‘All I ever wanted to do was to draw'

Sally Leach talks about her work as a session artist.

By Julia Thorley

If you have a Peppa Pig fan in your life, it’s likely that you own something that was designed by Sally Leach. If you live in Kettering, you’ve probably also seen her work on a larger scale on some of the BT Openreach boxes that have been decorated around the town.

Sally studied Fine Art at Kingston University, but looking back doesn’t think it was actually the right course for her.

“All I ever wanted to do was to draw purely for the love of imagining, rather than having to think about the meaning behind the image. Even so, it was good to mix with other creative people, such as sculptors or conceptual artists, who came from different backgrounds. Afterwards I discovered that getting work as an illustrator was going to be tricky and it took me a while to figure out where I could fit commercially. My first ‘proper’ design job was at Watermark, a greetings card company that supplied big outlets including Clintons and Paperchase. It was here I realised it was possible to make a living through illustration.

“I stayed with the company for five or six years, but then they were taken over and I was made redundant, which was very stressful. That was when I decided to go freelance. I did some work for the company that had bought Watermark, and gradually widened my reach by pursuing and then being pursued by clients, including character brands.”

Sally now has a successful career as a freelance illustrator and designer.

“I see my stuff all over the place. Companies that own brands such as Peppa Pig and My Little Pony will use creatives like me to work with them to reinvent or develop their characters.

“I work within the copyright design template, but then add, say, balloons and flowers or adapt the basic character to fit a product, such as beakers or pyjamas, or a theme, anything that helps the character to flourish. With greetings cards, too, companies have had to explore new ways to add value to their products now they’re moving away from things such as glitter that are bad for the environment. This could be something like 3D design, which is a technique I’m really passionate about. I think of myself like a ‘session artist’, in the same way as you have a session musician. I have to be able to work in whatever style is needed.”

However, it is in the extensive range of her own designs that Sally has free rein to develop her ideas. She includes people and animal characters in various styles, as well as a range of writing formats for the messaging. She also develops her designs with photo collage and 3D images. The commercial world, she explains, moves quickly and requires fast, digital work. Her own designs give her more scope for hand-drawing images.

Like many creative people, Sally is keen to encourage everyone to have a go at art.

“I watch my young daughter making marks on paper without any fear or expectation. I think it’s sad that for so many people their creativity starts to fall away at primary school age. Why isn’t it more valued in our society? OK, it might take thousands of hours to perfect a technique, but art doesn’t have to be ‘good’, whatever that means. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. While you’re sketching your mind is at rest, which can only be a good thing.”

One of the boxes on Horsemarket

The idea of ‘art for everyone’ is being explored as part of a project by Kettering Civic Society, started in collaboration with Kettering Town Council. Sally is one of the artists who have been commissioned to paint some of the green BTOpenreach boxes around the town, and she is planning to continue the venture by setting up Kettering Street Art as a Community Interest Company (CIC), a special type of limited company that exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders.

“I believe that if people see something nice they want to protect it, and want more of it. It’s like people are more likely to drop litter if there’s already litter there, but less likely in a clean space. We’ve done six boxes so far, with two more imminent. I hope the CIC will be able to decorate even more, but there’s also the potential for bigger projects, too. We’re seeking funding from the Lottery and Arts Council England, as well as local sources, including sponsorship from local organisations, such as Kettering Arts Centre and Brightwayz.”

Sally also wants to build connections between local artists to work on future projects.

“Kettering Street Art offers a great opportunity for artists to promote their work, but also to collaborate. Most of us work from home, which can be very isolating; but alongside that, it’s something I want to do for Kettering. The whole vibe is about making the town better for everyone. There are lots of lovely people here and I want to bring them together.”

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Sally Leach can be contacted through her website