UAL Extended Diploma in Illustration & Animation diploma students Jayden and Elliott have teamed up on their new project Lemon Vs Flower an enterprise to sell their creative work and merch. The students will be hosting a stall at our Newport Road campus to launch their new venture, Jayden explains “The stall will be in the hallway and we’ll have our full range available, primarily Project SEKAI and Vocaloid merch, but we also have pronoun pins and some Fullmetal Alchemist and Madoka Magica pieces. We thought making our start in a friendly welcoming environment such as our college could help prepare us for the competitive artist alley industry ahead of us.”

Elliott continued “Ever since realising what I wanted to do with my career, the idea of hosting my own stall has really excited me, but applying for tables at big markets and conventions has been a bit daunting. So what better way to introduce myself to this to host a market within the college! On the 10/02/2026 you can find us on the ground floor of the Middlesbrough campus selling all of our merchandise which includes keychains, stickers and pins from mostly Project Sekai and Vocaloid. But if you are lucky you may find a design for another show you enjoy!”

They decided to create Lemon Vs Flower because “we’re both really interested in anime, manga and gacha games – specifically a game called Project SEKAI- and love going to cons to meet likeminded nerds and buying from the artist alleys.” Said Jayden “we wanted to make our own art into merch others can buy!”

Elliott commented “I’ve always struggled with the idea of conformity and being told what kind of art to make. Thats why the idea of working for myself has always appealed to me. I love the niche fan bases I find myself in and love creating art for them as well. So creating and selling my work in this way is perfect for me. It’s something I can make a career of while being something I actually enjoy.”

When asked what do they enjoy most about their diploma Jayden said “The independence. I always hated the traditional classroom environment, I love that classrooms are intentionally communal and we can work at our own pace in our own way. Its also liberating to be surrounded by likeminded people.”

Elliott reflected “my favourite thing about my course is the freedom! While there are a few limitations, if you think outside the box the possibilities are endless. I don’t feel like my abilities and ideas are limited and I can create in ways that are authentically me.

Jaydens advice for new students starting out is to “make your work your own! You’ll get the most out of your diploma if you make it individual as often as you can. Your own artist journey is completely individual.” Elliot said “Just be yourself!! Don’t feel shy when it comes to expressing yourself. Especially when it comes to your work. You’ll get so much more out of your time at college if you do. If I didn’t express myself in the ways that I have I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Find Elliott and Jaydens work on @lemon.vs.flower on Instagram and Tiktok & Bluesky. You can buy products on Etsy Lemon Vs Flower.

To see more of Jaydens work head to @ sourflowerr_ on instagram & sourflowerrz on tumblr. To see more of Elliott’s work search @drawing.with.lemons on Instagram and Tiktok.