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Rebecca’s River Art Journey: Weaving Creativity from a Cheshire Canal Boat

Introduction

Nestled along the serene waterways of Cheshire, Rebecca, a talented artist from Rose and Grace, has carved out a unique niche in the world of digital art. Living and working from her canal boat, she transforms photographs into stunning digital illustrations of boats, houses, and bespoke wedding stationery. In the second episode of The Creative Crew, Rebecca shares her artistic journey, her creative process, and how she balances her prolific output with life on the water.

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From Photography to Digital Art

Rebecca’s creative roots trace back to her early days as a photographer, a passion she pursued professionally for several years. Starting around 15 years ago, she honed her skills in Photoshop, manipulating images and capturing moments. However, the demands of family life and running a boatyard with her husband, Matt, required a shift. “With having the kids and the boatyard, that’s got to take priority,” she explains. Photography, especially wedding photography, was challenging to juggle with her responsibilities, as it often demanded her presence on weekends. This led her to pivot to digital art, a medium that offered the flexibility to “pick up and put down” as needed.

Her transition began with wedding stationery, a natural extension of her photography work. When the COVID-19 lockdown halted weddings, Rebecca turned her focus to drawing boats and houses, tapping into her lifelong connection to the canal community—her father was a retired boat builder, giving her an innate eye for the details of narrowboats. “I’ve always had the eye for how boats look,” she says, noting the importance of capturing their shapes accurately.

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The Creative Process: Procreate and Beyond

Rebecca’s primary tool is her iPad, paired with Procreate, a digital art app she describes as “an awesome bit of kit.” She began using Procreate about a year ago, and it has since become her favorite medium, surpassing even Photoshop for its intuitive interface and affordability (£8.99 with no subscription). “I used to prefer Photoshop, but now I only go into Photoshop to add text at the end,” she says.

Her process is straightforward yet meticulous. Starting with a reference photo, she uses a technical pen in Procreate to trace the image, tweaking it with the distort function to correct angles or perspectives. “Sometimes people take pictures really side-on or angled, so I distort it a little bit to get it right,” she explains. She adds highlights, shading, and textures—such as fenders or roof details—to bring her illustrations to life. One boat illustration, she notes, took nearly 12 hours and 5,767 strokes, a testament to the dedication behind each piece.

Rebecca’s work is characterized by a balance of precision and looseness. While her boat illustrations aim for accuracy, her house sketches are intentionally “rough and ready,” with wonky lines that lend character. “I don’t want to make it too perfect,” she says, emphasizing the bespoke, personal nature of her art. This approach allows her to tweak designs based on client feedback, ensuring nothing goes to print until it’s just right.

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Life on the Canal: A Creative Haven

Living on a canal boat provides a unique backdrop for Rebecca’s creativity. Her family moved to the boat full-time three years ago after taking on the lease of a derelict site. “We were spending more time on the boat than in the house,” she recalls, describing weekends filled with barbecues and laughter by the water. The boat offers a compact but inspiring workspace, though she admits, “You’ve seen the size of my office—I don’t really have space for a proper printer.”

Her daily routine is a juggling act. With two young children at school and preschool, Rebecca squeezes in art during the day and often works late into the evening after the kids are in bed. She also helps with “yardy stuff” like blacking boats, a task that keeps her tied to the boatyard. Despite the demands, she finds time for her art, often working until her iPad battery runs out—a natural cue to take a break.

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Inspiration and Challenges

Rebecca’s creativity is fueled by her surroundings and her varied interests, from paddleboarding to playing the saxophone and clarinet. “I see something, and I’m like, ‘I want to try that,’” she says with a laugh. While she doesn’t cite specific artists as influences, she draws inspiration from Instagram reels and the ever-changing styles she encounters online. “There are lots of different styles you see going down the Instagram feed,” she notes.

Creative block, however, is a familiar hurdle. “If you look at something too much without fresh eyes, you don’t see it,” she explains. A client once pointed out that the middle panels of her house’s windows were larger than the outer ones—a detail Rebecca had overlooked after hours of drawing. To combat this, she takes breaks when her iPad battery dies, allowing her to return with a fresh perspective.

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A Niche in the Market

Rebecca’s digital illustrations of boats and houses have found a niche, particularly among the canal community. Her work stands out for its modern yet classy aesthetic, often professionally framed to enhance its appeal. “There are people doing it, but actual painting rather than digital,” she says, highlighting the uniqueness of her approach. Her favorite pieces include a PT boat with unique sign-writing and a tire fender and a house illustration for her mom’s cousin, depicting an old hop kiln with a sketch-like, imperfect charm.

She also experiments with broader projects, like a map of Cheshire highlighting dog-friendly and kid-friendly spots. “I started doing an A to Z of Northwich, but I couldn’t find anything for Q or Z,” she says, so she expanded it into a map instead. These maps, along with her bespoke commissions, are part of her plan to create more generic prints that can be sold in batches.

Advice for Aspiring Artists

Rebecca’s advice to aspiring artists is simple yet powerful: “Keep trying and know your worth.” Reflecting on her early photography days, she regrets doing too much work for free. “Artists shouldn’t work for free—there’s a lot of work and time involved,” she asserts. She encourages persistence and practice, emphasizing that digital tools like Procreate make it easy to experiment and undo mistakes. “If you’ve got a pen and paper, you’ve got to roll with your mistakes a bit more,” she says, appreciating the flexibility of digital art.

Connecting with Rebecca

Currently, Rebecca promotes her work through word-of-mouth and social media, primarily on Instagram (@rose_and_grace_design) and Facebook (Rose and Grace Design and Paper). She’s working on launching a website to showcase her portfolio and offer customizable prints. “I’d like to offer people the chance to look at someone else’s and say, ‘I like that; could you tweak the colors?’” she says. Her business cards, she admits with a laugh, are “rubbish” for lacking contact details, but her engaging online presence makes her easy to find.

Conclusion

Rebecca’s story is one of adaptation and resilience. From photography to digital art, she has embraced the challenges of family life and a unique lifestyle on a Cheshire canal boat to create art that resonates with her community. Her journey underscores the power of persistence, the value of niche creativity, and the joy of finding inspiration in the everyday. As she continues to refine her craft and expand her reach, Rebecca’s work is a testament to the beauty of blending tradition with modern technology, all from the tranquil setting of her floating studio.

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