🎶Happy Birthday To Me 🎶

Introductions, codpieces, and a launch…

Mar 01, 2024

Hi! It’s me, Catherine Fortey - an illustrator and artist, turning voices and stories into pictures. You’re reading a free post from “The Quiet Blackbird”, where I talk about my illustration journey into children’s publishing, but often get sidetracked by the million other things my brain wants to share.

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The eagle-eyed amongst you, who have sat beside their inbox, longingly awaiting the arrival of my newsletter (ha, like no-one) will have noticed that I missed January (😲 unforgivable). I’m super sorry, hopefully I can make it up to you today - this extra, free, what you eat today doesn’t count, leap day [Edit: I meant to send this yesterday].

Firstly, Happy Birthday to me!

Well, not me-me (that’s in April for anyone who wants to get me a present 😉), Happy 3rd Birthday to The Quiet Blackbird substack. I’ve been writing these newsletters for 3 whole trips around the sun - can you believe it!

To celebrate, and as a sort of refresher, I thought I’d re-introduce myself and, as you’ll see if you skip-to-the-end*, launch my new and improved paid subscription (that’s right, I’m going all in and committing to consistent extra content!)

I’m rubbish at writing bios, and those weird elevator pitch things - you don’t want to know how long it took me to write the bit in italics at the top of this post! Earlier this month I had to write a summary for a project I’m working on in 100 words - I did it in 12, which isn’t to say I’m some kind of summary genius, no - my brain just thinks I don’t need to explain because everyone knows anyway. So, I will do my best here:

And what do I do all day as a freelance illustrator?

Well, not make much money mainly! The paid work is coming, slowly, but a chunk of our family income still comes from government welfare. If I’m being completely honest, (and I think it’s really important that we are) I regularly consider giving it all up and getting a ‘proper’ job, but the likelihood is that we would still need welfare. So despite the ridiculously low-pay of creative work, and a system that makes it increasingly difficult for people on a low-income (with their increased likelihood of having intersecting identities with other under-recognised groups) to be artists, and so contribute their voice and be represented, I stubbornly (did I mention I’m a Taurus) carry on, from one month to the next. My days often include:

Working on paid commissions

I don’t get many yet, but last December I very excitingly got my first contract in children’s publishing - I illustrated a book cover with Little Tiger books! It was a brilliant experience, Charlie Moyer (also an awesome author) was my very nurturing Art Director and Designer, and I’m really pleased with the cover we made. It’s out in May 2024.

Applying for grants and looking for work

This is a full time job in itself! It’s boring, but essential, because if I’m successful then it can mean a little less worry. So I’m constantly searching for opportunities, be they project grants, commissions, or collaborations.

Working on projects

If I’m lucky enough to get a grant I then have to deliver what I have proposed. This has been the bulk of my work for the last year, as I’m just coming to the end of a year-long Developing Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England. And I’m about to start a new, much smaller one - which will see me getting into the print studio this spring/summer, trying a new technique for my illustrations, and hopefully building a body of prints and zines for sale.

Building my children’s illustration portfolio

This is a huge one, probably the most important, but also the hardest to find time for. To get an agent, and to be picked up by publishers I need a strong portfolio of my illustrations, so whenever I can I try and make new ones to show what I’m capable of and the kind of children’s books I want to make. I often try and combine this with entering competitions - it tricks my brain when I have a brief and a deadline.

Professional development

Urgh! That sounds so cringy and corporate! Essentially, it’s any classes or courses I can take to improve my skills and my chances of finding work. At the moment its Pathways Into Children’s Publishing, the Goodship illustration courses, and I’ve also pushed myself a little and have been working on a Creative Leadership course which will see me running my first ever workshop at the end of March - eek!

Writing this substack

And finally, every month (and soon to be twice a month), I curate a bunch of links and write you all a newsletter. It takes a fair bit of time and effort but I really enjoy it, and I’m so glad me from 3 years ago started it. At the moment it doesn’t pay for itself, but I’m hoping that soon will change - I’ve even re-vamped my paid perks to try and tempt a few more of you over.

Just do some bloody drawing, Cat!

I love drawing in my sketchbook, but alas it often falls to the bottom of the list. I aim to remedy that this year though, and get back into regularly taking my sketchbook out and just bloody drawing.

The Quiet Blackbird Paid Subscription

I am finally committing to creating extra content for paid subscribers. So, whilst I’ll still try and send out little postal surprises every now and then, the main perk is going to be one (to begin with) extra newsletter a month. But what makes that special I imagine you cry? Well, it won’t be a regular newsletter. I plan on inviting you into the inner sanctum - which means deep dives into my process, my influences, and my sketchbooks, bookshelf tours, behind-the-scenes plans and news, maybe some videos, or even some lives, and lots of other things I haven’t thought of yet. Here’s just a sample of some of the posts coming soon:

Illustration process - Spider Girl
Influences and illustration process - Folktale Week 2023
Behind-the-scenes of my book cover commission
Deep-dive into my time at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2024

And, if that wasn’t enough to tempt you - if you subscribe during March you get 15% off for the entire year, just use this link:

Get 15% off

Banner that reads “The Bower” illustrated with feathers, butterflies and plants.

If you’ve made it this far, you definitely deserve to jump into the treasures:

For my fellow yarn manipulators - Visible Mending
For all the parents and carers - Parenting
For the plane crash enthusiasts and frequent flyers - Why You’ve Never Been in A Plane Crash
For the lovers of words and my birdy references - How Groups Of Birds Got their Names
For those who want a childish giggle - How The Codpiece Flopped
For the cartophiles - Casting Light On Relief Map Shading
For those still deciding if they’re a good girl or a bad girl - Girl Pop & Resentment & Complaint & Rivalry & The Paradox Of Feminism - which is what I wrote my dissertation about.
For those who want to turn back technology (it cant be just me) - Necessity Or Compulsion?
For those who like hearing talented people read clever words - Letters Live - and I don’t apologise for sending you down this rabbit-hole.

And finally I want to start sharing fellow newsletter/Substack writers that I love (I’ve cheated and already linked to

Mad Woman

- number 7):

Substack of the Month

Nanette Regan

is a fellow picture book illustrator who amongst other things shares little history dives that are just fascinating. Check out her posts on the history of pencils, but her latest post includes my beloved Saltaire lions…