“I want my work to function like a good book": illustrator Charlotte Ager

Charlotte Ager is no stranger to It’s Nice That; we have written about her idyllic illustrations time and time again. From Reykjavik’s beaches to Indonesian villas, it was her colourful drawings of landscapes that caught our eye this time.

“I am passionate about the power of drawing to communicate across time, place and people and the incredible feat of images to access us instantly,” Charlotte tells us. It was during her foundation course at Kingston University that Charlotte first got interested in illustration and felt inspired at the prospect of communicating ideas through her art. She continues: “it seems to me — as someone who frequently feels incapable of articulating herself through words — that illustration offers this alternative means of communication that allows for subtlety, nuance and care.”

Charlotte’s bold use of colours and experimental compositions create vague impressions of places rather than realistic depictions of specific settings. This expressive approach to creativity allows Charlotte to inject her illustrations with her personal sentiments towards the locations she paints. “A lot of ideas spark from words, I read a lot and I find the way language is composed endlessly fascinating. It’s just like making images;  you choose what to leave in and out and what goes next to what,” the artist says. Through her immensely personal illustrations, Charlotte is able to hint at a narrative, whether it be a single emotion or a scene from a wider story.


Intuition is Charlotte’s main driving force when it comes to her illustrations. The confidence she demonstrates in her striking and dynamic drawings allows her to experiment with various unconventional forms and shapes and, in turn, rendering her work all the more memorable. “Lots of my work is very emotive,” the artist admits. “I want my work to function like a good book; like when you read something that affirms an idea or feeling you couldn’t articulate yourself. That’s what I admire in lots of people’s work: when you see something and you feel like saying yes, yes that’s it! That’s what I was thinking!” By following her instinct, Charlotte allows herself the expressive freedom to incorporate her personal outlooks and attitudes towards the places she paints into her drawings. 

“My work has, over time, become more personal. Some of the things I used to hold back from doing I just do now because I’m less afraid of getting it wrong,” Charlotte says. As her confidence as an artist has grown, so has her determination to experiment with playful colour combinations and unusual perspectives. “I feel like I’m putting more of my own experience into my work even if it’s not in an obvious way. I guess I’m learning to trust my gut a bit more. This essentially means that my work is becoming more about shapes, colour and form.”