If you'd like to buy a drawing of a particular species from me, but you don't see it in my shop, please ask if I have it.
I have dozens of drawings in my filing cabinet, most of them are part of various large commissions
(I usually draw species separately and combine them on my computer when designing the final artwork, together with the text, if required),
so there's always a chance I might have exactly what you need :)

Tea Towel for Torre delle Stelle

Some of my favourite souvenirs are the practical ones. I have a habit of bringing home a kitchen towel from places I visit, so creating an illustrated tea towel inspired by a place close to my heart felt like a natural extension of that tradition.

This tea towel celebrates Torre delle Stelle in Sardinia through a collection of original illustrations inspired by the area's wildlife, plants, food, architecture and coastal landscape.

Rather than focusing on one particular aspect of the location, I wanted the design to capture the place's character through a collection of small visual discoveries. The towel brings together elements of the Mediterranean natural world and local cultural heritage, creating an illustrated portrait of Torre delle Stelle.

The illustrations include local marine life such as sea urchins, as well as plants and foods associated with the Mediterranean landscape, including hibiscus, figs and carob. Alongside these are smaller details from everyday life and the built environment, including a gecko, the historic Su Fenugu Tower, and coastal scenery.

I particularly enjoy this kind of project because it allows wildlife illustration to move beyond a traditional natural-history context. Instead of drawing a species for a book or an educational publication, the illustrations become part of a product that evokes a particular place and the experience of being there.

There is also something satisfying about choosing a humble, everyday object as the canvas. A tea towel is useful, relatively inexpensive, and becomes part of a home, so the illustrations can keep telling the story of a place long after the holiday has ended.

From a design perspective, the challenge was to bring together quite a diverse collection of subjects while keeping the overall composition cohesive. Wildlife, plants, food, architecture and landscape all needed to feel like parts of the same visual story rather than a random collection of Sardinian motifs.

The finished tea towel was produced in small batches and is available through my online shop and at Aquarium Boutique in Torre delle Stelle.

This project reflects my wider interest in applied illustration, place-based art and visual storytelling, particularly where illustration can help people connect with a landscape, its wildlife and its cultural identity.