Marisa Straccia

I am a full time digital illustrator for Doodle Press Ltd. When I am not at my desk working at a screen, I enjoy linocut printing, using the reduction method. It’s a tactile, physical way to make art which is unforgiving if you make mistakes in the process. I am self taught and I do not own a printing press or have a dedicated print studio. Each print is made by hand, slowly, on my living room table with a baren and a back of a wooden spoon which means every print in a series has slight human-made variations in texture and impression.

My subjects are inspired by the British birds and animals I encounter during my long walks in nature.

I sell my prints at Bedford Flea, and have exhibited my prints locally in Bedford. Now, I am trying to spread my wings and seeking opportunities to show my reduction prints to a wider audience.

Additionally, I’m also a committee member of The Circus of Illustration. We are illustrators based in the Bedfordshire area who volunteer their time to run illustration workshops, exhibitions, and pop-up events to promote illustration in all its many forms. I also host Crafternoon workshops at The Higgins Museum, and have illustrated educational leaflets, maps and a history book for the Friends of Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Bedford’s Victorian Cemetery.

Winner of the Hickman Design Award (2025)