
17th January 2025
From Chemistry to Creativity with Willa Gebbie
Willa Gebbie’s journey into illustration is as unique as her artwork. Originally from Scotland, Willa began her career in research science after earning a degree in Chemistry. However, her passion for drawing, nurtured through life drawing classes and a love of the meditative process of painting, eventually led her to pursue a creative path.
Beyond her thriving career, Willa is deeply committed to supporting the illustration community. From mentoring emerging artists to founding Yo Illo, a monthly meetup for illustrators, she continues to inspire and connect creatives across the industry.
In this interview, Willa shares her artistic journey, her love for Daler-Rowney’s Aquafine paintbrushes, and her advice for emerging artists to embrace the process and take inspiration from the world around them.

What inspired you to pick up a brush/pencil and start creating?
I was a teenager when I realised that I had a natural aptitude for drawing. I love the process of drawing and painting. the quiet, meditative aspect is what's kept me coming back to it. Throughout my early twenties, I'd spend my evenings at life drawing classes. This combination of scientific interest in the human body and anatomy, mixed with the practice of drawing, inspired me. It was this hobby that developed into a realisation that I would like to create artwork as a career.

When did your love of art start? Did you always want to be an artist?
I discovered drawing at secondary school. I had a natural aptitude for drawing, and I had the most wonderfully encouraging teachers. Despite ending up studying science, I always reflected on their encouragement. I kept drawing throughout university and my early career, but it took me a while to see how I was better suited to a creative career.

What would be your advice for new artists just starting up?
Draw as much as possible. It takes a long time to try new materials and methods and to figure out your style. But don't rush it. Every picture you paint, so matter how bad, is part of a process that will make the next one better.
What is the best tip you were told early in your career?
Every picture should contain (even if it's just a tiny fleck) a tiny bit of the whitest white, and the darkest dark.

How has social media helped your career?
I have a love-hate relationship with social media, but it's a tool that can be really useful to connect with other artists. It has allowed me to find out about events, and to reach out to other people in my industry and learn. Even if you don't use social media, you should definitely seek out groups of artists to work alongside.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
My favourite places to go are art galleries and libraries (to look at picture books). You have to look at other people's work to see what makes a successful image, and to see trends. It might be composition, colour, tone or texture, but you'll only learn by looking a lot.

What is your favourite Daler-Rowney product and why?
I love my Aquafine 1/2" short flat paintbrushes. I become strangely attached to paintbrushes, and tend to stick to the same 2-3 brushes. A short flat paintbrush forces me to use confident strokes and think about form.
What technique you haven't tried yet that you would love to try & why?
This year I'm planning on working with more gouache and watercolour pencils in combination with my watercolour, for a more mixed-media aethetic.
Explore Willa's work further here.