Ruth Salton has been drawing and designing since childhood. Since leaving art college Ruth has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator in a wide range of styles.
Ruth’s Birmingham project is something she had wanted to do for a long time. Over the past 20 years the City has gone through an amazing transformation and Ruth wanted the colour and vibrancy of her illustrations to reflect this. Her illustrations are a combination of reality and imagination resulting in stylised images influenced by a mix of her love of architecture and Deco art with a contemporary twist

What first fuelled your passion to make/ create your designs/ products?

I had wanted to do a Birmingham project for a long time. Over the past 20 years the City has gone through an amazing transformation and I wanted the colour and vibrancy of my illustrations to reflect this. Lockdown gave me unexpected spare time and was the ideal opportunity to do this.

Tell us about the origins of your business.

I have been working as a designer and illustrator doing commissioned work for a long time. After I had completed the first couple of Birmingham illustrations I just continued with more. It's ongoing and further illustrations will follow.

What’s your motto?

Never give up.

How would you describe your designs / products?

A combination of reality and imagination resulting in stylised images influenced by a mix of my love of architecture and Deco art with a contemporary twist.

What was the first success / landmark moment for your designs / product range?

I was lucky enough to be featured in I Choose Birmingham just after I had launched my site and the response I got was mind blowing. Feedback was fantastic.

Tell us about your materials - where do you source your materials from?

My illustrations are digital so I don’t actually source any materials.

Tell us about your making process? 

I take photographic reference to work from, then it’s deciding the basic composition for the illustration. I always have an idea in my head but as I’m working the colour palette and detail evolve.

Have you ever had any interesting commissions?

I’ve done a couple of illustrations of private houses. These are interesting as it’s a personal not public building and reflecting something about the people who live there.

Do you have a favourite of the Birmingham museums? If so, why?

It has to be Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square. Apart from such a wonderful collection of so many things, it is probably the first museum I ever went to as a child and always very nostalgic visiting.

And finally, a tourist arrives in Birmingham for the first time ever, where do you take them?

I always take people on a general wander around the City centre from Grand Central and the Bullring up to The Mailbox and Brindley Place.