About

Hi there! My name is Lydia and I am the human bean behind The Curious Cactus. I am the artist/illustrator, editor, photographer, order packer, social media manager, website designer and more!

I love painting with watercolours and turning my art into super cute products for people to enjoy. My favourite thing is making people laugh at my puns, so if you like puns you are in the right place!!

The Curious Cactus is a quirky collection of artwork and illustration based products all with a whimsical and light hearted twist. It is my creative outlet from my day job in sustainability. I have always had an interest in art and design, so I started The Curious Cactus in 2015 alongside my then job as an engineer. This wee business has since moved from Adelaide, Australia to Edinburgh, Scotland with me - where I have been based since early 2019.

Everyone deserves something whimsical, quirky and punny, that is what The Curious Cactus is all about.

I'm an...

  • Artist

  • Plant Lover

  • & Environmentalist

My Artwork

I work almost exclusively in watercolour and gouache, with a touch of ink pen drawing. My style is clean and whimsical, aiming to bring cute animals and plants to life in my own style. I don't aspire for too much realism or movement in my work, focusing on the whimsy of the scene or characters.

  • I love painting plants especially. I own so many different shades of green watercolour paints and mix so many more.

  • One of my favourite pieces has to be this bagpiper, painted several years ago before I moved back to the UK more permanently.

  • This is one of my favourite pieces, done for the cover of my book with Harper Collins UK - I Puffin Love You.

  • Currently working on some bookish designs, with this colour pallete from a recent rare sunny March day in Edinburgh.

What's important to me?

Making People Smile

Puns give life a lot of joy, especially accompanied by plants or animals! My brand is all about sharing that joy and whimsy.

Sustainability

I have a passion for sustainability and channel this into The Curious Cactus where I can. You'll find no plastic here!! I use almost exclusively recycled card/paperstock, and I aim for all my products and packaging to be recyclable or compostable at the end of their life.

Supporting Local

Supporting small, local businessess and manufacturers is incredibly important to me. I work closely with several UK manufacturers, and the only thing I have manufactured outside of the UK/Europe are my specialty suncatcher stickers! Keeping it as local as I possibly can. I also love supporting other artists and makers - any washi tape I use to pack my orders is from other artists and small businesses!

My Plants

Not going to lie, they are what keeps me going!