My Story

How my artistic journey began - and where it's taking me.

02

Discovering patterns

& surface design

Drawing flowers with my pencils was just a hobby, but when I enrolled at fashion school in Milan after finishing high school in 2012, I realised it could be much more. I began studying pattern and surface design and immediately saw millions of possibilities for my hand-drawn sketches. Soon I started arranging my illustrations into complex patterns with Photoshop (although today I use Affinity), and something clicked.

After school, I found a job as a print and pattern designer for a womenswear brand in 2015, where I worked until I was fired during COVID. I was tasked with creating a wide range of types of prints (only on a few occasions did I create patterns with my flowers), but they were featured during New York Fashion Week and on popular TV series.

06

Following flowers across the world

As soon as the world reopened, I got back at traveling again, each time bringing back with me new inspirations for new collections. My art got more meaningful, heartfelt and personal over time: I've loved nature and explorations since I was very little, and making art became a way to tell stories. From my travels. From my childhood memories.

Through my art, I hope to share the beauty I discover around the world and bring a little more joy, wonder, and connection with nature into people's everyday lives.

01

Drawing as therapy

During my teenage years, I was going through a very difficult time. I was advised to try drawing as a sort of therapy, and it changed my life in a way I would never have expected. Drawing soon became my safe place, where I could keep bad thoughts at bay.

I was soon gifted books about botanical illustration, sketchbooks, and a set of pencils, and learnt by myself how to draw different species of flowers: lush tropicals, tiny wildflowers, colourful garden flowers. This daily practice helped me reconnect not only with the world around me - it pushed me to get better so I could see the flowers out there - but also with myself. Drawing flowers allowed me to find time for myself and nurture my inner garden, as I love calling my inner world: my emotions, feelings, dreams, and memories.

05

Growing your inner garden

Other travels soon followed, and new collections began to bloom. Then, in 2020, the world stopped, and I found myself without a job, before I was officially let go at the end of 2021. Stuck at home, I worked on my creative career like never before and soon got my first freelance gigs and licensing agreements. I finally began seeing my art on products, and my artworks were exhibited in art shows in Italy and the United Kingdom. I also began teaching botanical illustration workshops and hosting digital courses, and opened my studio in Milan.

I could finally live my dream, even if it didn't pay my bills at all. But I had never felt such peace of mind before pursuing my creative career and sharing my art with the world. I just feel that this is my calling: to help you grow your inner garden, bringing joy, comfort, and beauty to your daily life and your home, whether through heartfelt artworks featured on your favourite products or a relaxing drawing workshop.

03

Exploring gardens

I always felt out of place in the fashion world. I never felt I belonged there and, just a few months after I began working in the fashion industry, I was already looking for freelance opportunities and trying to build my own brand. I realised that drawing flowers and seeing them on products was my dream - making art wasn't just a hobby anymore. I launched my website, joined social media, participated in exhibitions and markets, and began pitching my art.

But the biggest shift happened while I was taking a short course in textile design in London in 2017. My tutor urged me to go out there, explore gardens and parks, and take my own pictures of flowers to use as references for my creations. I couldn't believe I'd never thought about it before. The next day, I was already exploring a botanical garden, and I continued this practice even after returning to Milan. I began drawing only flowers and plants I encountered, and my art soon became increasingly personal.

04

Travelling to Asia for the first time

Soon I realised that exploring the gardens around me wasn't enough anymore. I felt the need to see more of them, encounter species I'd never seen before, and draw them. That's why, in the summer of 2018, I booked an art retreat in Bali. I'd never travelled so far and was scared to death, yet on that island I discovered something unexpected. I explored temples and gardens with my sketchbook and pencils, and took tons of pictures of the bold, big tropical flowers I found. However, what surprised me was the deep connection I felt with the island and how deeply immersed I felt in its colours, sounds, fragrances, and people.

Once back home in Milan, I began drawing the flowers I had seen in Bali, but this time something changed. I explored colours and compositions in a way I'd never done before. My art grew into something more colourful, heartfelt, and personal. I soon began creating collections of patterns and illustrations inspired by this journey - and planning the next one.

For custom work, collaborations & licensing, please contact me at cecilia@ceciliabattaini.com

@2026 CECILIA BATTAINI di Cecilia Battaini - P.IVA 11588330966

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