Boo Bruce-Smith (Q, 2015)

I began illustrating at university while studying Politics. These were sociopolitical cartoons capturing everyday conversations and observations on things such as gender roles, dating and culture. It was while au-pairing in Paris after university that I realised being an illustrator could be my profession and I moved to London to live with my sisters and start building a career.

I would soon learn this meant A LOT of networking (not the most stabilising situation for an introvert) and learning how to file a tax return (arguably more terrifying!). But gradually the networking led to illustration projects that had me glued to my desk for hours at a time and in the quieter periods I would make my own art to share on socials and bulk up my portfolio.

For full transparency, I was also working four or five days a week in a local cafe for a regular income and used this spot to tell every customer who would listen that I was an illustrator should they ever need one! I didn’t realise it at the time but I was building a strong portfolio and through sharing my work online it felt like I was having some breakthroughs. My work was spotlighted by Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH and Mother London and I landed my first billboards across the UK with Adam & Eve DDB. I started a line of T-shirts and prints which I sold by hosting pop-ups across London with Soho House and eventually landing my dream freelance gig working on editorial illustrations for Marie Claire.

Working on a collage project.

These moments offered insight and experience that was invaluable, however I felt like my lack of any formal education in design was limiting me, and the imposter syndrome was alive and thriving!

In 2023 I enrolled in Shillington, an online intensive graphic design course. This taught me design principles, design software and kickstarted a shift in my approach for getting freelance work. I started emailing everyone and anyone with my portfolio, finally understanding the importance of reaching out and dealing with rejection (and oh my was there a lot of it!). But it worked and I now work as a freelance Illustrator and Graphic Designer full-time for a range of clients including Snuggs, Kikina Studio, L’Oreal and start-ups.

Boo’s illustration for Luv Jus, an LGBTQ+ drinks brand.

I started my cartoons at university as a way to convey how I was feeling about the world and now I get to help people convey how their brand makes people feel using visual communication.

www.boobrucesmith.com
@aliomalleyart

Part of a Horoscope Collection Boo designed, selected for a London exhibition by SOTA founder Emma Lang and Christie’s Curator and Associate Director Daniel Etherton, and featured in Marie Claire