How a Bettys' employee ended up designing packaging for their new Christmas chocolates.

But it was after graduating that she decided to teach herself print making.

She started with screen printing and wood cuts but found her niche in lino print.

“I have always been creative, trying many different forms of arts and crafts. I went to university to study photography but craved making something more physical. So I tried out printmaking and adored it. I find it very mindful and a traditional way of working - I’m not really into the digital side of things, I really like to have something tangible to work with,” says Heather, who works from a spare bedroom at her home in York.

“A few years ago I designed and painted a lamp for the York Bunny Trail which went in the Bettys shop window for people to find on a map,” explains Heather.

“As I had to get the design approved, it was a great opportunity to share what I did with Bettys’ marketing department, so they had faith I could do a good job. Alex Meek, Bettys’ in-house designer, got in contact to say that they would be in touch if my work would be suitable for something in the future.”

Three years later she got that call asking if she’d like to design Bettys’ new range of plastic free packaging for their Christmas and Easter chocolates

“It was so exciting and unexpected to get an email a few years later to ask if I would do the new chocolate boxes,” says Heather who works at Bettys York four days a week.

"I love working at Bettys – it is such a lovely pace to work. And working four days gives me time to pursue my art business.”

Heather explains the process she goes through to make her lino prints.

“I always start with a sketch which has to be simplified so it’s suitable to be turned into a print. There are different processes – for example, single layer, reduction print, multiple layers, jig-sawing blocks together – so I will plan ahead so I don’t make any mistakes down the road. In the case of the Bettys chocolates packaging Alex sent me a rough sketch of what they wanted and then I sketched it out again showing how I thought it work as a lino print as I wanted to make sure they were happy with the design as the next process takes a long time so you want to make sure you have it right.

“The sketch then has to be traced so I can transfer it onto the lino block. It is carved in reverse so the design will be the right way around when printing. It takes many hours to carve out a design but you can use that block several times over to create an edition of prints, or use them on cards or fabric. Once the design is inked, I use a small book press to put even pressure over the block to give the best results.”

She says her designs are usually inspired by nature and places and moments.

“When I started doing larger prints I did a trio of designs focused on the Swedish Archipelago, carving different islands, the sea and lots of trees after a holiday to Stockholm. I really like carving animals, so you’ll often see birds or dogs in my prints but mostly I love to carve plants and flowers. All usually done in bold colours so they stand out on a wall.”

The Bettys Christmas character range includes Merry Men, owls, penguins and a selection of different Christmas novelities (prices start from £8).

On the sides of the Christmas character boxes there’s a little Santa waving which Heather hopes will come as a nice surprise for the customers and make them smile. As well as the Christmas chocolate boxes Heather has been involved in the Bettys Easter range.

“I just recently finished the Easter characters and had the most fun doing those, so they might be my new favourite,” says Heather, adding she also likes drawing frogs.

“They’re so interesting to draw and I enjoyed putting a bit of individual character into each one. I love the shiny lily pads too.”

As well as packaging, Heather has done book illustrations.

“I recently completed The Gardener’s Yearbook with 80 linocuts in, which has just been published. It was really intense but I loved it, especially as I am so inspired by nature,” she explains.

“I feel very lucky to have then been able to do this work for Bettys straight afterwards so I’d like to also spend some time on my online shop, creating some work for my own portfolio and see how I can broaden my skillset, practising with ink pens and different mediums. Perhaps I’ll learn more about digital design, too.”

Lynne Shelverton, Head of Brand, explained why they chose Heather’s work for their festive range .

“Heather creates beautiful Lino prints with meticulous attention to detail. Her work fits perfectly with our own ethos of ensuring every creation that comes out of our craft bakery is considered and precisely crafted,” says Lynne.

“We saw a lot of similarities with how our chocolatiers handcraft many of our products and the processes Heather goes through in hand-carving her illustrations. Heather’s bold style works to showcase our quirky chocolate characters wonderfully. We are so lucky that we have such a talented artist working in our business. We always want to help local artists where we can and we hope that these lovely pieces of packaging will demonstrate her talents wider.”

You can buy Bettys chocolate novelties featuring Heather’s new designs either online or at their Yorkshire shops. https://www.bettys.co.uk

To see more of Heather’s work visit Tempest Elliott Printworks at folksy.com/shops/hprintco