The illustrator: ‘God is like my business partner. I pray about everything’

The Church is made up of Christians from a myriad of different professions, and yet their ordinary tales of God at work rarely get told. In this series, we bring you stories of faith on the frontline 

My name is Martha Ratcliff and I’m a freelance illustrator and designer based in Leeds. I studied art and design at university and haven’t looked back. I started working for a wedding stationery company and then joined a greetings card publisher. Later, I jumped into the freelance world, which was always a dream of mine. One day I can be sorting out admin, finances and tax – all the tasks associated with running a business – and the next, I can be illustrating a children’s book, designing a card for a supermarket or doing a family portrait. I get involved with branding projects and interact with different clients. I am usually based in my home office, but I occasionally host workshops and get out and about.