Meet The Maker: Grace Bedford Design

Hi all! My first blog post, how exciting. I really just wanted to take some time to talk a bit about me, my work, and how I got here.

I’m Grace, and I do everything here at GBD. I live in Southampton, UK, with my boyfriend (Angus) and our 3 cats.

We’re in the process of buying a house (also in Southampton) so I’m currently very excited about that, and I’m sure I’ll be writing future blog posts about the decorating process. If I'm honest, I’ve already started making mood boards for each room...

I have been making art for as long as I can remember, it has been a constant through my life thus far. I’m not going to talk about life pre college simply because it’s not very interesting. But, at college I studied Fine Art, Textiles and English Literature. I suppose I kind of merged my interest in Art and Textiles when I chose my uni degree, which was Printed Textile Design. I studied at Winchester School of Art, and honestly, it wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the layout of the course, it was very much quantity over quality of work and from the beginning, that didn’t sit right with me. I feel like most people look back on their uni experiences fondly, but with the exception of making a couple of lovely friends, I didn’t have a good time. Nevertheless, I graduated. But uni took the joy of making art away from me completely. For the next couple of years I barely created anything.

THEN during the first lockdown, I finally felt the urge to create again, and I haven’t stopped since. Grace Bedford Design was given a new lease of life!

For those keen observers, you may have seen my Etsy shop was created in 2016. I’ve tried a few different things with my Etsy shop, it’s been a long journey to where I am now. In my first year of uni I used my Etsy shop to sell digital pattern designs, and in honesty, I don’t think I ever sold any. I didn’t really know what I was doing and quickly got overwhelmed by coursework so it was left unloved.

At another stage I made a few plant pot holders which I still think are really cool. I made them using printed fabric I had made at uni. Then in November 2019 I relaunched with my little lino printed snail pals, and I’ve grown significantly since then.

I am really happy with how far I’ve progressed and how much I’ve learnt, but boy oh boy I’m only just getting started! I have tea towels in the works and I’m continuously trying to think of other ways I can expand GBD. My goal for this year is a whole textiles range which I’m incredibly excited about and I hope you are too!

Most of my current work is created using gouache paint or acrylic paint. From there I sell either the original paintings or create art prints. All of my art prints are printed on 100% recycled paper using eco-friendly ink which I think is really cool. I make an effort to keep my business as sustainable as possible, and I'm always looking for ways I can improve- but I'll save all of that for a future blog post!

Head to my shop if you'd like to have a browse of my full collection. I'm always happy to chat about commissions and custom orders, so if you've got something particular in mind please get in touch! If you've got any questions about me, my cats, or my art, leave me a comment below!

Nice to meet ya!