Rachael Ng 

Emma Bazan, otherwise known as BellaAndBunny, is a first generation Italian American, born and raised in New York City, and is currently residing in Brooklyn. Emma took a few fine art classes in her days of study, and then majored in Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Shortly after, she moved towards a different direction as an artist, and began working as a makeup artist in the beauty and fashion industry. Today, Emma splits her time between illustration and makeup, but these days she finds herself in her studio more often. When she is not drawing and painting, you can spot her cooking in her kitchen and working on collecting her family recipes.

When and why did you start drawing and painting?

Like most, I was introduced to painting and drawing at a young age.

In grade school, I had a very inspirational art teacher who took notice of my artistic capabilities. She gave me the opportunity to join an art club where we had weekly painting sessions, painted school murals, and entered competitions.  Since then, I have never let go of a paintbrush. The process alone is wonderful –  I really love holding a brush, dipping it into paint, and transferring that over to paper. It is a really, really great feeling. 

You use watercolours for most of your art. What is the reason for this choice of medium?

In art school, we would do quick figure studies in ink. I really liked the fluidity of that medium. I was also inspired by artists who used these mediums (watercolor and ink), and they really pushed me into experimenting with them, too. I love how soft yet vivid they can be at once; it really suits the style of my work.

If you could choose one piece of your original work that wholly represents you, your style or your main concept, which would that be and why?

This is a tough question, I never thought of only one of my works wholly representing me, and of course I find that all of my work hold bits and pieces.

But, if you insist, I guess I would have to go with Wish We Were Butterflies. She is a daydreamer who believes in magic, and is a sensitive soul who wears her heart on her sleeve. I can relate to her the most. Oh, and let us not forget; she is surrounded by butterflies, one of my favourite creatures. 

What’s the motivation behind your choice to illustrate portraits of girls and things in nature? 

I am always looking to bring joy and beauty into my life, and nature is just that for me. I find that portraits can really capture this beauty and bring it to a more personal place. Everyone has a favorite animal, flower, insect or something they relate to. We connect ourselves to them by means of symbolism, stories, mythology, and emotion. The girls that I paint are no one in particular but are concepts of these qualities. However, not all of my works are so conceptual; sometimes it is pretty straightforward and simple. It might just be a lovely painting of a bird on a branch, and that alone can speak to someone’s heart.

How did you develop your style of art now, and were you influenced by any other artist?

A lot of my influences come from other artists. I used to paint with acrylics and chalk pastels, until I came across Stina Persson's work and fell in love with her vivid watercolor fashion illustrations.  It was so inspiring that I bought myself a whole bunch of inks and started painting with them.  At first I tried painting like her, and of course, that did not work. So I stopped trying, and just painted. Style just develops.

What are you currently working on? Would you be exploring different subjects (e.g. portraits of boys or landscapes etc) in the future?

No project in particular, though I just finished up an illustration for a stationery company, which was very exciting for me. I am currently working on some new concepts for paintings to add to my Etsy shop. As for exploring different subjects – I’m not sure if I can pull off portraits of boys. I think my work might be too dainty and delicate. I will think about it.

What is the strangest thing that has influenced a piece of work?

I remember coming across a silver Christmas ornament that had a very Moroccan pattern, and the thought of a peacock immediately popped into my head. The pattern made me think of the circles on its feathers. I remember going home, sketching ideas, and later painting a peacock with patterns similar to the ornament. I love when things like that influence me; it makes creating a lot more spontaneous. 

 

Find Emma: bellaandbunny.blogspot.com and etsy.com/shop/bellaandbunny

Tan Lixin

Chloe and Abigail Baldwin are twin sisters and are a designer duo called Buttercrumble. They grew up in a seaside town in North Yorkshire, England, and are currently pursuing a degree in Graphic and Communication Design in Leeds, together. They always aim to make people smile through their illustrations.

Your illustrations are unlike most that we have seen before. They are bold and colourful and appear to lean towards being cute or adorable. What are some of your creative processes and why did you adopt this direction as your primary style?
We really love everything cute and we strive to make our individuality shine through our works. To produce our illustrations, we usually begin with a loose sketch. From the sketch, we create a digital vector image using Illustrator. Following that, we use handmade elements and textures in Photoshop to make some alterations, bringing our work to life. We enjoy creating adorable images because we believe that everyone deserves a bit of cute in their lives.

What inspires your work? Also, who are some of your favourite artists?
Our greatest influences are mid-century design, folk illustrations, Japanese culture and, yes, all things cute. We believe that there is a mix of all these things in our artwork. This results in a unique and quirky style. Some of our favourite artists and designers include Orla Kiely, Meg Hunt, Disney's Mary Blair and the people we feature in our monthly blog entries. It is really important to take inspiration and learn from all around you.

What are some projects that are you currently working on?
We have just completed a design that will be printed on T-shirts by a Norwegian indie brand Killer Brigade. That is really exciting for us! Merchandise designing for Prosperous Interlude is also something that we are busy with at the moment. For our personal work, we have been working on pattern and surface design as well as editorial illustrations. This is something we want to progress further in. 

Where will you be in a few years time? Where do you see Buttercrumble in a few years time?
At the moment we are working hard on getting our university degree, so we hope to have graduated in a few years’ time! We are also always looking forwards to expanding as a brand and we are open to all opportunities to keep evolving and developing. We are really excited for what lies ahead - anything could happen.

Find Chloe and Abigail: buttercrumble.com

Pearlyn Soo

"Each delicate stroke whispers without words."

Jien and Sipei are sisters and best of friends. As children, they used to make-believe, draw and write their own storybooks together. As they grew older, their daydreams turned into common interests and aspirations, resulting in their very first collaboration, Wit x Folly, that creates art with calligraphy. We spoke to Jien, who tells us more about Wit x Folly and herself as an artist.

When did you discover your flair for calligraphy?

I believe it was cultivated from the time I was really young. Art was my strongest subject in school.

Besides calligraphy, what other interests do you pursue as an artist?

It depends on my mood as I go through several different phases but the two things that have stayed constant are my love for colours as well as my interest in anything related to design, be it fashion, interior or graphic design.

 People often mistake doodling as illustrating. To you, is there a difference between the two?

I do not think that we should be too concerned with trying to classify something we have created as a doodle or illustration. Either way, it is creativity and it is art in its own right.

What are some recent projects you have embarked on?

Wit x Folly is one such project. My sister, Sipei, and I are in the process of setting up a platform to share our daydreams, things that have inspired us in our daily lives, and of course, our own creations. We are also at the early stages of planning a consignment of our prints for a very lovely fashion boutique. This is all very exciting for my sister and me!

What are some challenges you have faced as an artist?

Self-doubt is a huge hindrance to my creativity. I am also on a constant quest to create something truly original and uniquely mine. There is so much out there and we are bound to find other creative works similar to what we do, so the challenge is to find our own signature style and that takes time and a lot of patience. It is also important to me to keep up with design trends like the latest colour palettes, motifs and visual expressions.

Are there any quotes that you relate to most as an artist?

I have a lot of such quotes because I also love words but there are two that I always find myself going back to.

Sometimes, I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. 

Lewis Carroll

 Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Both quotes encapsulate very beautifully the notion of creative freedom and an openness to the world around us. Firstly, we should always challenge ourselves to think outside of the status quo and secondly, we have to be patient with what the universe has to offer and not try to immediately silo everything into answers and plans which we tend to do so very subconsciously in our lives.

Follow Jien on Instagram for updates: @ji3n

Racy Lim

Brooke Walker is an Illustrator from South Australia. She grew up with animals and trees on 10 acres of land in McLaren Vale. Instead of watching TV or using the computer, she would ride horses and play on the grass with dogs. Her appreciation for animals and nature has inspired her art which includes greeting cards made from recycled or seeded paper. Brooke completed a Bachelor of Design in 2009 while specialising in illustration. She has been concentrating on producing highly detailed charcoal drawings, her need for perfection in her work continuously pushing her to perform better.

How would you describe your personality and lifestyle outside the artistic sphere?

I love animals and this love is evident in my work. I am interested in endangered species conservation and would love to be able to use my artwork to bring awareness to this ever growing issue.

I also enjoy cooking and creating new dishes in the kitchen. Living near the McLaren Vale wine region in South Australia means that I am spoilt for choice when it comes to great produce, food and wine. Just generally being healthy and enjoying life is important to me.

How do you decide if your art has reached perfection?

What one person considers perfect or a great piece of art differs greatly between cultures, person to person. It really depends on what speaks to them emotionally and this is usually drawn from past experiences, interests and other variables. For me, I do not think that my art will ever reach what I would consider perfection and I hope it never does, as I need something to strive for. Every time I work on a new piece, I learn so much along the way - I see the subject better, can judge values between areas more accurately, and generally learn to draw better. As soon as I have a piece I think is the best I can do at that particular time, I know it is finished. However, the next piece will be better from all that I have learned from the last. Drawing, for me, is a continual accumulation of knowledge that grows from one piece to the next. 

What are some projects that you are currently working on? 

At the moment, there are a couple of art competitions I am interested in entering my pieces for. One is the 2014 National Works on Paper established by the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. For this, I am working on a portrait of one of my Border Collies. It is a charcoal pencil piece on mid tone grey paper. This is the first time I used this particular technique on an animal image. I find that using both black and white charcoal allows me to add more depth to the drawing.

Drawing of one of Brooke's Border Collies

I have also recently completed an oil painting workshop conducted by the successful Australian realist painter, Robin Eley. Oil painting is something I would like to do more of in the future as I work towards a solo exhibition. Although I have been mainly working in black and white tones, some images just need colour to ‘pop’ and make sense. Oil painting allows me to get the detail I desire in my work.

Your portfolio showcases tons of illustrations for different publishing and it includes greeting cards with animal illustrations. What is the reason behind this concept?

A lot of people like animals, I think. These illustrations were printed onto cards that are made from either recycled card or seeded paper. The seeded paper is great – it has certain plant seeds impregnated into the handmade paper so that you can receive a special card and then plant it! Present and card all in one. The eco quality of this paper worked well with the addition of the animal drawings. Nature and sustainability are important to me and the juxtaposition of plants and animals seems natural. The images are great for various occasions and I don’t think that a drawing of a car or other manmade object will have the same cohesiveness or appeal.

One of your creations for the South Australian Living Artist Exhibitions (SALA) 2013 was a charcoal pencil drawing of a full ponytail. What is the significance of illustrating a character without a face?   

This particular piece was part of a trio that was created for a SALA exhibition called ‘Horses’. The other 2 images were of horse’s manes and tails only – no bodies or heads. 

It is interesting to explore how little information we need to put an image together in our mind. 

With this drawing of a ponytail, you could assume the subject is a blond female, about 20 to 30 years old, more than likely Caucasian, looking to the right. I also like to challenge myself in terms of technique and hair is one of those things that artists can struggle with.

Drawing of a full ponytail for a SALA exhibition

Where do you get your inspiration?

I owe a lot to my parents and my childhood. My parents are also animal lovers so they taught me to show compassion for all species. As I get older I become more aware of the issues surrounding the environment and how humans as a whole are quickly ruining the delicate balance between all living creatures. I hope there never comes a time when some of our greatest animals can only be seen in museums, old photos or artworks. In my upcoming body of work I hope to subtly touch on this issue and maybe get the viewer thinking about how we can help fix the environmental mess we are quickly creating.

I have also been lucky enough to have been educated by some fantastic artists. I attended a Drawing From Life workshop run by Brooklyn-based artist David Jon Kassan. He was so giving of his time and what I learned has been invaluable. South Australia based painter Robin Eley has also been influential to my work. He was one of my lecturers at University when he was working as an illustrator, so I have seen his transition from illustrator to artist. He is also extremely humble and giving with his knowledge. Other artists I follow include Kim Buck and Joel Rea. Their works are highly detailed and have strong concepts behind them.

I feel honoured whenever anyone likes my work enough to ask for a commission. It is a very personal and subjective thing, art, so for your work to resonate with someone else is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

One of many commission pieces by Brooke

Finally, how do you plan on advancing your career as an illustrator?

I am actually slowly transitioning into more of a fine art field. I find illustration as an industry to be very digital based these days. It is much faster to draw, submit, make changes and resubmit the final piece all on the computer without touching an actual piece of paper or pencil. However, I prefer sitting in front of an easel, feeling the texture of the paper and getting charcoal or paint on my hands. There is something special about handmade products.

This year I wish to enter a few art prizes and start to produce a cohesive body of work for a solo exhibition next year. I would love to have my work hanging in a gallery one day!

Find Brooke: brookewalkerillustration.com