If you've found your way here, thank you for taking the time to explore my little corner of the internet. This blog is going to become a portfolio of sorts - a place where I'll share the projects I'm working on, the stories behind them, works in progress, and the occasional ramble about creativity, illustration, and the things that inspire me.
It felt fitting that the first post should answer a simple question.
Who is Loralai Lake?
The short answer is that Loralai Lake is me: Nell Shepherdson. A wife, a mother, a strange animal collector...
The longer answer is that Loralai Lake became the first real creative project I ever gave myself. Before I designed a single T-shirt or opened my shop, I spent a long time trying to figure out what kind of artist I wanted to be. Not what was fashionable. Not what would sell the fastest. Just... what felt honest. Loralai Lake grew out of that question.
I've included my original logo below alongside the one I use today. I've been doing this for about 3 years now, I think. Looking back at that first design is a little strange, it reminds me how much I've grown, not just as an illustrator, but as someone who's become more comfortable trusting their own voice. The newer logo feels much more like me. It still has room to evolve, but it finally feels like it belongs.
One of the biggest steps in that journey was opening this online shop. If I'm honest, it was terrifying. The artwork I create isn't designed to appeal to everyone. It's colourful, loud, a little weird, and often wears its heart on its sleeve. Some pieces celebrate LGBTQ+ pride. Others challenge our relationship with the planet or draw on mythology, folklore, and the natural world. They're the kind of designs that make some people smile, some people think, and perhaps a few people roll their eyes.
For a long time, I wondered if there was any place for artwork like that. Eventually, I realised that wasn't the right question. The better question was whether I believed in it enough to share it anyway. Turn out, I do.
I don't expect every piece I create to resonate with everyone, and that's okay. If my work helps one person feel seen, starts one meaningful conversation, or encourages someone to look at the world from a different perspective, then it's done something worthwhile. That philosophy sits at the heart of everything I make.
This blog will follow that journey as it unfolds - as a portfolio of sorts. I'll be sharing new illustrations, commission work, book covers, behind-the-scenes sketches, branding projects, shop updates, and whatever else emerges from the wonderfully chaotic process of being an independent artist.
Thank you for being here, whether you've been cheering me on from the beginning or you've only just discovered my work.
I hope you'll enjoy following along as Loralai Lake continues to grow.
Here's to making art that has something to say.
Nell (AKA Loralai Lake)