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Wanderings through Britains Haunted History
Drawing the Wild: An Interview with The Pendle Witch Project
Lancashire-based illustrator Natasha, known as The Pendle Witch Project, speaks with us about finding inspiration in folklore, embracing her wild side, and the balance between light and dark in her beautifully detailed ink work.
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Lancashire artist Natasha, creator of The Pendle Witch Project, has quietly built a world where folklore, feminine power, and finely inked detail meet. Inspired by both the landscape around Pendle Hill and the stories passed between generations, her work draws deeply from the past while speaking to something fiercely modern.
In this conversation for The Peculiar Path, Natasha reflects on her journey, the pull of old legends, and what it means to embrace the wild.
From Beano to Pendle
“I always knew I wanted to be an artist,” Natasha begins, recalling a childhood filled with drawing, comics, and fairytales. With a creative family and early exposure to illustration, her path led through college, then a degree at Falmouth University, before returning north and eventually settling in East Lancashire.
It was there, in the shadow of Pendle Hill, that things started to align. A local arts group, Super Slow Way, offered her the chance to create portraits of local townspeople. “The idea of me drawing witchy artwork came from a family member,” she says. “I’d always drawn in a macabre, alternative style, and this just fitted perfectly.” In July 2024, The Pendle Witch Project was born.
A Return to Ink
During lockdown, Natasha—like many artists—turned to digital tools. “I bought myself an iPad with Procreate and focused on digital art,” she explains. “But it didn’t feel true to me.” The portrait commission rekindled her connection with pen and ink, particularly the dotwork technique she’d used in earlier years.
“I fell back in love with the slower pace, the more mindful approach,” she says. “It made the pieces feel deeper, darker, more alive. I feel like it translates the stories better—whether it’s the detail in someone’s portrait or the deepness of a lake.”
The Ladies of the Lake
Among Natasha’s most talked-about pieces is Ladies of the Lake, a haunting illustration inspired by the water spirit Jenny Greenteeth—a folkloric figure said to drag children beneath stagnant ponds. The story came to Natasha during a conversation with a pagan woman in Clayton-le-Moors, and it lodged itself firmly in her imagination.
“I remember going home and researching it,” she says. “And noticing that many different cultures had similar ladies of the water. They were cautionary tales—to scare children away from dangerous ponds and slow-running streams. But something about Jenny felt more layered than just fear.”
As the piece developed, so did its meaning. While rooted in the eerie image of the lurking water-hag, Natasha’s interpretation shifted. Her Jenny became part of a pair—a dual presence of light and dark, drawn together by the shifting flow of water. “They became a kind of yin and yang,” she explains. “A sense of balance. The water flows between them, showing that life can change—and that there are always hidden depths beneath the surface.”
Though the work began as a traditional warning, it transformed into something more reflective. “The ladies now say to me: ‘Find balance in your life and keep your wits about you.’” It’s a message that speaks not only to the dangers of the world, but to the artist herself—an evolving mantra drawn from folklore, given shape in ink.
Witches, Wolves, and Wild Women
The influence of powerful women runs through Natasha’s work. Growing up in the ‘girl power’ era, her icons were Buffy, Matilda, the witches of Charmed, and the wild-hearted heroines of books and films. But one story in particular stayed with her—Vasalisa the Wise, from Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run With the Wolves.
“I’ve become obsessed with the Baba Yaga ‘Life, Death, Mother’ figure,” she explains. “She represents the wild, unknown side of the psyche. I love the idea that to be happy we need to embrace that side—be creative, be one with nature, and snarl. I’m still working on this myself.”
From Aubrey Beardsley to Tim Burton, Natasha’s influences are varied and eclectic. She draws inspiration from artists like Dave McKean, Lora Zombie, and HR Giger, alongside an ever-growing circle of contemporary illustrators on Instagram. Her soundtrack shifts with her mood—from Alice Cooper to French café music—while favourite books include Memoirs of a Geisha, The Hunger Games, and Women Who Run With the Wolves.
“I’m also really inspired by nature,” she adds. “It influences a lot of what I draw—even when I don’t realise it.”
Rooted in Lancashire
“I don’t think I would’ve ever given self-employment a go if I hadn’t moved to Lancashire,” Natasha admits. The county’s landscapes and legends have deeply shaped her work. “Pendle Hill and the stories of the Pendle Witches really inspired me. But there are other places too—along the Ribble Valley, near the Tolkien Trail. Each tree watches you walk. Each stream is a bathing spot for fairies.”
What’s Next?
She has her eye on new tales. “There are three folklores I want to have a go at soon: mermaids—Cornish or Merseyside—selkies, and the Black Shuck.” The latter might have to wait. “I tried drawing dogs the other day and they came out misshapen… so that one’s on the back burner for now.”
Natasha’s work invites you to pause, to look closer, and to listen for the stories that ink and instinct can tell. Whether drawing modern portraits or reimagining old legends, she moves between worlds—one dot at a time.
You can follow her work, browse her portfolio, or commission a piece via the links below.
Website: www.thependlewitchproject.com
Instagram: @thependlewitchproject
I love Tashas work! It really draws you in and her talent ( and patience with all those dots 🤣) is, as I have witnessed first hand, fascinating and very engaging and is going from strength to strength! She is also such a lovely young woman with the kindest of hearts and her help and encouragement on my own journey has been invaluable 💞
What an engaging and beautifully written article! I know Natasha through attending Super Slow Way creative group in Clayton. Her kind, thoughtful and inquisitive nature fits so perfectly with the intriguing narrative of her work. Her creative take on the tales leads to some stunning artwork! True talent.