Meet the young Yorkshire artist whose painting of the Queen and Paddington Bear went viral

The original version of the illustration that brought her business a legion of new-found admirers from around the globe sits on the kitchen table. Created in Eleanor’s trademark style, which involves making a pencil sketch and going over it with fine-liner ink pens before using watercolour paints to add detail and her signature “paint splatters”, it’s a rear view of the Queen and the most famous bear to come out of Peru walking arm in arm. They’re accompanied by one of Her Majesty’s beloved pet corgis, and a trail of Union flag bunting and half-eaten marmalade sandwiches is left in their wake.

The idea came to Eleanor as she watched television coverage of the recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which included a hugely popular sequence of the Queen tucking into marmalade sandwiches with everyone’s favourite fictional bear character. Without realising it, Eleanor had produced an image that perfectly captured the spirit of the celebrations and admits to being genuinely taken aback when she began to receive messages from friends, family and business contacts all over the UK who had seen her post being shared widely across social media.

“I was away in the Yorkshire Dales with my mum. We’d watched the party at Buckingham Palace and said how fabulous it was. Then we went walking in Malham but caught the last hour of the pageant when we got back. I was sitting with a cup of tea and I always have my art supplies with me – I feel like I’m missing a limb if I don’t take them! I just had that vision in my head after watching the

party.

“Some projects you have to work through and others are a flash in the pan that you just have a need to create – that was me with that particular drawing. I had it all drawn out and was trying to find photos of something the Queen had worn over the weekend to help me decide what colour her coat dress should be when she came out on the balcony in the green outfit. I thought that has to be it!”

Eleanor posted a photograph of the image on her social media accounts less than an hour later and the impact was instant and overwhelming. Over the course of the next few days, her posts were shared and liked by millions of people worldwide, leaving her utterly dumbfounded. “I just wanted to create a little something to round off the weekend, it came about very organically. Maybe that’s why it resonated with people, it was such an emotional response.

“I had people telling me that the image had appeared on billboards at Paddington Station, as well as other stations in London. People were sending me screenshots of celebrities sharing it too.”

With worldwide orders stacking up, Eleanor had to quickly call on the services of a specialist company to help her process them. “We’re a small business at the end of the day. Prior to all this, Mum helped me for a couple of days each week by packing orders but we’re not much more than a one-woman band,” she says.

“The first couple of days after the post went viral was way busier than the run-up to Christmas, it was just massive for me. I’ve been sending orders as far afield as Australia, the US and South Africa.”

Of course, Eleanor made sure that the first in her series of signed, limited edition ‘Jubilee Fever’ prints was delivered to the Queen and was delighted when she received a letter of thanks from Windsor Castle.

Art has always been her passion. When she was just a toddler, her nursery noted that she was “drawing with perspective”, which is rare in a child of that age, and, at 13, she won a local Christmas card design competition. When she went to university to study illustration, she was already running a fledgling business. By the time she had completed her studies in 2019, Eleanor Tomlinson Art was established enough for her to be able to become self-employed straight away.

After initially heading to Anglia Ruskin University at Cambridge, Eleanor soon realised that it wasn’t for her and returned to Yorkshire to complete her studies at York St John University.

“I knew I wanted to work for myself and the course at Cambridge was more agency-focused. I suppose I’m a Yorkshire lass at heart really, but at York St John they really support enterprise, offering business mentoring and telling you about grants to apply for. It was a learning curve, but I like to think that you end up where you’re meant to be, doing what you want to do.”

A self-confessed introvert, Eleanor was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder, relatively recently.

“It explains a lot, such as why I’m so focused on my art and it’s all-consuming. I really have to tear myself away from it sometimes and make myself go out and get some fresh air. Having a diagnosis has really helped me to understand myself. I’m still quite shy and very reserved when I’m attending exhibitions and events, but I do enjoy meeting customers now, although it’s lovely to come back to my little cottage too.”

When, in 2019, clothing and homeware brand Joules launched Friend of Joules, a curated online marketplace showcasing and selling products by independent makers and designs, Eleanor was thrilled to be among those chosen to feature.

“They’d seen me at a Christmas fair in Harrogate in 2018 and Tom Joule – the founder of the company – had bought a tractor print from me for his son’s bedroom. Getting the call from them was a real ‘pinch me’ moment. It has been amazing for my business during the pandemic, when galleries were closed and the big fairs were not happening.

“The fact that people were finding me through Joules and my business was steadily growing meant that I was in a good place by the time I came out of university. I feel very fortunate; I’m doing what I love and people seem to understand me, my work and what I’m about.”

Wildlife, livestock and farm vehicles, such as tractors and Land Rovers, all feature in Eleanor’s work and it’s clear that she draws a wealth of inspiration from the countryside.

“Even when I lived with my parents in Willerby, we lived next to a farm and there was open space all around. Family holidays were spent in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors – they’re my favourite places because they’re so peaceful. When you find joy in something, it’s a cosy, comforting feeling to go back there.”

www.eleanortomlinsonart.co.uk