Recently answered interview questions…
So when did you first fall in love with art?
My earliest memories are of falling in love with drawing when I was around 11… I’d draw Arabian horses from magazines, my Nan still has one hanging in her house. I have a little giggle at it every time I’m back there.
How did you go from ‘this is something I like doing in my spare time’ to ‘this is what I want to do’?
Well I’ve been drawing and creating on and off for all of my life but I decided that I should try and do something more productive with my art back in 2008. It was the Christmas holidays. I was still living in country NSW at the time and my sister was back home from Melbourne for a few days. She moved to Melbourne about 2 years earlier. In Melbourne, she was making friends with other creatives and through them, discovered the world of blogging and the ‘land’ of Etsy. She showed me Etsy one day and said I should put some of my art on there. So I drew a few pictures, set up a shop called My Charlie Girl and uploaded my new drawings. Within the first week I had sold two prints, much to my surprise! I was dancing around the house in my PJ’s! Actually, I remember my sister ringing me at some crazy hour in the morning, maybe 6 am telling me she’d checked my shop had sold my first print. This encouraged me to create more artwork for the shop. There was something really special and motivating about creating work and it being appreciated enough that someone wanted to buy it! I kinda felt validated!
From my presence on Etsy, I had requests from other ‘Etsians’ if they could feature me and my art on their blogs. Blog features lead to magazine features, invitations to be a part of group art exhibitions and discovering various art competitions and opportunities. I worked as often as I could (still do), setting up my blog, my website, creating art ‘left, right and center’ and going to lots of art exhibitions. After a certain amount of my art being exposed in print, exhibitions and the web, and networking with other creatives, commercial inquiries began to happen. It’s all kinda slowly ‘snowballed’ really, a combination of working my butt off and noticing opportunities.
At several points over the last few years, it’s been stressful, I’ve had personal doubts, and have wanted to give it all up. Thankfully I’ve had supportive and encouraging friends along the way, who have helped me at times by either sharing kind words or giving me a kick up the bum that I’ve needed!
I hear you’re a graphic designer by day, artist by night. How do you find the time to do such amazing work around what (I can only imagine) must be a pretty hectic schedule?
It’s very hectic indeed, especially when there are a few deadlines on at the same time! Sometimes I say to my friends and housemates… “This month is a crazy month, so sorry in advance if I seem absent or cranky!”
A typical weekday day involves catching the tram to work at 8 am… I use my daily tram time to catch up on things or work… Usually I’m doing one of the following… Answering emails and interviews (like this one hehe), replying to blog comments, updating my web site and blog, updating my diary, reading blogs and ‘arty’ sites or searching and collecting reference pics… I used to draw on the tram too, sometimes I still do if I’m desperate to meet a deadline, but it really was awkward when a person say, REALLY loudly, “did you draw that?” It felt like everyone on the tram would look straight at me! I used to stand with my back to the wall holding my drawing close to my body, so that people couldn’t see, but someone would always end up getting in a peek, no doubt out of curiosity! So I get to work about 9 ish, work until 5.30 ish and catch the tram back home… I get home around 6.30 most days and after a much needed 30 minute break to wind down after work, I get my PJ’s on and settle in to my ‘creative mode’. Depending how busy and stressful work was, determines how long I can concentrate on drawing for… It can be anywhere from 2 – 4 hours. Then I have dinner while watching an episode of a tv show and go to bed!
Weekends are mostly spent catching up on washing, cleaning, gardening, cooking for the week, spending time with friends and family or checking out art exhibitions. When there is a tight deadline on, such as this weekend, it will be spent drawing, in between the cleaning and washing! About twice a year I burn out and get really sick! I’ve slowed down a little bit over the last few months, I’ve realised that I need to have more of a life and more time for relaxing.
How long does it take you to complete a single piece?
It depends on two things mostly… When deadlines are looming, I work as fast as possible and can complete a smaller piece in around 10 hours. Other times, I like to take my time, especially with my personal pieces and can spend anywhere from 20 to 40 hours. My larger pieces have taken up to 60 hours. I work in stints of 2-4 hour sessions most nights, that’s about how much time I’ve got of creativity and concentration, after that, I just start making mistakes. With my personal pieces, the process begins with searching for the right reference pictures and then planing the outcome. Sometimes this process flows nicely and takes around 3 hours, other times it can go on and for what feels like forever! For commercial illustrations I’m usually supplied with the reference pictures, so I can begin drawing straight away.
What inspires you?
Inspiration comes from so many varied places and sometimes unexpectedly, but mostly, I feel happy and inspired after spending time with the people I love and other creatives, after viewing an art exhibition or from daydreaming.
Which piece are you most proud of?
Probably one of my larger pieces, ‘Lara’. She took around 60 hours, spread out over 2 months. Lara was my second piece I’d created since integrating pastel into my work, I learnt a lot! What makes her most special, is that the reference picture I used was one my brother took.
Favourite creative quotation?
“Imagination is more important than knowledge”. -Albert Einstein
What is your favourite medium to work with? And what do you like to draw most often?
I love pencils and pastels. For some reason, the word ‘intimate’ comes to mind. I like how instant they are. No preparation, no mixing of colours (although, this is very fun), no clean up. You open your pencil case and away you go! They are clean too, they don’t smell and they are so transportable. They suit my busy lifestyle, I can take them where ever I go, on holidays, to work… I can fit in little drawing sessions all the time. Because they are clean and odourless, my room can stay semi clean! If I’m lucky enough to be a full time artist one day, I’ll have my own studio and there will be all sorts of mediums, everywhere!
You also design for clothing brand Hurley. That’s mighty impressive. How’d that happen? And have you been approached to work for any other brands?
Why thank you! A lovely email arrived in my inbox one day, from Hurley, asking if I’d be interested in creating a couple of illustration for their next collection. I said yes, of course! Hurley provided a really open brief for the job and let me decide myself on the final artwork. It was so fun! Yep, I have been approaced to work for other brands, there are a couple of clothing labels I’ve been working with recently. It will be a while before the products are out, it’s fascinated me that, in the fashion world, they design their collections months and months, sometimes a year, in advance!
What advice would you give to other young female artists trying to get ahead and get noticed?
Find what you love and are passionate about creating… Fammiliarise yourself with the illustration and art scene around you, get involved with other creatives, go to exhibitions often, look out for art openings and opportunities, submit your work to books like Semipermanent and Curvy… I’ve found the internet has helped me the most to learn about opportunities and to meet other creatives.