Saffron Russell - Illustrator and Artist

Hi! I'm Saffron, a Shrewsbury-based illustrator whose work features bold colours, lively characters and playful scenes. I primarily use digital but I also love painting large-scale murals and experimenting with different mediums such as watercolour and ink. Key elements of my style feature birds, tiny people and glowing light.

I have worked on a variety of projects including advertising, art trails, heritage, community artwork and murals.

I also co-run a community sketching group in Shrewsbury called Sketch Club Severn. The group, from Shropshire and the Midlands, meets up at least once a month for drawing, socialising and skill-sharing amongst other artists and creatives.

When I'm not drawing, I love getting lost in a book, watching films at the cinema and stomping around in the magnificent Shropshire hills.

'We've commissioned Saffron to create artwork for a variety of projects from painting murals to designing postcards. Her work is consistently great and always goes down well with our audiences.' Emma Molyneux, Project Coordinator at Shrewsbury BID.

'Saffron is super organised, creative and hard working. The quality of her illustrations speak for themselves but it’s her professionalism and enthusiasm when working on projects that make working together an absolute breeze. She has brought a really engaging and fun element to a new range of trails at Shrewsbury Castle which families can enjoy together. We’re now looking forward to finding other projects for Saffron to be involved with here at Shropshire Museums & Archives.' Sasha Morris-Bhatia, Learning Officer at Shropshire Museums & Archives.

'It was a delight to work with Saffron. She clearly understood our brief and the few tweaks we asked her to make to her designs were made promptly and efficiently. Her designs were fresh and vibrant – just what we asked for!' Shirley Davies, Director at Yarrington Ltd.

'We were delighted to work with Saffron on our Wildlife corridor project in conjunction with Shropshire Day Opportunities. Saffron delivered an inspiring design for our mural after consulting with the group and considering their input. Her creative and nurturing ideas sprang to life through community painting sessions. I would highly recommend working with Saffron on a creative community project we are thrilled to think of her as part of the Lovelyland family.' Clare Bear, Project Manager at Lovelyland, a not-for-profit social enterprise.

'From our first contact I knew I had made the right choice. Saffron understood the sensitivity of the work, created beautiful illustrations that enhanced my words and took care of practicalities like layout and formatting. I've since asked Saffron to design logos for my bespoke poetry business which she has done beautifully. I highly recommend her work and methods.' Kathryn Anna Marshall, Poet

Previous clients include: ASK Italian, Nationwide, Scottish Civic Trust, Shrewsbury Flower Show, Shrewsbury BID, Shropshire Council, The Hive, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, My Shrewsbury Magazine, PACC Shropshire, Make Your Mark, Painted Life Productions and Shropshire Museums + Archives.

Current in-store stockists: Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, Write Here and Qube Oswestry.

Previous exhibitions:

Swan Hill Studios - November 2024 - Sketch Club Severn exhibition - Group show

Raven Studios - March 2022 - Joint exhibition with Lewis Wyn Davies

The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse - February 2022 - Solo show

Secret Art Sale at Soden Collection - August 2022 - Group show

Drawn Fair Exhibition at Theatre Severn - September 2022 - Group show

Press:

A guide to 2021 Christmas cards - Creative Boom

Elf Trail - Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury Flower Show illustration - Shropshire Star

Comprehensive Poetry Pamphlet Illustrations - My Shrewsbury Magazine