Sketching a language
As a professional illustrator, part-time teacher, and the creative mind behind Sketchy Welsh, Josh Morgan (BA 2011) is giving the Welsh language a unique artistic voice.
Josh reflects on his creative journey so far and how it’s led him to blend art and language in a way that inspires Welsh learners and native speakers alike.
Josh was born in Bridgend but spent his childhood in Worcester, before moving back to Wales to study English Literature at Cardiff University in 2008. It was there he met first-language Welsh speakers for the first time. Until then, the thought of becoming a Welsh speaker himself was inconceivable.
University was an eclectic experience. Josh remembers “riding a finless surfboard over the snow in Roath Park” and writing his dissertation on Ernest Hemingway, whose fondness for talking about food left him thinking radishes had never sounded so good. During his studies, he rediscovered the picture book, recognising the fusion of words and images as “a kind of poem or strange song”.
An English Literature student, Josh imagined his future would involve washing down oysters with absinthe in some Hemingwayesque spot on the French Riviera. Life, however, took him on a different path. “Instead, I discovered Cymraeg and the beauty of a dark, wet Welsh forest, and I’m not unhappy with how it turned out.”
After graduating, he moved to Zithulele, a village in rural South Africa, to teach English. While there, he learned isiXhosa and began experimenting with illustration as a way to bring his stories to life. When he came back to live in Cardiff, he returned with a newfound love for learning languages.
Back in Wales, Josh went on to become a professional illustrator, a medium for him to connect with the things he loves. He illustrated poems by some of his favourite writers, including Dickinson, Hughes and Blake, and both Thomases. His art was inspired by nature and mythology; documentary photography; as well as artists like Shaun Tan and Quentin Blake.
Alongside those inspirations, one of Josh’s biggest influences for his art was the etymology of the Welsh language. “I am in awe of Cymraeg: its power, sound, and history. I can’t help but make it a focus of my illustration.”
Through these inspirations and experiences, Sketchy Welsh was born.
Sketchy Welsh is a project that creates images out of Welsh words, using illustrations to help people learn Cymraeg. As Josh was becoming an illustrator and learning Cymraeg at the same time, the overlap was inevitable.
At first, it was simply part of his illustration and language practice, but it soon became something more intentional, Josh explains. “Sound is important when learning a language, but the visual medium has powerful links to memory too. It’s especially effective when the images are striking, peculiar, or beautiful.”
Josh began with a word, digging into its meaning and components, letting that lead him towards an image.
It was a process of learning new words and phrases by embedding them in strong, memorable images, allowing him to skip the “middleman” of translating through another language: “You can read the word morfil – môr (sea) and mil (beast/animal) – and see the image of a whale without first passing through the English word ‘whale’ in your head.”
A friend suggested that he share his illustrations with the Welsh learning community and, before he knew it, Sketchy Welsh took off.
Josh found it hugely gratifying to see how many learners found his work useful, helping them on their language journeys. “I’m so pleased that my work is of genuine use to people learning Welsh.”
What surprised him just as much was hearing that many first-language Welsh speakers found his illustrations an enjoyable way of discovering etymological connections they hadn’t previously considered when using the words every day.
“Learning Cymraeg is an opportunity to see the world again through another lens,” Josh explains. “Every Welsh word carries a new feeling and a different angle on things we already know. I would recommend anyone to embark on that journey. However deep you choose to go, it is gratifying at every level.”
To recognise his contribution towards promoting Wales and the Welsh language to the wider world, Josh won a Cardiff University 30(ish) Alumni Award in 2025.
Reflecting on his award, Josh said: “Being recognised in this way helps me realise that other people share my excitement about connecting with and experiencing Welsh. Before I spoke the language myself, I had no idea how many people around me were already Welsh speakers. Now, things are changing and more people are beginning to see what’s been here all along.”
What began as a way for Josh to support his own learning has grown into a project inspiring both learners and first-language speakers. His illustrations, driven by curiosity and creativity, are helping to bring Welsh words and their roots to life.
The 30(ish) Awards
The 30(ish) Awards celebrate the change-makers, innovators, and rule-breakers in the Cardiff University alumni community.
