Mini-CAF 2023 Poster Q+A with Sioned Medi Evans!

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a full-time freelance illustrator/animator living in Cardiff, and the things I love most in life are my cat Pegi Sue and a nice warm drink on a crisp cold walk. I enjoy storytelling and creating new worlds for young minds, which is why I love illustrating children’s picture books so much.

2. We love all the cute characters in the poster! Where did the idea come from?

When I received the brief, I was so excited to get started! To me, the word ‘mini’ symbolises all things cute, friendly and sweet, which I tried to represent in these characters. I was thinking Polly Pockets meets The Muppets! I love creating little characters with funny expressions and personalities, I could draw them all day.

3. When you're working on a new project, where do you find your inspiration?

The very first thing I do when working on a new project is conduct as much research as possible. I really enjoy this part of the process because this is when the ideas will start to flow and I get a sense of where the project will take me. It is on this journey I feel most inspired, picking things along the way from books, gallery visits and the internet.

4. Do you prefer working using traditional or digital methods, or both?

At the moment, I prefer to work digitally. When I start on a new project, I will gravitate towards thinking of ideas and experimenting by using my ipad and test as many different methods as possible, learning a lot along the way. Working digitally is also very time efficient and suits the way I like to create.

5. Do you have a favourite animated film?

Toy Story!

6. What's your favourite 'mini' thing?

Mini Cheddars!

7. Where can we see more of your work?

I have an online portfolio and work blog that I try to update regularly https://www.sionedmedievansillustration.co.uk/ and you can also see my work on instagram (@s__m__e__i) and twitter (sioned_medi).