Hi!

I'm Ailbhe Phelan (Ailbhe is a tricky Irish name pronounced 'Alva'). 

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, I live and work in London as a graphic designer and an illustrator. More recently I've added printmaking to my creative cv. I'm one half of a small London design partnership, Decoder (there's a link above to view our design work) and only began accepting illustration commissions after I started to regularly illustrate my personal food & art blog, 'Simply Splendiferous' (you can also now find that blog on this site, see navigation above) .

I love drawing, I always have, and it's been exciting to combine hand drawn line work, watercolour and ink washes with digital manipulation, adding textures and paint. However, for me, everything begins with mark-making on paper. 

My main strengths as an illustrator to hire are my love of free-flowing drawing, an understanding of the commissioning procedure, the sanctity of deadlines and the enjoyment of working with clients. My illustration interests are food and cooking, home and city life. 

I was shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards in 2013 for my illustrative work. I've exhibited my prints at Morley Gallery, London, in 2016, 2017 and 2020 (online) plus in 2020 I was commissioned by An Post, the Irish Post Office, to design a set of special stamps that will issue in April 2022 (the issue was delayed by global Covid pandemic!).

Random facts about me:

  1. I love gardening and am a committee member of my local community garden and help organise a street edible garden project

  2. I love cooking but mostly savoury, I leave dessert cooking to my OH

  3. I'm rather short (very)

  4. I get terribly grumpy in hot weather

  5. I talk a lot

  6. I panic when I swim out of my depth (unfortunately, see point 3 above)

  7. I listen to 'The Archers' on BBC Radio 4 (a farming soap series for those who've never heard of it!)

  8. As a child I persevered to like the coffee cream chocolates in a box of chocolates, they were always left behind, uneaten by my siblings, so I never had to waste a choice (practical and opportunist is how I see that!)