In Latin, Artifex means ‘an artist, builder or maker of things’ or ‘ingenious and artistic’, which, together with the idea of a forge as a workshop, really sums up what I want to do – to create practical, functional and beautiful design and illustration tools (and ‘art effects’)!
My name is Jeremy Child, and I launched the Artifex Forge in 2014. I have been developing an online presence in my spare time since 2012 while working as a senior illustration designer in the novelty children’s book industry. This gave me great experience in concept development and the practical use of the Adobe suite, which means that you can be sure of functional and original products designed for the busy designer or graphic illustrator! In 2014, my wife began a three-year research project investigating Fairtrade wine, which involved a lot of overseas travelling and was the perfect opportunity to freelance full-time. I can work anywhere in the world, which has also proved helpful in giving me new ideas and source material! I love the challenge of turning a traditional medium into a versatile digital product and enjoy creating tools to help speed up and improve people’s designs.
Jeremy Recommends
These are a few tools and products I personally use and love — I think you’ll find them just as useful.
Wild Wood: Wooden Textures & Pyrography Effects
This one is personal. My grandfather was an amateur marquetry artist, and I come from a long line of cabinet makers — so wood craft still feels like it’s in my blood. Wild Wood lets me bring that heritage into my digital work, with real wood textures and pyrography effects that feel authentic rather than synthetic. If woodworking means anything to you, you’ll feel it in this pack.
Stained Glass Textures & Effects
I used this one to visualise a real stained glass window in my own home — so it has genuinely earned its place in my toolkit. Whether you’re designing church windows, Art Nouveau illustrations, or just want that luminous leaded-glass look, this pack delivers it beautifully. Available for Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop, Affinity, and Procreate.
Fine Liner Brushes
Our best-seller — and the one closest to my heart. I’m a constant doodler, and I built this pack specifically to capture the feel of a scribbly, spontaneous sketchbook in digital art. If you’ve ever wanted your digital work to feel like it was drawn with a real pen on real paper, this is the one. Available for Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, and Procreate.
