Wigan teen's hopes for artistic breakthrough

Orrell artist Charlotte Jeacock with her print of a Manchester Bee penned onto a map of the city

Charlotte Jeacock is embarking on a new series of work, consisting of detailed pen sketches of animals over maps, in a bid to build her experience and launch her name in creative circles.

The 17-year-old from Orrell has also been given a boost by a successful crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter, which will provide her with the resources necessary to create more work and attract a larger audience.

And it seems Charlotte has already made steps to achieving that, after attracting pledges from across the world.

Charlotte said: “I’m very, very happy. I wasn’t too sure how it was to go. I knew my family and friends would help out, but people from Australia and Germany have pledged too, so it’s quite exciting and something I didn’t expect.”

She will now put the funds towards art equipment and the right tools to sell her drawings.

Explaining the prints at the centre of her fund-raising, Charlotte said: “I always quite like drawing in pen, doing sketches of buildings and animals etc.

“I came up with the idea of doing it on a map instead of paper, I really liked it and stuck with it.”

Charlotte displays some of her previous work

Examples include a giraffe on a map of Africa, a penguin on a map of Antarctica and even a bee on a map of Manchester - which Charlotte donates a portion of profits from to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

A lifelong artist, Charlotte said: “Ever since I can remember I have been creating art.

“From a young age, I would always make scrapbooks, and whenever we went out for dinner, I would always doodle on the napkin a thank you note to the waiter.”

She even wrote and illustrated a book aged five, to thank her teacher for her kindness throughout the school year.

And despite now working hard during her studies at Winstanley College, Charlotte still has one eye on the future, with aspirations of a career in the arts.

“I want to study at University of the Arts London, that is my dream. I’m always looking for information on what I can do to get there.”

For more information about Charlotte’s portfolio, visit artbycharlotte4.wixsite.com/charlotte