immediately - yes, it’s annoying, but this, right here, is the process.   If you’re graduating, my advice is that this process gets less intense, but it continues. The work you are making can and will change: you will change. I would encourage you to lean into this and listen to yourself - do what is right for you, and be kind to yourself.