I’m Esme! The name Hemmings comes from my grandfather who gave me tips on how to draw, and gave me stacks of felt tip pens when I was a child. I have been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil and in 2020 I turned my hobby into a career and have been working as a freelance illustrator since then.

I’m from London, but raised in Cornwall, a former nail biter, Gemini (not the Ted Bundy kind but the spontaneous say yes to fun kind) with a penchant for drinking tea and reading about Britain’s colonial past. I live for festivals, pubs with friends, walks on the beach and cold-sea swimming.

I listen to true crime podcasts while I work and secretly Keep Up with the Kardashians. I studied Politics and then a few years later I moved to Holland to do a Masters in Gender and Decolonial Studies. I biked around the whole of Holland sans helmet, sank half pints of strong beer and ate my weight in Asian street food before moving back to London.

I have recently settled in Brighton which is the perfect combination of vibrant city life and slow-paced beach walks.

Alongside illustrating I have ten years experience in the charity sector, working for charities that support refugees, asylum seekers and anyone who might have insecure immigration status.

I have illustrated graphic notes for Sainsburys, Comic Relief, Action Aid, People and Planet amongst others and my work is often focused on anti-oppression, anti-racism and intersectional feminism.

I hope to draw a better world for everyone.