HELLO I am Yemi Edwards

Remember 2020? When the world shut down? Feels like ages ago, but for me, it was the start of something totally different — a crazy, creative new life. So I am only 5 years old in artist years, not long at all!

Back in 2020, I stepped away from my photography career because I wasn’t feeling great physically and mentally. My daughter was also going through a tough time with her mental health and her ASD/Asperger’s diagnosis. Life was busy and pretty chaotic, even if we couldn’t go anywhere due to lockdown.

One day, I just grabbed some pencils and started drawing my own version of manga and anime characters. I even drew a character to help boost my daughter’s moods.

Soon after, I went to Hobbycraft and bought Promarkers and some paper. That’s when I got totally hooked on creating these characters. I drew my son, my daughter, then my dad. My style started shifting—next thing I knew, portraits became my thing.

I signed up for courses on Domestika and discovered watercolour painting. I started experimenting with all kinds of subjects, and I just fell in love with it.

Then I found Skillshare, another awesome platform for learning from creatives. I did a course on houses inspired by a recent trip to the USA and my sister’s house. Then I heard Cat Coq talk about patterns — mind blown! I became completely obsessed with pattern making after that.

Fast forward to 2025 — five years of learning, making mistakes, growing, and having a lot of fun. It’s been scary at times, lonely at times, but also super rewarding.

This blog is really my way of sharing my journey, and maybe inspiring other beginner artists and creatives who want to see how I got to where I am now — and where I’m headed.

Hope you enjoy the ride!

Yemi xx