Lucy Green Jean - Freelance Prop Maker

Lucy was one of the designers I met at the BBC this week. She is self-employed as an artist but also works freelance as a designer at the BBC in Children's Design when she is needed. I was intrigued by what she does in her personal work because the sculptures I had seen her make in the studio here were so incredible.

This is a tower bridge she made a year ago but was used again in a presentation this week so it was out on the worktables. It's made completely from lollipop sticks! I was blown away and asked who made it.

I searched her name and instantly found her website and Instagram. She has a strong online presence so she wasn't hard to find.  http://www.nameandcolour.co.uk/about.html

Lucy graduated from Manchester School of Art three years ago (2015) and now makes kinetic paper sculptures, specialising in birds and nature.
Working freelance gives Lucy time to work on her own art (she wouldn't have enough time to do this if she worked full time) but also contribute to the presentation design team. She gets on really well with the rest of the team and by spending some of her time doing this it means she's not working in isolation all the time.

Lucy has an online Etsy store which is really important for her as it enables customers all over the world to purchase her sculptures and share feedback. Her price point is in the hundreds (which sounds like a lot, but isn't at all with the amount of time she puts into what she makes!).
She takes her art to fairs and shows, with smaller pieces at lower price points for browsing visitors.
She also does custom commissions and has created kinetic sculptures for shop window displays (another way in which model-making can be applied to the outside world).

She exhibits her work too. Because her art is physical and so intricate it has to be protected and looked after, which is why bell jars and glass cases are such a big part of her displays, but the immense scale of her larger pieces such as this one is so impressive that it has to be seen in person and exhibitions are exactly where they should be showcased.

Lucy lives in West Yorkshire so it would be great to meet up with her again, visit some of her shows and see what she's doing next. I could ask her for more advice on working freelance, organising shows and we could even collaborate/exhibit together.