Why do you think ‘grown-up’ colouring books have become such a big hit?

When I started making them back in 2008, it was simply a way of me getting some drawings out there into the big, wide world: my now-husband was a printer, so it made complete sense.

Since then, I think technology has become such a massive part of our lives that we need to put it down once in a while and do something to actually switch off. Colouring in is a great way of doing this: you’re being creative, you’re using your hands, you’re concentrating but sort of meditating at the same time. It is just a very relaxing way to spend your time and wind down a little.

What was your first celebrity-themed colouring book and where did you get the idea?

It was Colour Me Good Kate Moss back in 2008. I have been drawing and painting celebrities for as long as I can remember. During the 80s, it was Kim Wilde and Shakin’ Stevens; in the 90s, it was Kate Moss and Claire Danes. I just never stopped drawing Kate Moss – I love her. What I do is basically fan art, but I evolved it into something that people can buy and add their own creativity to.

Who or what inspires you?

I have always been slightly obsessed with glossy magazines. The glamour, the amazing interiors, incredible outfits, flawless skin, hair and makeup … I want to live inside one of these magazines.

This is where my creative aesthetic comes from. All my drawings and paintings are as neat and as perfect as I can get them. The rest of my life is complete chaos, but by making my work this way I feel like I am, in some small way, achieving the “living in a magazine” life.

I am also influenced by my daughter, Pearl’s, children’s books, 1950s culture, Heat magazine and, very importantly, humour.

You’ve written a book for kids on gender equality and designed feminist T-shirts – what is the story behind these? What more can we do to teach children about equality from a young age?

When I was a small child, I used to race motorbikes. I loved it and wasn’t too bad at it. At the age of around 10, I packed it in completely. It was only recently that I had the revelation that I stopped this great sport that gave me so much exhilaration and excitement because I was a girl. Gender stereotyping was the lone reason.

Since having my first daughter six years ago, I started to notice more gender stereotypes, especially in film, advertising, children’s clothing and toys. One morning my daughter declared that “boys became doctors and girls became nurses” and it was then that I decided to do something.

My daughter is named Pearl, so my children’s book, Pearl Power, is named after her. It is about a little girl whose mum has been promoted at work and so they have to relocate and Pearl starts a new school. During her first day, Pearl is told by one of her peers that she “throws like a girl”, “runs like a girl” and “does maths like a girl”. Pearl, being a very clever and witty child takes it all in her stride and responds with a big smile and a “thank you”.

In the second book of the series, Pearl and a friend try and tackle the problem of gender stereotypes within children’s toys and the advertising and marketing of them. It sounds pretty complicated, but it’s written in very simple rhyme.

The Feminist T-shirt design was initially for a screen print. It was printed in pink glitter to hint at stereotyping. I soon decided that the same design would be great on a kid’s T-shirt. I contacted The Great Initiative, which is a brilliant gender equality charity founded by Mariella Frostrup, and they were thrilled to get involved. The design is very bold and kids of both sexes love wearing them, but most importantly, it gives parents the opportunity to explain a few things.

I think that the younger we start to teach children about such matters, the better it is for everyone. Obviously it needs to start at home – making sure that little boys notice their father doing the washing up or the ironing as much as mum does and that mums are more than capable of driving. Don’t limit colours in terms of what they wear and when they feel pressured to do or wear certain things, explain to them just how silly these notions are. I was in a high-street store recently and I saw a little boy who wanted a children’s purse. His mum was furious and just kept shouting that “they are for girls!” It was a purse with an owl on it.

What has been the proudest moment in your career so far?

I had wanted to attended the Royal College of Art since I was about five years old. When I eventually got to go at the age of 34, as a single mum with two boys, it was the hardest two years of my life. Standing up there in the Royal Albert Hall during my convocation felt pretty amazing.

There have been some great moments since then, such as my first piece of press in Italian Vogue, having my work featured on Good Morning America or my first book deal, but nothing ever quite tops that sense of achievement and relief I got that afternoon in 2007 when I finished my MA.

Trying to make a living in a creative industry can be incredibly tough. Do you have any advice for young artists trying to make a name for themselves?

Impatience is a virtue. Make your own work and be your own client. Don’t wait for an illustration agency to take you on, don’t wait for a publishing deal, don’t wait for your favourite advertising agency to give you a job and don’t wait for gallery representation. Just work and then put yourself out there, give it all you’ve got and be competitive: it’s not a bad word.

There are so many platforms that creative people can use to show their work these days. I currently have an exhibition up in a local pub and it’s great. People get to see a different side to my creativity and they’re buying it too.

Be prepared to be let down, to feel rejected and dejected. If you’re doing it right, this is going to happen a lot, so try and embrace it and use the negative experiences to push yourself even harder.

Don’t limit yourself too much, let your work evolve and take new directions from time to time, as you may not have found your “thing” yet.