University News Last updated 14 September
A Birmingham City University alumna got to flex her illustration skills and enhance her experience thanks to a four-week post as artist-in-residence at the National Trust.
Layla Sadiq, who graduated from BCU with a BA in Illustration in 2025, secured her placement at National Trust: Birmingham Back to Backs, the city's last surviving court of 19th-century working people's houses which is now operated as a historic site by the organisation.
Layla secured the position alongside other BCU alumni from a range of creative disciplines, via the University’s graduate internship programme. Together, Layla and the other alumni – Rimshah Hussain, Habeeba Qureshi, Rumaysah Lazarus and Zaina A – worked together in a shared space, working on separate projects.
“We had complete freedom to make what we liked, and I chose to make illustrations based on the history of the venue and the people who lived in them,” Layla explains.
“During the four weeks, I have created artwork while welcoming visitors to the studio and talking about my work. I have met lots of interesting people, including the staff and volunteers, who have inspired me with their different perspectives and stories. This has been one of the best parts of the experience for me.”
Stylistically, Layla seeks inspiration from children’s books and often threads the personal into her work. For this project, however, she conducted thorough research. “I went on a tour of the Back to Backs museum and found old photographs to draw from in my research. It allowed me to learn more about the past and see how much we had in common, too,” she says.
Spending time with visitors also inspired Layla, who captured their conversations through content and caricatures. The residency concluded with a well-received exhibition of the four graduates’ work.
It’s been a fertile time for Layla, who recently flexed her illustration muscles by creating artwork for BCU’s STEAMhouse innovation centre and its annual conference. She has also worked with Soul City Arts, a Birmingham arts organisation, at their annual night market Ramadan Streets, held at the Birmingham City Football Club’s stadium.
Prior to this, Layla began post-university life quietly, until some exciting and surprising offers came flooding in.
“At first, it was quiet and I didn’t have much going on, until I received an email from Birmingham Hippodrome commissioning me to illustrate a mural of Birmingham for their festival, Birmingham Weekender,” she explains.
The theatre had found a comic Layla made on the BCU Illustration Instagram page (“a project I now cringe at,” Layla laughs). This then led to work with Birmingham Children’s Hospital, who commissioned her to illustrate a poetry activity booklet written by award-winning poet, Liz Berry.
For the future, Layla plans to develop her artwork into merchandise to sell in the Birmingham Back to Backs bookshop. Her advice to Illustration students is to go in not expecting to learn how to draw, but to take your skills and apply it to exciting new opportunities.
“The course encourages you to think creatively and apply your skills to project briefs, preparing you for future professional projects,” she explains. “It’s a course that you’ll want to make the most out of by being proactive and sociable, and taking advantage of every opportunity.”
You can find more about Layla’s work by visiting her Instagram page.