I'm a designer & illustrator based in Bath creating prints & paper goods inspired by nature, travel & adventure. 

With a background as an architect and a passion for drawing and graphic design, the artwork is influenced by vintage posters, photography, cinema, typography and ephemera.

By combining digital illustration techniques with low-tech analogue printing methods, I create playful, bold and graphical artworks to celebrate the simple pleasures in life.

ABOUT

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Growing up I was encouraged to explore as many creative and practical arts as I could; from drawing, painting, sculpture and photography, to woodwork and metalwork. I was also fascinated with the natural world and our place in it and spent the other half of my time outside, usually biking in the woods or exploring the fields and rivers in rural Oxfordshire.

At School my artistic sensibilities always had a graphic quality—art pieces were usually made in the workshop and I always leaned towards the more pragmatic and technical aspects of design—so I pursued architecture as a profession, which felt like a natural fit. I studied architecture at the University of Bath and have worked in the profession for around a decade honing my design and drawing skills on residential, schools and arts projects.

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A few years ago though, I felt the calling to get more hands-on again and sensing this, my talented partner Ruth found a city centre workshop space which we swiftly stocked with tools to explore making again! Around the same time we moved to an apartment in need of renovation and I also went freelance. Over the next couple of years we designed and renovated the apartment between work projects, learning to make furniture and joinery—from drawer units and wardrobes to doors and even the kitchen—which we still need to finish! All told this has been a crazy process but we can now enjoy living and working in our light-filled home and studio which we’re steadily filling with colourful work from all of the talented artists and makers we find on a daily basis!

Throughout this building process I had lots of time to reflect on what I enjoyed the most and began to fill sketchbooks with ideas and inspiration. These were initially filled with hand-crafted products but then began to shift away from the technical, to more open and creative illustration ideas and design work. It now feels like I’ve come full circle and back to my artistic roots and I’m excited to see where this leads me! 

When I’m not drawing I’m usually getting dusty in the workshop (building the odd piece of furniture) or muddy (on a mini-adventure) running the hills, woods and streets of Bath. I’d like to say I was wildly adventuring in far off places around the world but you can usually find me closer to home and deep into some creative work instead! I love film and tv (probably too much!) and watch anything clever, stylish and beautifully shot as well as consuming music and podcasts at an alarming rate. We also try to escape to the Pembrokeshire coast as often as we can for some beach time and even the occasional cold water swim!

Thanks for stopping by and I’m looking forward to sharing this next stage of my creative journey with you! ; )

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PAPER & PRINTING

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All products are printed and crafted in small quantities either in the studio, with local printers or suppliers based in the UK.

The materials used have been carefully selected with a balance of quality and sustainability in mind. Artwork and cards are printed on heavy stock papers from recycled and sustainable sources. These are selected for a combination of reasons depending on which paper is used, but include a high recycled fibre content, sustainably managed forestry sources, FSC Certification and even wind powered production methods!

Packaging has been chosen to be recycled and recyclable, biodegradable, carbon neutral, sustainably sourced and as plastic free as possible—from the tissue paper wrapping to the boxes and packing tapes. Any transparent wraps you see are a clear bio-film made from renewable vegetable starch which is fully biodegradable and compostable. More information can be found here.

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CARBON-OFFSET DELIVERY

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All prints and paper goods purchased through the Luke Holcombe Studio Etsy shop will have 100% of the Carbon Emissions generated through delivery offset!

This means that for each item sold on Etsy a 'carbon-offset' is purchased, which essentially reduces the carbon emissions created through transport by an equal amount by supporting specific environmental projects. These include the protection of existing forests and extensive new tree planting, sponsorship of wind and solar energy farms to generate clean energy along with investment in greener production methods for car parts. You can find out more on the Etsy blog.

If you are interested in working together or would like to know more, please get in touch —

Shop all prints and card collections on Etsy or get in touch for Wholesale. Thanks for stopping by!

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