About
Lovingly Illustrated in Cornwall, Jennifer Armitage's art is inspired by the ethereal natural beauty of Cornish places, and it's flora and fauna. Jennifer has lived in Cornwall all her life - Inspired by her surroundings she loves to create abstract and bold illustrations to celebrate some of Cornwall's most iconic places and majestic scenes - All designed from her design studio in rural St Ives. Shop the range of hand-signed art prints, greetings cards, tea towels, ceramic coasters, enamel mugs, Cornish candles, calendars and gift boxes - It's FREE UK Delivery on all orders too!
Jennifer's Process
Jennifer's process is to map out a layout using pencil and paper in abstract form from direct references and photographs she takes. She then scans her drawing in, and digitally free hand illustrates using an illustration program. This allows Jennifer to work freely with colour and diverse techniques to create her bold and abstract illustrations.
Jennifer's Bio
Lucky enough to be born in Cornwall, I thank my beautiful surroundings and upbringing in Nanjizal, near Land's End (far West Cornwall) for influencing my early love of art & design. Being the daughter of an exquisite antique restorer, and a sister to three very artistically talented siblings, I had a fantastic introduction to art at a very young age. It was always the subject in school I excelled at, and I would spend hours drawing anything and everything because it was something I just 'understood', and a way to creatively express myself.
At 17 I pursued a National Diploma in Art and Design at Penwith College in Penzance, followed by a Foundation Degree in Art and Design at Falmouth University. I then went on to pursue a Fashion Design Degree at Falmouth - It was a fantastic experience, but I always felt more interested in the Illustrative side rather than the fashion industry itself, and I knew I didn't want to move to away from Cornwall. This left me somewhat confused as to where I could fit my skills into the design Industry. Still, I just had a feeling that things would work out and I shouldn't have to move away from the very place that inspires my creativity to be successful.
As a fresh graduate I was very excited to get my first 9-5 job, and was lucky enough to work for a wonderful Natural Skincare company 'Pure Nuff Stuff' in Penzance. Primarily making the products themselves, my boss noticed on my CV the skills in designing that I possessed, and I was offered the opportunity to start designing labels and artwork for the products. This then progressed to me becoming an in-house designer for the business, marketing new products and creating fresh and exciting artwork on a weekly basis. Along side this job, I began my own freelance Graphic Design Business picking up jobs from all over Cornwall from nothing other than word of mouth (Good old Cornwall) and before I knew it I had built a portfolio of clients who were recommending me to everyone they knew.
I was then offered a fabulous position at Seasalt Clothing to join their Graphic Design team in 2014. In the 2 years I was there I learnt the most incredible wealth of knowledge from the fantastically talented design team. The creativity and talent that goes into marketing the business is second to none and it's something I loved being a part of. I primarily worked on advertisements, illustrations and the wonderful illustrated catalogues, but was also given the opportunity to incorporate my Fashion Illustrations into the brand, which went down fantastically. This is where I really started to develop my style of illustrating, and had access to incredible advise and guidance to start pushing my work further.
In 2016 I decided to take the plunge to go self-employed full time as a Graphic & Website Designer, and launched my business Pure Cornish Design. I love to support and help local businesses, and it always feels a privilege to be part of building someone’s dream. I absolutely love my job and feel incredibly grateful that it also allows me the freedom to work on my illustrations too. Since moving to my beautiful new home in Nancledra (rural St Ives) in 2017, I have felt more inspired than ever by Cornwall's beauty, and aim to continue illustrating the wild and wonderful parts of Cornwall that inspire me.
At 17 I pursued a National Diploma in Art and Design at Penwith College in Penzance, followed by a Foundation Degree in Art and Design at Falmouth University. I then went on to pursue a Fashion Design Degree at Falmouth - It was a fantastic experience, but I always felt more interested in the Illustrative side rather than the fashion industry itself, and I knew I didn't want to move to away from Cornwall. This left me somewhat confused as to where I could fit my skills into the design Industry. Still, I just had a feeling that things would work out and I shouldn't have to move away from the very place that inspires my creativity to be successful.
As a fresh graduate I was very excited to get my first 9-5 job, and was lucky enough to work for a wonderful Natural Skincare company 'Pure Nuff Stuff' in Penzance. Primarily making the products themselves, my boss noticed on my CV the skills in designing that I possessed, and I was offered the opportunity to start designing labels and artwork for the products. This then progressed to me becoming an in-house designer for the business, marketing new products and creating fresh and exciting artwork on a weekly basis. Along side this job, I began my own freelance Graphic Design Business picking up jobs from all over Cornwall from nothing other than word of mouth (Good old Cornwall) and before I knew it I had built a portfolio of clients who were recommending me to everyone they knew.
I was then offered a fabulous position at Seasalt Clothing to join their Graphic Design team in 2014. In the 2 years I was there I learnt the most incredible wealth of knowledge from the fantastically talented design team. The creativity and talent that goes into marketing the business is second to none and it's something I loved being a part of. I primarily worked on advertisements, illustrations and the wonderful illustrated catalogues, but was also given the opportunity to incorporate my Fashion Illustrations into the brand, which went down fantastically. This is where I really started to develop my style of illustrating, and had access to incredible advise and guidance to start pushing my work further.
In 2016 I decided to take the plunge to go self-employed full time as a Graphic & Website Designer, and launched my business Pure Cornish Design. I love to support and help local businesses, and it always feels a privilege to be part of building someone’s dream. I absolutely love my job and feel incredibly grateful that it also allows me the freedom to work on my illustrations too. Since moving to my beautiful new home in Nancledra (rural St Ives) in 2017, I have felt more inspired than ever by Cornwall's beauty, and aim to continue illustrating the wild and wonderful parts of Cornwall that inspire me.
