salisbury river park project

May 12, 2025

Firstly, its taken me a while to write a blog post. 2024 was a year of maternity leave for me with my son Rupert, who is a leapling, born on 29th February!

When I was around 6 months pregnant, I started working with Jo and Clare from Studio Response on an exciting project for the new Salisbury River Park. In partnership with the Environment Agency, Salisbury City Council and Wiltshire Council, the project will reduce flood risk within Salisbury whilst enhancing habitats and enjoyment of public spaces along the river. I was commissioned to produce illustrations of flora and fauna from the river park that would be included on new information boards produced for the area.

I was so excited to start working on this project, illustrating fauna and flora to be displayed in my hometown was my dream job!

I wanted to create imagery that was illustrative in my style but also accurate to ensure the public could identify the nature they see correctly. I initially created sketches in pencil, which were then scanned in as a guide for working digitally. I also had Wiltshire Wildlife Trust on hand to ask questions to!

There are 6 boards in total, showcasing birds, insects, fish, trees, vegetation and mammals. They have now been installed, which I thoroughly enjoyed showing my son Rupert, taking in the beautiful nature that surrounded us!

There was an exhibiton of the artwork creating for the River Park Project at the Young Gallery Salisbury. It was amazing to see all of the illustrations printed and displayed together. They were printed on corrugated cardboard which was really effective. The exhibition also showcased other artworks commissioned for the project, including illustration, sculpture and murals.

As part of the project, I also ran a drop-in botanical illustration workshop at the Young Gallery. This was free and open to all ages! We focused on how to approach lightly sketching the composition of a botanical from life, and then adding more details to the drawing with coloured pencil. It was a popular event and it was so lovely to see all of the artwork created! I also created some colouring sheets and some bookmarks for the event.

As part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival, I will be running another free drop-in botanical illustration workshop as part of the river project on Friday 30th May, 10-2pm.

A huge thank you to Jo and Clare from Studio Response for allowing me to work on this project with them, it’s been fantastic to see the project come to life and the boards being installed!

Pitton Primary School signage & mural

September 18, 2023

It’s the beginning of a new school year, and over the summer Pitton Primary School printed and installed the new signage I illustrated for them, which is so great to see up on display! The brief was to create signage which celebrated the wonderful natural landscape that surrounds the school, and also had a bright, welcoming feel to greet the students and parents.

I worked in Adobe Illustrator to create these designs, which allows the drawings to be vectorised, meaning they can be blown up to any size and not get pixelated. It’s not my usual programme of choice to work in, but I’m glad I pushed myself to create the designs in Illustrator as I am chuffed with the results, the crisp lines and bold colours work brilliantly for the primary school signage.

In 2022 I also created a hand-painted mural for Pitton Primary school in their outdoor pavilion, the design links to the new 2023 signage, as both include all the creatures you may spot from the school playground! The mural was painted with acrylics, and sealed to protect from the weather.

Rose Illustration Workshops for the National Trust

June 30, 2023

Earlier this month I was invited to run some botanical rose drawing workshops for the gardeners and staff of various National Trust properties, at their annual monograph event, specialising this year in Roses taking place in Winchester. The National Trust property Mottisfont is the home to a walled garden which is full of vast varieties of different rose species, my eyes have been opened to how many there are! It was lovely to work with the staff at the National Trust, and allow them to explore looking and thinking about the Roses they are surrounded by everyday through drawing.

I also created a Rose motif illustration that was used as the emblem for the event. I based it on a beautiful pink rose from the walled garden it Mottisfont. It was used on banners, signs, etc for the event and even embroidered onto National Trust polo shirts which turned out really nicely!

Haiku book

January 30, 2023

During 2021/22 I worked with writer George Marshall, illustrating a collection of his Haiku poems! The finished book features 40 Haikus alongside my illustrations which aim to capture the essence of each 3 lined poem.

Haikus focus on a brief moment in time, and through their simplicity create a sudden sense of enlightenment. My aim was to create illustrations that complimented the Haiku without being overpowering, still allowing the reader to connect with each Haiku in their own individual way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this project, it was liberating to be able to have such creative freedom, creating artwork in response to these poignant poems!

If you would like a copy, the book is available to purchase from my online shop.

new gouache painting workshop launch!

March 22, 2022

Spring has finally arrived, and along with it I’m super happy to launch a new workshop - An Introduction to Gouache, on Saturday 14th May, 10am - 12.30pm.

It will take place at an exciting venue, the new workshop space at the Make Arcade. The Make Arcade are passionate about all things craft and creative, and have a fantastic selection of crafting products that they sell throughout the UK. With their growing business, they have decided to launch a programme of workshops and I’m delighted to be a part of it! They are based in Salisbury, so if anyone is local to Wiltshire do check out their line-up of workshops for the spring, there is a real variety and hopefully something for everyone.

I have wanted to create a half day workshop focusing on gouache painting for some time - so I’m glad that it is finally happening! During the workshop you will discover the different properties of gouache and learn how to apply the paint using various techniques such as wet-on-wet, dry brush and opaque layering. You will then apply your new creative knowledge and paint your own still life from fresh flowers and beautiful props on a gorgeous piece of hot-press paper.

If you have any questions about the workshop please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.

Booking is through the Make Arcade - please click here to book

Hope to see you there!

Window Wonderland

December 2, 2021

During October and November 2021, I worked on a fantastic project with Wiltshire Creative called Window Wonderland.

Window Wanderland is a project for the whole community, started in Bristol in 2015 and is now seen across the country. This year it arrived in Salisbury for the first time kindly supported through funding from Wiltshire Council and event support from Salisbury City Council.

The Theme this year was Diwali, which is a festival that is all about light triumphing over darkness, celebrated by various religions such as Hinduism. Myself and two other artists worked with community groups throughout October to create window displays to be viewed in different shop windows throughout the city. The decorations were made from layers of tissue paper and card, with an emphasis on light, positivity and happiness being portrayed in the designs. At night, the decorations were lit from behind, allowing the light to shine through with a stained glass effect. The perfect way to portray light over darkness!

We were also commissioned to create our own window displays, the picture below shows mine! My design is celebrating nature and how it works beautifully together as a whole ecosystem. The design is also inspired by traditional pattern designs. It was on display at Goldsmiths jewellers over Diwali.

Thank you Wiltshire Creative for inviting me to be part of this project, it was so much fun and amazing to see it all come together and also learn about the Diwali festival.

Wiltshire Life Awards 2021

March 20, 2021

I was absolutely thrilled to be nominated for the Arts, Music & Culture Individual of the Year Award as part of the Wiltshire Life Awards 2021. This was for the NHS postcard project that I created last year, in which we raised over £500 for NHS Charities Together.

Thank you to everyone who bought a postcard last year and helped us raise money for our much loved NHS, and in doing so also sending postcards of thanks to key workers. I hope through doing this we managed to show our gratitude to all the key workers in our lives!

I watched the awards ceremony last night, and feel honoured to be awarded 3rd place. In second place was Gemma Brunton Photography. This photographer’s charity portrait project, Children of Salisbury – Life after Lockdown, documents the younger generation and how they have embraced the positives to be found from these unprecedented times. Raising more than £4700 for The Stars Appeal and Action for Children.

In first place was Luke Hughes, a very worthy winner! From opening his first workshop in Tisbury some 40 years ago, Luke has gone on to design beautiful sustainable furniture both nationally and internationally. His magnificent creations can be found everywhere from local churches to royal palaces.

It was also so lovely to hear the stories from the other categories, we have an amazing community in Wiltshire which I am proud to be a part of!

There are always Flowers...

November 19, 2020

There are always flowers for those who want to see them - Henri Matisse

I love this quote! I have been doing quite a lot of calligraphy over the last couple of weeks. It’s been a really therapeutic way to unwind in lockdown two in the UK, particularly as the weather hasn’t been great, its been a good alternative to walking which I loved in the first lockdown as a way to relax.

Whilst studying for my MA in Illustration in 2016, my practice was greatly influenced by looking at Matisse’s cut outs of botanicals. I love his use of vibrant colours within his cut outs, and the use of repetition. Studying these works in turn inspired my surface pattern designs and reflecting nature within my work.

I thought it would be nice to write out this quote and photograph it along with some of my flower inspired products!

Hope you are all safe and well in lockdown 2 x

Soton Makers Festive Guide!

November 2, 2020

It’s sad to think of all the craft fairs that would have been taking place this month at the start of the festive season. I am however so inspired by how adaptable the creative community is. Last year I took part in the Southampton Etsy market, which was so much fun! The lovely organisers have adapted to 2020 and curated this beautiful online guide to shopping small and locally.

Every single sale for a small businesses brings a little sparkle of joy (I honestly do a little jig every time I get an online sale!) So if you can, do support your local Indies this festive season.

It won’t quite be the same this year soaking up the atmosphere of Christmas markets with a mulled wine in hand, but there is something nice about sitting on the sofa with a cuppa and browsing through this beautiful curated Soton Makers Guide

Sending lots of love to everyone. We will get through this together x

Slow Made Market

August 29, 2020

This bank holiday weekend I am taking part in my first ever online market! With 2020 being 2020 (for obvious reasons) markets have for the most part been cancelled, so I’m excited to showcase my online shop alongside other lovely local makers through Slow Made Club’s online market platform.

Slow Made Club’s objective is to champion local indie businesses, and showcase their work online in a virtual space, which is a curated selection of local makers work. Essentially allowing you to browse a market as you would in real life, but from the comfort of your sofa with a cuppa in hand!

2020 has certainly been a tough year for us creatives, but I’m so happy to be part of a community of makers who support each other, and think of innovative ways to sell their work and survive in these crazy times!

So sit back, relax, and have a browse Slow Made Club.

Wood Warbler Mural

April 21, 2020

Self isolation has allowed me to create some new work I’ve been meaning to do for a while! I have wanted to paint a little mural in my studio for months, and I finally got around to doing it. It’s inspired by the vibrant greens and yellows of the Wood Warbler bird. Wood Warblers forage high in tree canopies, often hidden by the foliage, and can be seen in most parts of the UK. I used Molotow acrylic paints for this piece, they were lovely to use and I would definitely recommend them. The paints are nice and opaque, making it easy to add layers of detail on top, and works well for adding lighter details on top of darker layers of paint. I love the raw edging of the sliced oak, which I thought would make a nice shelf and work with the mural. Perfect for displaying some of my nic nacs!

LIBERTY ILLUSTRATION

March 9, 2020

Liberty London recently had an open call to illustrate their building. I have always loved their brand and their love of pattern and design for years, so I was keen to have a go! I decided to go for a reduced colour palette of yellow and purple, and had lots of fun with textures and pattern. I hope I have captured the creativity and vibrancy of Liberty to do the beautiful building justice! I created the illustration using hand made textures with ink stamps and gouache, scanned in and then constructed digitally.

Woodland Fox cushions

May 22, 2019

Bring nature into your home with one of my woodland fox cushions! The design is from an original gouache and ink stamp illustration I created, digitally printed on both sides of the 100% cotton cushion cover. They also come with a feather cushion. If you would like to see more pictures / purchase one follow the link :) https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/694392186/woodland-fox-cushion?ref=shop_home_active_1

Frome Art Fair

May 9, 2019

May 4th & 5th I took part in Frome Art Fair, the fair was spread across 3 venues in Frome, and I was lucky enough to be in the beautiful Silk Mill venue. I met so many lovely people over the weekend, Frome locals are so friendly! It was great to see how diverse the artists were, I had photographer Ruby Hyde to my left who creates the most surreal, beautiful scenes, amongst many other fantastic creatives.

I exhibited some new products including fox cushions, and some new limited edition prints of my new illustrations. Its refreshing to get away from the studio and actually interact with customers in person! I am keen to do more markets, I hope to do some more in the South West including Frome later in the year.

modern calligraphy workshop - white stones gallery on portland

April 16, 2019

I will be running my first modern calligraphy workshop on the beautiful Isle of Portland on Saturday 8th June, 2.30 - 4.30pm, taking place at White Stones Art Gallery.

White Stones Gallery is an inspiring arts cafe with great food and refreshments to enjoy, filled with art from local artists, which is a renowned tourist location to recharge and enjoy art. They have recently built some eco B & B’s, as well as a new workshop space, which I am really excited to try out!

If you would like to book into this workshop do email me for more information : mclean.francesca@gmail.com

Foliage Stickers!

March 15, 2019

I love when I see my illustrations in print, whether it’s on a sticker or a beautiful piece of fabric, its so satisfying to pick up a design as an object that can be enjoyed.

I’m really happy with these custom shaped stickers of my foliage illustration. I am going to give away a free sticker to everyone who places an order on my Etsy shop as an extra thank you! https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FrancescaMcleanShop

I got them printed with a company called Awesome Merchandise, I’d definitely recommend them for fun merch ideas, like badges, stickers etc!

Avebury Tea Towel Design

January 17, 2019

Here is one of my designs in response to the ‘Frames of Reference’ project, aiming to engage the community of Amesbury with Wiltshire’s heritage sites.

I went to Avebury stones and spent time sketching and observing how people and every day life exists with the ancient stones in a modern day context. I wanted to create a colourful design that illustrated Avebury stones in a way that local people could relate to, and a tea towel design seemed like a big blank canvas which also has a function in the home.

The Red Lion pub seems to be a hub of activity and socialising within Avebury, so I thought it would sit well within the middle of the design, it is such a beautiful building too. Anyone who has been to the Avebury stone circle will know how the sheep happily graze away around the stones too, it’s such a unique setting, and the stones themselves have such a presence, people spent minutes gazing upwards infront of them at their beauty.

It was fun to create my own hand lettering too, I put my skills learnt to good use from the sign writing ‘Better Letters’ course I went on last year.

Below is an image of me holding a printed sample, I’m happy with the quality so should be getting some more printed soon!

Frames of Reference - Artist Bursary

July 30, 2018

Im really happy to announce I have been awarded an Artist Bursary from Gingko Projects, funded by Bloor Homes as part of the public art commissioning programme for the King’s Gate development in Amesbury.

I will be working on some new surface pattern designs until December 2018, with the aim of creating work with a narrative celebrating modern day life co-exisiting with the Heritage sites here in Wiltshire. Of course, I will have strong influences from our natural world, and I'm excited to conduct some research into the unique wildlife to this area and create designs in response.

I intend to screenprint the final designs onto fabric, wallpaper and produce limited edition prints.

First stage: research, sketching, research, sketching!!