DB Illustrations Review

   I want to take a moment to talk about a little shop on Etsy that I've fallen head over heels for. I've made 2 purchases so far and I really will return because the seller is so friendly and so clever, and the products are incredible.

   Deborah Ballinger is an amazing artist located in Nottingham, UK. love sketches, I love detailed drawings that you can look at and immediately know what you're seeing. I'm not a fan of modern art, not remotely. It's not that I can't see what each piece of art is about, it's that I can't see what talent it's taken. The people behind modern art aren't the artists, it's the critics. Without them, artists are nothing. I can look at a renaissance painting and marvel at the detail, the shading, and think "wow, this is talent!" And I can look at a canvas with lines on it and think "...I could have done this myself." - and it's not a matter of "yes, but you didn't!", because I wouldn't have anyway. It's not my style.

   Deborah Ballinger's work is right up my street. I adore it.

   I was drawn in initially by her temporary tattoos, mostly the woodland animals. I bought a pack before Christmas, and when I used one I thought it was awesome. They applied so easily, and yes I've used temporary tattoos before, I was a kid once, but these are different. The shine that's usually on temporary tattoos disappears quickly, leaving behind an image that honestly looks like a real tattoo, plus they're unique given that they're not just any old drawing, but a drawing by the creator, meaning they're not available elsewhere. They're fabulous quality, truly, and that's why I returned.

   In my second purchase, I bought another pack of tattoos, fauna and flora, and I also bought three canvas bags that were on sale, two for my friends and one for me.

   DBIllustrations' packaging is lovely, too - you know what I'm like. I love tissue paper and stickers. The bags were beautifully presented, and business and thank you cards are lovely, too, and the tattoos come with complete instructions printed onto the card backings written out by Deborah rather than paper manufacturers. It's all entirely branded by herself, every bit of it, with truly the cleverest logo I've ever seen.

   She's a very helpful and polite individual, too. She replied quickly to my messages, and was willing to ship sooner than planned to meet my silly needs (ie purchasing an extra gift, spur of the moment and last minute for my friends whom I would be seeing within just a few days and a Sunday in between). She's marvellous, and I highly recommend her. Returning customers get a 10% off discount emailed to them (provided of course that they have such an option enabled in their Etsy account's email settings).