Hi Elsa, welcome to the Lepelclub journal. We’re glad you’re here! First things first, can you tell us a little more about yourself?
Hey! Sure, I am an artist and illustrator living in London. I specialise in event and wedding stationery design as well as hand-painted tablecloths. I love all things colour, stripes and hosting. I love to paint with acrylic ink and watercolours.

One of our favourite questions to ask here on the journal is how do you take your coffee? 
Skimmed Iced Latte always! (unless is cold, out then I get a hot chocolate.) 

We would love to know, when did your passion for art begin?
I have always had an interest in art, it was by far my favourite subject at school. I studied graphic design then was an inhouse designer for a fashion brand then skincare brand after it graduated. I began to paint small commissions in my spare time and posted about it on instagram. Just over a year ago I launched some prints that went viral enough for me to quit my 9-5 job! Now I paint at events and create wedding stationery full time, which I absolutely LOVE.

We know that you offer live illustrations for weddings- what are the unique challenges of creating art in such a fast-paced environment?
I have a love-hate relationship with live illustrations. It's very intense and I get a lot of anxiety before the event but always leave feeling such an immense sense of achievement that it tricks me into a false sense of security that I book more! I think the trick is to practice so much that drawing faces and a simple figure is second nature. That way, you can just enjoy painting the outfits, as that's the fun part!  Also you can’t be a perfectionist, it's only supposed to be a lighthearted quick sketch and people love the bespoke nature of it and think its a fun memento. 9/10 they don't focus on weather one arm is a little longer than the other or that the hair shade isn't exact. 

What is the most unique piece you have created?
It has to be my huge colourful Boozy Cowboy painting I did for my flat. Its’ far too big for the room but it brings me so much joy!

How do you find balancing the administrative aspect of turning your art into a business?
That side of business was never my strong point and I have learnt so much in the past year but it was honestly just trial and error. I was so motivated by the idea of doing what I love full-time that I forced myself to build my website and set up my business. Now I have a balance of creative and admin days and actually quite like that it breaks up my week so each day isn’t the same. 

What advice would you give to other artists looking to turn their passion into a business?
No business is too niche! If you enjoy doing something, whatever it is, POST IT! You will find your audience, it may take some time but if you love what you do, you will find your people.

How do you plan on stirring things up in the future? Are there any big plans for Elsa Works ahead? 
I am leaning into the events space a bit more and working with some really exciting brands to help them create the most creative, invites, menus and tablescapes as well as hosting workshops which I have been loving!