Meet the Artist: Livi Gosling

From Cornwall to the Kitchen Table

Livi’s journey began in Falmouth, Cornwall, where she spent three years studying illustration. While she misses the coastal path walks and beach BBQs, those years by the sea clearly left an imprint on her nature-inspired style.

After graduating and moving to Hertfordshire, Livi’s career kicked off with her first-ever commission, a map of Dublin for the Jamie Oliver Magazine.

"It was my first illustrated map and it set me off in the map-making direction. I loved creating the tiny map icons and hand rendering the text... I have since created a typeface out of my handwriting."

Livi's Artistic Process

Livi’s illustration process evolves as organically as her art; she switches out her materials according to, in her own words, her current obsessions. Most recently, she's been working with water-soluble graphite and wax crayons. But no matter the raw materials used, her unique process remains the same mix of traditional and digital. Livi begins with drawing by hand a myriad of icons, textures and scribbles across sheets of cartridge paper. Then, everything is scanned into Photoshop, where she "makes sense of it all," layering those textures into the polished maps you see on our website.

Bringing Our Journeys to Life

Livi’s illustrations are more than just maps; they tell the personal stories of each of our destinations. Livi tells us that her favourite part of working on Slow Cyclist maps is the chance to dive deep into the local flora and fauna. Whether it’s a specific wildflower from the Transylvanian hills or a bird native to the Rwandan volcanoes, it’s those tiny details that make her work feel so alive.

We are so proud to have Livi’s hand-drawn touch on all our maps. Her art encourages us all to slow down and look a little closer at the world around us. Slow down with us and experience in-person one of the fascinating destinations that inspired these beautiful maps.

Illustrations - Livi Gosling - All Photo credits - Nat Aubry