DESIGN THIS DESIGN THAT MAGAZINE ISSUE 2

DESIGN THIS DESIGN THAT ISSUE 2 SEPTEMBER 2008

LEGAL NOTICE This Ezine is COPYRIGHT© 2008 of ARIADNA RAMLEY DESIGN THIS DESIGN THAT ™.

You can download the magazine for personal use, but you can’t redistribute, edit, alter it without my written permission.

Do not copy or redistribute any of the articles written in this ezine without my consent. Please respect my work as I respect the work of others.

The DESIGN THIS DESIGN THAT logotype and logo are trademarks, do not alter them or use them under any circumstance without my written permission.

The front and back covers are © COPYRIGHT 2008 of ARIADNA RAMLEY DESIGN THIS DESIGN THAT ™.

Do no duplicate them or redistribute them without written consent.

FEATURED ARTISTS COPYRIGHTS Some images that appear in this magazine are used under a license agreement.

All the artwork images belong to each featured artist. The images were used with the permission and the COPYRIGHT belongs to their owners.

Do not alter, copy, or redistribute the images without written permission by their respective owners.

2 LEGAL NOTICE

WELCOME In the first years of our lives we learn to illustrate. Do you remember your childhood books with images that made your imagination go to the most amazing places? The days spent drawing at your grandmother´s house? Who doesn´t have a childhood drawing? The same drawing that is framed at your son´s bedroom, between the pages of an old book, at your home studio or at your mother´s art gallery: the refrigerator. That drawing makes you smile and think how things have changed since you thought dinosaurs were blue, your father was a super hero, you were Calvin and your cat was Hobbes and growing up you would be a doctor, astronaut, president, teacher or Superman?

Time has to go by, dreams change. We choose different ways of expression, different paths. But some people stay close to this art, they learn new techniques, they develope a unique style. Sometimes as grown ups they re-acquaint themlseves with the forgotten tools: acrylics, oils, watercolors, ink, etc.

This issue is about them. Amazing and talented illustrators from all around the world sharing their work. The master minds behind images that make us feel a wide variety of emotions, taking us to new places, back and foward in our lives, inspiring us to enter into the wonderful world of illustration.

ARIADNA R AMLEY

www.designthisdesignthat.com

info@designthisdesignthat.com THANK YOU 3

IN THIS ISSUE 2 LEGAL NOTICE 6 SHOPPING

A wide selection of art supplies and other things that every artist needs: DICK BLICK

8 FLICKR SERIES ILLUSTRATORS

Talented illustrators showcasing their work via flickr.

9 Chris Leavens 10 Laís Brevilheri 11 Monfa 12 Radha Ramachandran 13 Wilmer Murillo 14 Martin Roemer 15 Cecilia Levy 16 Susanne König 17 Maicen Holta Madsen 18 Emma Block 19 Emily Ipolani 20 Melissa Gardner

21 SUBMISSIONS

All the info you need if you woud like to be featured in this magazine.

22 INTERVIEW WITH

Introducing the 68 artists interviwed.

24 MISS AVOCADO 26 CHARLIEMOTEL 28 ELSITA 30 GOOBETSA .

32 XTMOVEIS 34 CINDY THORNTON 36 POLLY JARMAN 38 ROBIN 101 40 JESSIELAH 42 ELEGANT SNOBBERY

4 IN THIS ISSUE

44 PASKEPAINTINGS 46 CGROSSMANRUN 48 TANABEES 50 ART4FRIENDS 52 LITTLEROBOT 54 THE PAPER APARTMENT 56 KENDRA BINNEY 58 SARAH JANE STUDIOS 60 COOKIESUNSHINE 62 MEARTDESIGNS 64 THE PAIRA BIRDS 66 BELLE AND BOO 68 JOHN CLARK 70 MEREDITH ILLMAN 72 MARMEE CRAFT 74 CORID 76 KARIN GROW 78 TABIDESIGNS 80 VOL25 82 SUGAR AND CREAM 84 MULTIPLE PERSONALITY 86 LAKE ILLUSTRATION 88 BLUE BICICLETTA 90 OBSOLETE WORLD 92 BRISTLE AND NIBS 94 MIAMIBOX 96 THANEEYA 98 JESSICA BOYLE 100 KATCHARLY 102 SYBILE 104 LINEANINGRATA 106 BROOKLIT 108 LEAH GIBERSON

110 HISSS 112 NOOSED KITTY 114 KERRY BEARY 116 TUMMY MOUNTAIN 118 PURE INNOVATION 120 JANICEJ 122 MY CHARLIE GIRL 124 MICHELLE CAPLAN 126 UBIKI 128 PLEASE BE STILL 130 CATE ANEVSKI 132 SANDRINEM 134 LELY 136 BERKLEY ILLUSTRATION 138 HIDENSEEK 140 LAURA GEORGE 142 ZUKZUK 144 JOHN W. GOLDEN 146 PINKYBROWN2005 148 MICAWBER 150 IRIS SCHWARZ 152 ALYIOSIUSSPYKER 154 AUTUMN RUSSELL 156 DUTTON ART 158 BRANDI STRICKLAND

164 KatrineK TeresaSheeley 165 NateDuval Labpartners 166 Falldowntree Kelliedrwaspictures 167 Carambatack Gorjuss 168 ValentinaDesign YumiYumi 169 Alphabets ArtbyShano 170 OrangeWillow SRHarris 171 Angie Mausolf RedHeather

172 BOOKMARK THIS WEBSITE

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY, founded by the illustrator Penelope Dullaghan, a weekly creative challenge for very artist at any level of skill.

174 BOOK COLLECTING

The Fundamentals of Illustration, written by illustrator, writer and educator Lawrence Zeegen.

175 THANK YOU

A little thank you note.

160 ETSY TREASURES 160 Roadside 161 Lauren Minco Ulmer 162 Rosiemusic MundoGominola 163 Shauno Magicjelly

IN THIS ISSUE 5

SHOPPING

DICK BLICK is a great site to visit if art is part of your life. Professionals, students, teachers, parents

looking for a new hobby for themselves or their kids have a variety of options in brands and prices.

This site has lots of things that I haven´t seen at my local art supplies store. Painting, sculpting, screen printing, drawing, ceramics, furniture, paper, books, etc., this site has everything an artist could ask for. And the best part is that if you live overseas, they ship worldwide.

1. Q-Grip Canvas Grip Brush Organizer.

2. Blitz Translucent Drawing Board 3. Loew-Cornell Watercolor Painting Set for Dummies 4. Pina Zangaro Camden Boxes 5. Loew-Cornell Oil Painting Set for Dummies 6. Artist’s Survival Kit 7. Loew-Cornell Drawing Set for Dummies 8. Richeson Bamboo Brush Roll-up 9. Animal Manikins 10. Loew-Cornell Acrylic Painting Set for Dummies 11. ViewCatcher 12. Testrite Artist Bridge

6 SHOPPING

To honor the theme of this issue I made a small selection of items that might be interesting for the artists in the house, young and old, pros and begginers.

For more information about these an other great products available at http://www.dickblick.com.

DICK BLICK

visit

“Suddenly before my eyes, hues of indigo arise, with them how my spirit sighs, Paint the sky with stars...”

Enya 1. Sketchbox Table Easel 2. Best Urania’s Pastel Desk 3. Rolling Painting Table 4. Best Caballo Art Horse 5. Windmill Studio 36 Easel 6. Open Studio Reference Table 7. Studio Designs Americana Work Table 8. Studio Designs Premier Easels 9. Artisan Wood Design Ultra Series Painting Taboret

SHOPPING 7

FLICKR SERIES FLICKR has more than 5,000 groups related to illustration, where talented people from around the world show their work. I selected a few of them, lots of eye candy and inspiration: ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY http://www.flickr.com/groups/illustrationfriday/ BEAUTIFUL FASHION ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/bfi/ ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/35468132865@N01/ ILLUSTRATION FOR CHILDREN http://www.flickr.com/groups/47991555@N00/ BOTANICAL ART & NATURALIST ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/botanicalart/ EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/editorial/ 365 DAYS OF ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/313283@N25/ POLISH ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/polish_illustration/ ILLUSTRATION::CHARCATER DESIGN http://www.flickr.com/groups/419064@N20/ ILLUSTRATION AND GRAPHIC ADDICTS http://www.flickr.com/groups/illustrationaddicts BELLE ÉPOQUE ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/belle-epoque/ INK. INTERNATIONAL ILLUSTRATION RALLY http://www.flickr.com/groups/ink_rally/ NON FICTION ILLUSTRATION (REALISTIC) http://www.flickr.com/groups/realisticillustration/ BOOK ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/illustration/ ROCK MUSIC ILLUSTRATIONS http://www.flickr.com/groups/rockmusicillustrations/ EUROPE ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/walliwalla/ BLACK & WHITE ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/blackandwhiteillustration/ DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION http://www.flickr.com/groups/akaieyuri/ 2008 ILLUSTRATIONS NOW http://www.flickr.com/groups/illustrations_now/ ILLUSTRATORS EXCHANGE http://www.flickr.com/groups/illustrators/ MID CENTURY ILLUSTRATED http://www.flickr.com/groups/midcenturyinprint/

8 FLICKR SERIES

* v * e * c * t * o * r * e * s* http://www.flickr.com/groups/v_e_c_t_o_r_e_s/ MOLESKINERIE http://www.flickr.com/groups/moleskinerie/ DRAWING http://www.flickr.com/groups/64847597@N00/ ANIMALS IN YOUR ART http://www.flickr.com/groups/animalart/ INTERNATIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN http://www.flickr.com/groups/internationalgraphicdesign/ ILLUSTRATORS http://www.flickr.com/groups/72941124@N00/ VECTOR CHARACTERS http://www.flickr.com/groups/vector_characters/ CHARACTER DESIGN http://www.flickr.com/groups/characterdesign/ PAINTING http://www.flickr.com/groups/painting/ STREET ART N°1 http://www.flickr.com/groups/streetartn1/ LA RUTA DEL ARTE http://www.flickr.com/groups/la_ruta_del_arte/ COLLAGE CRAZY http://www.flickr.com/groups/collagecrazy/ STREET STICKERS http://www.flickr.com/groups/34759686@N00/ LiINE DRAWING http://www.flickr.com/groups/86748753@N00/ SKETCHES http://www.flickr.com/groups/78983216@N00/ COMICS http://www.flickr.com/groups/comicart/

OPPOSITE PAGE

Seed Tax Chris Leavens Medium: Acrylic on canvas Year: 2008 Size: 24 inches wide, 30 inches tall Copyright: Chris Leavens http://flickr.com/photos/chrisleavens http://chrisleavens.com

FLICKR SERIES 9

THIS PAGE OPPOSITE PAGE

Save me Geisha Laís Brevilheri Monfa http://www.flickr.com/photos/laisbrevilheri/ http://www.arteriaplastica.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/monfa/

10 FLICKR SERIES

FLICKR SERIES 11

12 FLICKR SERIES

OPPOSITE PAGE THIS PAGE

Healing Sketch #8 Seeds Radha Ramachandran http://www.flickr.com/photos/13960363@N05/ http://www.radhaillustration.com http://ratlion.blogspot.com

Un Tulipán Marchito Wilmer Murillo http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilmern/ http://wilmermurillo.com/

FLICKR SERIES 13

THIS PAGE

OPPOSITE PAGE

Worry Cecilia Levy Martin Roemer http://www.cecilialevy.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-roemer/ http://cecilialevy.blogspot.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/cecilia_levy/ 14 FLICKR SERIES

FLICKR SERIES 15

Elvis Reborn Susanne König http://www.flickr.com/photos/susannekoenig/ 16 FLICKR SERIES

Maicen Holta Madsen http://www.maicen.etsy.com http://www.cafepress.com/maicen http://www.ickr.com/photos/maicen FLICKR SERIES 17

Tree House Emma Block http://www.snugglemuffin.etsy.com http://snugglemuffin.vox.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/snugglemuffin/

18 FLICKR SERIES

Phobos Emily Ipolani http://www.dollygagging.com/ http://dollygagging.wordpress.com/ http://www.ickr.com/photos/dollygagging/

FLICKR SERIES 19

Illustrators I Love Melissa Gardner http://www.nushkadolls.com/ http://www.ickr.com/photos/rememberthislink/

20 FLICKR SERIES

SUBMISSIONS 21

INTERVIEW WITH

sixty seven Illustrators from around

the world 22 INTERVIEW WITH

When I started to get in touch with all the artists that I wanted to have featured in this second issue I was very excited. I had no idea how many of them would answer my e-mails. I was nervous.

With the first issue I contacted a lot of photographers but only a few were interested. Since etsy is the source where I found all of these amazing illustrators, I thought, “This time I must contact them via etsy convo, e-mails can get lost or ignored”. But an etsy convo is hard to ignore. Etsy is a great community and all the sellers and buyers I´ve ever sent a convo have always replied in a very friendly way.

“If I´m lucky a few of them will reply”, but it wasn´t just a few them. 68 illustrators said “count me in”.

You can imagine my suprise! 68 illustrators were happy and interested, just as excited as I was with this second issue! I can´t remember how many e-mails and convos had been sent between them and me. The same 7 questions with so many different answers had allowed me to get to know a little bit more about 68 creative women and men.The members of 68-I, as I will call them.

The 68-I has different stories from mothers, fathers, students, sisters, husbands, wives, all with the same talent: the ability to make images that you can use for your personal story. A gift from them to us.

A constant subject is the female figure. She can be fragile, elegant, strong, just a little girl, snob, flirty, sad, mysterious. Just a few of the many interpretations you can give to the pieces with a woman as the main theme. But it doesn´t stop there. They take us to places next to the beach, streets with aliens walking, fantasy woods. We can have our very own birds to accompany our mornings. See giraffes in suits. Eat ice cream with a monster, drink tea. Prepare to travel in time, walk with an appliance as if it was your dog, wearing an elegant dress, while you sail through a blue soft sea, getting ready to ride your bicycle.

Different styles that could be easily seen illustrating books, magazines, comics, cartoons, shorts films. Some of them are already are doing it, but it would be a great to see the work of the 68-I in all these mediums. I would love to see that happen.

Thank you members of the 68-I for sharing your talent with us.

68-I INTERVIEW WITH 23

MISS AVOCADO

24 INTERVIEW WITH MISS AVOCADO

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m an illustrator and graphic designer and life-long New Englander.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has been a big part of my life since I was a kid.

Growing up, my mom read to my sisters and I and I remember being totally mesmerized by the illustrations.

I think I always had more of a commercial art bent though, because I remember loving to trace alphabets out of type specimen books. That’s where illustration and design feel like a good fit for me.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Some inspirations for me are: vintage picture books, old photos, song lyrics, random faces I’ll see in a crowd, mid-century color schemes and poster art.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

For the most part, I create my work in either pencil or ink and then add color digitally, sometimes adding in scanned textures. I’ve been trying to get back into working with traditional media more lately, so have been enjoying working with gouache, collage and watercolor.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d really love to explore oil painting. The intensity and richness of the colors really appeal to me.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have a secret dream to someday compete in a roller derby. I think I’d be knocked out within the first two minutes, but a bookish nerd can dream ;-).

CONTACT INFO

ABIGAIL HALPIN SHOP http://www.missavocado.etsy.com SITE http://www.theodesign.com BLOG http://www.theodesign.com/blog FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/theodesign I will fly Opposite Page: Can I take your order

INTERVIEW WITH MISS AVOCADO 25

CHARLIEMOTEL

26 INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE MOTEL

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Hi, my name is Megan Tucker, I´m 23 and I live in a little village in the valleys of South Wales. I run a design business with my husband (www.colourmafia.co.uk) which we set up almost 2 years ago. We work from home and really enjoy creating for a living!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has always been a massive part of my life. I have always been drawing! Even as a child, drawing was always my most favourite thing to do! I studied art throughout school and college, and illustration in particular seemed to be the “category” of art that I fit the best. It was just a natural progression. I cant imagine doing anything else with my time.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I get my inspiration from the everyday things. Conversations with friends, things that make me smile, make me think. It´s never too serious, or deep and meaningful, it´s just all about life’s little joys. I like to create things that all sorts of people can relate to.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use alot of black ink. I always have. I just enjoy the crisp, smooth lines you get. Those clear cut edges. Before charliemotel, I was really against using computers for any part of my work! I used to see it as cheating! When trying to create a style for my etsy shop, I tried all sorts of colouring methods but none of them seemed to work. In a last desperate attempt I tried colouring my images using block colours in photoshop. It just clicked, and the rest is history!

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would love to try screen printing. I did some basic screen printing in college and loved it. My husband and I really want to get a kit and screen print shirts and bags for my shop... one day!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I chose the piece tea makes everything better because it really sums up the feel of what I try to convey in all my pieces. I’m quite the tea addict and after a stressful day there’s nothing better! I guess this illustration reflects a little bit of me and it´s also something that alot of people can connect with. It´s proved to be one of my most popular designs and I also get a fair few emails from fellow tea drinkers just to let them know how much they agree with that statement!

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

My husband and I met through the internet!, that really does surprise alot of people! We were introduced by a mutual friend 6 years ago and here we are today! He’s also Australian and I´m British- talk about a long distance relationship!

But it all worked out just fine and we couldn’t be happier! :).

CONTACT INFO

MEGAN TUCKER SHOP http://www.charliemotel.etsy.com SITE http://www.colourmafia.co.uk

INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE MOTEL 27

ELSITA

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Elsa Mora but most people call me Elsita. I was born and raised in the island of Cuba where I graduated from the art school in 1991. I was an art teacher for two years, then I worked in a gallery for a year and in 1993 I decided to become an independent artist. My childhood was a hard one since I come from a poor family, but I was lucky enough to have the unconditional support of my Mom who taught me how to believe in myself and how to pursue my dreams, I also had wonderful teachers that became my daily inspiration when I was an art student.

In 1995 I moved to Havana where I worked day and night developing my career in a small apartment-studio close to El Malecon (the bay of Havana) where the most fascinating characters came to play music and socialize. During the 90’ lots of people from galleries, museums etc. from all over the world came to Cuba looking for art and that’s how I started making connections with the art world outside the island and showing my work in galleries. Up to this part of my story I can say that I was a young girl who just wanted to be a good artist and all my energy and time was put into this idea, everything else was secondary. But then on December 15 of 2000 something unexpected happened: I met a man that was the most unlikely person for me to meet. He was born and raised in Chicago and his home was in Los Angeles, California. Bill came to Havana to attend the jazz festival and that’s how we came to be in the same city at the same time. I met Bill’s sister in 1996 when I came to the Art institute of Chicago as a visiting artist and we became good friend since then, but Perfume she never told me that she had a brother. She had her own secret plans about making Bill and I meet since she thought that we were going to be the perfect match and I have to say that she was absolutely right. Bill and I got married in 2002 and then we had two beautiful children, a girl and a boy. Our boy was diagnosed with autism in September of 2007 but he is doing amazing and he keeps all of nected and grounded as a family. We currently live in Los Angeles, California where Bill works as a Film Producer in Hollywood and I keep creating my art from a studio that I have in our backyard. My priorities and philosophy of life have changed a lot since Bill and I started a family. We are both creative people and we will always keep that part of our lives very alive but our priority number one is to be happy as a family, to support each other and to inspire each other everyday. As I write this I can say that I am extremely grateful for my life right now and for the wonderful people in it. Coming from a hard place where life was a daily struggle I try to be very aware about every little thing that is given to me. All I want is to give back that love and that’s what I do everyday when I take care of my children, when I keep my Etsy store and blog alive and when I share what I do with other people.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I knew that I wanted to be an artist since I was a little girl. I have a sister that was the first person who inspired me to think this way. To me she was a genius. She was amazing at creating beauty from the ordinary. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with Squizophrenia at the age of sixteen and her mental deterioration was a painful thing to witness. But her creative spirit somehow found a place in my heart and I always felt that I had to develop my own creativity as a way to keep her alive. Art became

28 INTERVIEW WITH ELSITA

part of my life in a solid way since I started the art school and as the years passed it became my personal language and the best way that I know to connect with the world around me.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Inspiration is something that is directly connected to observation. The more you notice things around you the more inspiration you will find to develop your own universe. I try to absorb everything around me by keeping my five senses activated and alert. From all the elements that come out in my work the main one is people. I am curious about people, about the way we are, the way we think and the way we connect with each other.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I work in different techniques and materials all the time and it is hard for me to stay with only one for too long. I prefer to jump from one to the next and this way my creative experience is more fun and interesting.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven’t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I want to learn animation, this is one of my dreams and I am sure that I will do it at some point. I am educating myself about this field by reading about the subject, collecting some books and talking with people who are doing it.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I don’t know if this piece is the most representative of my work but the meaning behind it is one that I keep reminding myself all the time. The title of this illustration is Within Reach and it has to do with all the things that we are capable of accomplishing beyond the limits that sometimes we impose to ourselves. We can always stretch our imagination and our power of making things happen a little bit more, sometimes we think that what we want is so far away or so impossible to pursue but the truth is that the most important things are always in our hands.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

We have a friend who is a wonderful Hollywood casting director, one day last year she called me in the last minute because she needed to cast me as a latino nun for the last Indiana Jones movie. I found this idea to be so fun so I said count on me and I will be there tomorrow. I went to her office where they were doing the casting process and all I had

Within reach to do was stand in front of a camera and say something in Spanish. The scene was about Indiana Jones coming into a convent where everybody was sick, I was supposed to tell him that something strange was going on and that was it. In the end Spielberg said that I was too young for the idea that he had about a nun so they ended up casting an older woman. My friend wanted to cast my Mom but she had just gotten back to Florida after a couple of weeks visiting us. I haven’t seen the movie yet but I am very curious to see who did the nun character in the end. And it was a great experience being an actress for about five seconds! :).

CONTACT INFO

ELSA MORA SHOP http://www.elsita.etsy.com BLOG www.elsita.typepad.com

INTERVIEW WITH ELSITA 29

Ice Cream Monster

GOOBETSA

CONTACT INFO

BRIAN GUBIZCA

30 INTERVIEW WITH GOOBETSA

SHOP http://www.goobeetsa.etsy.com SITE http://www.goobeetsa.com/ BLOG http://goobeetsa.blogspot.com/ FLICKR http://www.ямВickr.com/photos/goobeetsa/

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy. I create illustrations for print and web publications, and show regularly in galleries. I have written and illustrated two books. Dreams: Volume 1 and Barnacles and Cakes (a book of poems and drawings) When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I drew and painted as a child and continued with it through high school. This lead me to art school where I studied illustration. After college, I worked in a few small studios doing animation, character design, and storyboard work...but I wasn’t very happy. With the help of my wife, I started my illustration business and later found etsy.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Color, shape, and story. I enjoy graphic work that is simple and clever, even more if it is being applied to a narrative. I love film and small leftover details from the day.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I generally work digitally, but love collage and making found object robots.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you

already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

That’s easy: Mosaic. I would love to learn about this art form.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The Alice Puppets. I always enjoyed art class, and the making of the thing. With the puppets it’s a project.

You get to cut and assemble; so ultimately you are the one that has invested yourself into the work. You have made the thing, and have gained the experience. Alice is a colorful story that works on many levels. I love it for the humor which seems to change a little each time you read it.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

My Stuffed octopus “Dr. Perfect” (who wears 8-legged pajamas) sleeps in my bed every night. He has pretty much taken over my life, and being that he is the stuffed incarnation of my stomach octopus, chooses my meals for me:).

The Alice Puppets

INTERVIEW WITH GOOBETSA 31

XTMOVEIS

32 INTERVIEW WITH XTMOVEIS

The nithingale song n.5

The nithingale song n.1

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy. First I live in Portugal, my work began many years ago before I even meet “ETSY”! I worked with my husband (he is an architect) for many years .We have an atelier of handamde furniture, that he draws (each piece), builts and after that I paint! We are a pefect match! We also sell my atelier crafts, and interior acessories like abat.jours, lamps, paintings,...everything my imagination have the need to create!. We begun making furniture for our house, specific for our kids and after that we never stopped until today.

Our new project is about leaving the city and built a house/atelier in the countryside that is going to be the perfect place for us to work and exhibit our pieces.

The internet “story” began because we have the need to show our work with quality worldwide independently from shops and other places that sell our work but in my point of view they don ́t catch the spirit and the soul of our project, so, I wanted to show it myself.

I had already created many blogs until I arrived here were i ́m standing now but always in need to do it better!. Like a creative process!. Etsy came at the end because we saw that 70‰ of our visitors were from USA and other countries. This happens to be a community that shares the sames goals, professional ones, and that visits each other everyday to see the news, like a big online gallery.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

My art has always been part of my life. My father works with classical music, my broother draws, my sister too, my grandmother taught us to draw hats...it ́s everything that cames with the “package” :-). But still I

dedicated myself to illustration and paint professionally I think 10 years ago and I can ́t stop, I need to paint, it ́s the way I have to express some feelings and the things I see all around me everyday! It ́s a need!. I also like to sell my work and go a head to another project!

In my house we breath art, it ́s our work, our life, our children´s and our feelings! I have many books, paintings...I have my walls full, music always playing...kids drawing all around the house.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The inspirations behind my work are specially about people´s feelings, motherhood, old people, the needs of life, the strong feelings life has behind the everyday life, that we are so bussy that we usually can ́t see! For me that is so impotant.Things that worry me, things that make me happy, people I Iove, memories ...and of course, music, what happens in the word everyday, fantastic people, brillant ideas,..MUSIC, magazines, art galleries, imagination!

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I always use acrylic paints with pieces of paper and fabrics!, paper past, I always sew (I can ́t live without a sewing machine).

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but jus haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Not specially a technique but the scale I use, I want to do it bigger and stronger! More seriously, I want to breath it! If you understand what I mean!? I also want to develop papier maché in a different scale too! More like sculpture! I want to learn to play chello!!!, and cook chinese food!, that ́s a dream!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work? I choose a frame, first because I never saw anyone that makes a similiar work!

Everybody identifies immediatly my frames with me!

I love to make them because they are usually a very important focal point in interior decoration and I also love mirrors, because they make a space bigger and they bring good luck! I ́m always making them by order or not!

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you. Hummm, that could be a secret!!:-).

I think I ́m lazy sometimes, I struggle against it, I feel I must study more to have a better result in my work!

CONTACT INFO GRAÇA PAZ SHOP http://www.xtmoveis.etsy.com SITE http://www.atelierxt.com/ BLOG http://atelierxt.tumblr.com/ INTERVIEW WITH XTMOVEIS 33

CINDY THORNTON

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am a stay at home mom with one too many hobbies.

Rather than tell you how many diapers I have changed or how many toys I pick up in a day, I’ll give you some of what I have done during MY free time. Let me back way up and start here: In 1998 I bought Corel PhotoPaint and Microsoft’s FrontPage. I took the time to learn how to use them, which lead to freelance graphic design and website design work. In 1998 I also started selling on eBay. Using the design and layout knowledge, I opened an eBay store in 2004. In 2006 it was nominated by eBay for the Best in Stores Contest for

Best Shopping Experience. I also became an certified eBay store designer and helped other storeowners with logo work, listing templates, and other store design. In 2007 I decided to take a break from all of that to do more “art”. There just wasn’t enough time to be able to do both. So now I paint, draw, photoshop, blog, make youtube art videos, and probably most importantly - market it all.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I really did not do much with art until my senior year of high school. I needed some extra classes to fill up some credit hours, so I chose an Art 101 class which was made up of mostly freshman. I got enough posi-

Lullaby Bay

34 INTERVIEW WITH CINDY THORNTON

The gated community

tive feedback from both art teachers at my school that I decided to continue with art studies. Through the help of my teachers I applied for and was awarded a work scholarship with the college art gallery. This covered all college costs and I got my AA Degree in Studio Art in 1997.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Childhood imagination. Many people loose it, some try to hang on to it. I like the dedication given at the very beginning of the movie The Wizard of Oz: “For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return ...and to the Young in Heart ...we dedicate this picture.” If I had to write something up about my art, it would be along the same lines as that.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I’m not sure I use a technique. I pick up a brush and I work with it until I get what I want. If there are technique rules to follow, I don’t want to know about them.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Even though we have cameras, I still like and greatly appreciate realism. I enjoy taking a break every once in a while to paint a nostalgic object I am fond of. I suppose I would like to take more time to refine this skill.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It has a little bit of everything - Humanity, Humor, and Whimsy. I also like that it seems to bring out different emotions with different people.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Hmmmm....I’m 32 years old and I often find myself painting to music such as ABBA, The Brother’s Four, New Christie Minstrels, and The Mama’s and The Papa’s, all before my time.

CONTACT INFO

CINDY THORNTON SHOP http://www.cindythornton.etsy.com SITE http://www.cindythornton.com

INTERVIEW WITH CINDY THORNTON 35

My Little Red Shoes

POLLY JARMAN Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I live in Perth, Australia with my Husband and our big fat ginger cat - Jinky. We have just had a son who was born very prematurely so is yet to come home with us from hospital. I have almost completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts at Curtin University. Before my degree I lived in London for a few years and did some travelling.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

My sister and Dad are also keen artists so I think it´s in the genes. When I was about 4 years old my Dad was doing a Ph.D and he used to get up at 5 am to study. Unfortunately for his studious intentions I also used to get up so he set up a little desk alongside his with paper, pencils, crayons and paints and both of us were happy!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The foundation for me is the desire to create. Whether it´s rearranging objects on my mantle piece or painting it comes down to being an aesthetic person. Sight is the most powerful sense for me and when I am engaging with it I am totally absorbed.

36 INTERVIEW WITH POLLY JARMAN

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Primarily I would say I am a painter but there are so many other visual art forms that I really appreciate.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I love printmaking techniques like drypoint and would love to incorporate it into my work but I don´t think I have the patience it deserves -or the equipment!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My Little Red Shoes reflects a playfulness and naivety I hope to express in some of my work. It is difficult to let go of trying to represent something as best you can, just because you can draw or paint something really well doesn´t always mean you should. Your intention for the piece should always be the most important thing.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I make a mean spaghetti bolognaise!

CONTACT INFO

KATE JARMAN SHOP http://www.pollyjarman.etsy.com Stilettos

INTERVIEW WITH POLLY JARMAN 37

ROBIN101

Stove in Blue

38 INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN 101

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am a contemporary artist based in Brighton, UK. I sell and exhibited my work in the UK, Europe and North America. I graduated in 2004 with a BA in art specializing in painting from Camberwell College of Art in London and set up studio after. I work out of a small studio at home.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve been doing art all my life. I decided I wanted to be an artist when I was about five and have been producing art ever since.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I am mainly inspired by daily life. For the past few years I’ve been focusing on issues relating to waste and consumption. I love creating paintings and images that are bold and humorous yet also have the ability to make the viewer come back and reflect on the deeper issues.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I mostly use paint and ink in various forms. I’ve been doing allot of oil painting recently but I also work with acrylics.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but jus thaven’t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d love to do and learn more about printmaking. I had the chance to study it in Canada for a couple years and fell in love with it. I love the subtlety of texture and tone that can be achieved.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The piece I’ve chosen is Stove on Blue. I chose it because I often use old stoves that I find lurking around my neighbourhood in my work. The image combines both painting and line drawing, which are two techniques I have adopted in my work. The image is also humorous and represents the main concerns of my work.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you Most people are surprise when I tell them I was born in Belize. I have lived and travelled quite alot in my life, my parents were Jamaican so apart from Belize I have also lived in Jamaica, I have also lived and studied in Vancouver and London and I’m now in Brighton. I consider myself very lucky to have lived in some of the most beautiful places in the world.

CONTACT INFO

ROBIN CLARE SHOP http://www.robin101.etsy.com SITE http://www.robinclare.com/

Good Food

INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN 101 39

JESSIELAH 40 INTERVIEW WITH JESSIELAH

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Most days I’m playing on the floor trying to keep my son’s wet, half-eaten crackers from going into my mouth. (Why he gets such a kick out of this, I do not know.) When I’m not avoiding unwanted snacks, I’m working on my latest art project – decorating our new home. I am a conservatory trained opera singer, so I try to sing on a regular basis and keep up with local auditions. My husband and I are also expanding our family of three to a family of four, so I’m mentally preparing for that by trying to get a lot of sleep and exercise. I also like to enjoy the San Diego sunshine as much as possible.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

For a good part of my life, art was limited to the margins of my notebooks and music scores. However, after seeing some of my work, my husband (also an artist) encouraged me to start drawing again. It instantly filled a void in my life... that need to create. It is so wonderful be able to do something that you love and then to have people like it just as much as you do. Amazing!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

It’s unusual for an artist to say this (according to my husband), but I’m not a very visual person. Music, and how it affects me emotionally, is my main inspiration. I heard a song about a tire swing and from it came “Jolie” - the first of my Only Children pieces. At the time I was home alone on maternity leave feeling a bit lonely but also hopeful for a friend or two. Other times, my mind will wanders and what my hand draws is based on what mood I’m currently in.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?.

I like drawing with quill-tips and Windsor ink (which makes me feel like I’m in a Harry Potter book) and painting with watercolor. They’re just so fun and easy! A bit more difficult for me to master, but just as neat, is digital art. I’m able to combine original drawings with other textures and colors in the computer to create something totally new and exciting.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Canvas, oil, and acrylic scare me. A piece of paper seems much easier (and cheaper) to hide and/or throw away if you mess up. But I’d love to conquer my fear and learn how to paint with something other than the walls of my house.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Since my art work is so new, it is still evolving and changing.

What’s so great about the art and craft movement is that you are able to put your art out there while you are still experimenting with new ideas and concepts. While people really respond to my pieces “Wave” and “Lillian”, my personal favorite is Half-Empty, which was birthed by a bad mood at Starbucks. I am usually an optimist, but that day I drew the world as a half empty glass of carbonated bubbles, waiting to inevitably pop. However, when my mother-in-law saw it, she thought it was a drawing of my ovaries! It’s great to be apart of a community where your art work is so open to interpretation and acceptance.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

When no one’s looking, I actually eat the wet half-eaten crackers my son feeds me. =)

CONTACT INFO

JESSICA COX SHOP http://www.jessielah.etsy.com SITE http://www.myspace.com/ladynoireth BLOG http://jessielah.blogspot.com/ This page: Half-Empty Opposite page: Lillian

INTERVIEW WITH JESSIELAH 41

ELEGANT SNOBBERY

42 INTERVIEW WITH ELEGANTSNOBBERY

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Marisa Hopkins, I’m originally from the Bay Area, California, but am currently living in West Texas. I have two daughters and I am a stay at home mom. My free time is limited, but when I do have a moment, I like to design new illustrations or blog about my life as a mom and an artist.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Colored pencil has been my passion since I was 12 and received my first set of professional colored pencils. I have always wanted to be an artist, and the colored pencils were so rich and vibrant in color. I just couldn’t get enough of them.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I draw what makes me happy, and at the moment I have an insatiable sweet tooth. There are going to be a lot of cakes and cupcake illustrations in my portfolio, especially as the holidays hit and I really go dessert crazy. Other than that, I think color inspires me the most. I love color and putting beautiful colors next to each other. The brighter and more vibrant the color, the happier I am. It is like an addiction that I have to fill by drawing!

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I burnish and blend my colored pencil illustrations for hours. I use solvents and colorless blender pencils and I think that people really love the look. I know that I do, and colors seem to pop the more I blend them into the paper.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but jus haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I have always had a love affair with the look of watercolors, but find that I’m just not that great at them. I’d love to spend a lot more time with them, so that I can add watercolors to my portfolio.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work? I believe my Olivia snob is representative of my work because she incorporates everything I love to include in an illustration. I

love rich and vibrant color, lovely and elegant faces, roses and pen and ink elements seen in the jeweled border along the bottom, and the butterflies behind the snob.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

In addition to being an artist, I am also an aspiring author. I always have a story or two to jot down. Being a published author and illustrator has always been my goal, and hopefully once my daughters start school, I will have more time to make that dream come true.

CONTACT INFO

MARISA HOPKINS SHOP http://www.ElegantSnobbery.etsy.com

This page: Chocolate and Roses Opposite page: Olivia INTERVIEW WITH ELEGANT SNOBBERY 43

PASKEPAINTINGS This page: Metamorphasis Opposite page: Foliage Orange

44 INTERVIEW WITH PASKEPAINTINGS

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Jacqueline Gill. I’m 35, and live in Sarasota, Florida with my husband, John, & 3 year old son, Colby. I enjoy the outdoors, and love to take pictures & walk everyday with Colby & my beloved dog, Sandy, a beautiful yellow lab, whom just passed away unexpectedly of complications after emergency surgery from Canine Bloat a month ago.

She was my other child, and meant the world to our family.

We miss her so much.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I come from a creative family of artists, and have been creating stories & pictures with my siblings since I was a child.

My sister, Jeannie Paske, is an amazing artist and has had great success on Etsy with her artwork. My dream job growing up was to have my own Saturday morning cartoons. I wrote & illustrated over a hundred different stories, with different characters- both human & made up creatures, that I still have, destined to be on t.v. one day. My plan changed from t.v. to doing children’s books by high school, and so I went to art school in St. Paul, MN, where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Illustration. My plans changed again however, when came back to Florida & met my husband of 8 years, and started a family. I was teaching at a pre-school, where I became experienced as a muralist. I’ve been doing (mostly children’s) murals ever since- about 10 years now, and I love it. Every job is different, enjoyable, and challenging for me. I never expected my talent to lead me down this path, and I learn something new with each mural, & gain more experience. I also do portraits, which I’ve always loved. The only drawback is that I’m not very good at advertising myself, so most my jobs are word of mouth. Though it’s been successful, it’s not steady work. I’ve have a part time job working for a chiropractor also. The other drawback is that being a mom, working, and doing murals for other people, doesn’t leave much time to create my own artwork for myself. I do miss that. I’d love to have the time & space to create something just for me!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

For my current featured pieces, it’s mostly nature & landscapes, or images I just get visually from the world around me. I LOVE to take pictures. Sometimes I get inspired by movies or songs.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I’ve always prefered pencil, and feel most comfortable & in control with drawing. But I also love watercolor, pen & ink, and acrylics.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’m interested in pastels, but am not too experienced with them. I’d also like to learn more techniques & get more loose control with watercolors.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My Metamorphasis piece is actually a piece I created in college from an assignment, and has remained one of my favorites. I love trees. They seem to each have their own “personality”, and are unique & beautiful to me. I love the idea that they show emotion & some can seem human-like,with their gestures or poses. I’d love to write a story about one or many, & all they know & see around them. Stories they could tell.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I guess, that I don’t look like the typical artist. At least I’ve never had that obvious artist image. I felt different in college, where I thought I’d fit right in. Even before I became a mom, I never expressed myself on the outside, with a style or how I dress. How I look and who I am on the inside are quite different. I’ve never dyed my hair or had a style that stood out.

Like, I’ve always loved Stevie Nicks. I never created or followed any trends like that to communicate who I wanted to be to people. That was just never important to me. But my personality has done that for me. Looking at me, there isn’t much different about me, but once you meet me, people are surprised at what I have to say. I’m always striving to communicate & connect what I’m thinking with others, and it’s always been a struggle to do through my art as well. I don’t know what that says about me. I guess I’m still trying to figure that out.

CONTACT INFO

JACQUELINE GILL SHOP http://www.paskepaintings.etsy.com

INTERVIEW WITH PASKEPAINTINGS 45

CGROSSMANRUN Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

There isn’t too much to tell, currently this is what I am doing. I am trying to produce a new piece at least once a day to keep up on my game. It has been a challenge to come up with so many new ideas, but I am enjoying the process.

Outside of my art, I spend the majority of my free time with my wife, Jennifer, and our pets. She is attending Vet school, but is planning on helping write out the story for my series. She is working on a Science Fiction/Fantasy Novella, and will bring a lot more emotion into my work.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I have been drawing since I was a child. I have dabbled in different media over the years, but ultimately drawing is my forte.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

There was a group of guys I went to high school with that had a similar style of line art. Theirs was much more punk rock inspired, but I always thought they were cool. One of them recently went on to be a comic book artist, Ethan Nicole, which is amazing. Although I don’t know if comic books are where I’ll end up (I do plan to put my full series into a book), I look to his success, and other like him, in an impossible field.

My father was probably somewhat of an inspiration. He didn’t paint often, but he really helped me develop my creativity. If it wasn’t a school project making mystical beasts, or making renaissance art, it was painting reproduction murals on my walls. He has amazing talent when it comes to painting, but have even more talent as a doctor. He has done wonderful things for so many people, I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him (in more ways than one).

Maybe he will start painting again when/if he retires?

TSA

46 INTERVIEW WITH CGROSSMANRUN

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I’m just a pen on paper sort of guy. I’ve always felt using Pigma Micron (005) pens gave me the best results for my thin line drawings. The paper doesn’t matter too much, but right now I’m using a Strathmore medium Drawing pad.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I want to turn this series into a vinyl action figure. I tried it on my own once (with plastic, not vinyl) and made a panda, but my mold broke. I don’t really know where to start when it comes to making toys, but I do know that I want them to have interchangeable parts. Once the robots start trying to blend in with society they pick up some interesting bits and pieces; I think this would work great with a toy version.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I think the T.S.A piece really portrays the quirkiness of my characters. They aren’t very smart, but they try. He knew well enough to remove his shoes (in this case his arms and legs) before going through the metal detector. It also shows that I pay attention to the little details, which I hope stands out in all of my pieces. They aren’t just simple line drawings, it’s the little things that make it seem like it could happen.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I think if people continue to follow the series they will be surprised as to where it is going. It certainly isn’t heading anywhere you would expect. I don’t quite know when the turn will happen, but I know what’s coming; you’re in for quite the surprise. I would say the most surprising thing about me is that if I were to go back to school (I attended Green Mountain College for one year (2000-2001).), it would probably be for Sexual Health and Education. I don’t think that I will go back though, the American educational system just isn’t built for me. So for now I’m a self taught, Sexual Health Advisor... and Artist.

CONTACT INFO

CONRAD GROSSMAN SHOP http://www.cgrossmanrun.etsy.com BLOG http://monkey4sale.blogspot.com/

Star Wars

INTERVIEW WITH CGROSSMANRUN 47

TANABEES 48 INTERVIEW WITH TANABEES

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Keiko Tanabe. I’m from Maibara a town near Kyoto, Japan. Now, I’m residing in Los Angeles where I studied illustration in college and graduated in 2006. I love painting, making collage, sewing... anything creative including cooking. Besides Etsy and during my spare time, I do illustration and designs for friends and family.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I love drawing since I was little but I didn’t notice my passion until I took my first art class in college.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Culture, moral, body movements, nature... anything that interests me.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Mixed media. Mostly I use collage, oil and acrylic painting.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would like to animate the characters in my works.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It’s hard to choose because every piece of my works uses a different style. I chose Language Barrier Facing School Children because it is the first of a series of works by mixed media. This illustration depicts a part of myself when I was in the school.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I traveled alone to North America & Europe for 3 months.

CONTACT INFO

KEIKO TANABE SHOP http://www.tanabees.etsy.com This page: ABC-Circus A Opposite page: Language Barrier Facing School Children

INTERVIEW WITH TANABEES 49

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I currently study at the College of Fine Arts, in Sydney, where I am a little more than half way through a degree in Art Education. I also have a casual job to help get me by, so both of which take up a lot of my time! I would very much love to have more of my day dedicated to supporting the developing and wonderful artists, as well as doing lots of my own work!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

When I was very young I used to always look at drawings my Mum had done when she was at school.

One day in my very early teens I just decided to try and ‘copy’ a picture of a fairy, and when it turned out ok, I drew more. I guess it´s stemmed from there.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Everything I look at and think about. Other artists. Pretty pictures. And just my natural urge to draw something.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I am still very much working with graphic pencil, mixed with a bit of this and that. I am not a very big painter, but I do like watercolour. Technique wise, I don’t really have one as such, I just keep working until I am happy.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I have done a little bit of printmaking at uni, which I abso-

50 INTERVIEW WITH ART4FRIENDS

lutely love, and my work in that area is so different to anything I have ever shown here online. But it would be great to have more time for that, because it works really well with illustration too.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I think my style is always changing and still developing, so it´s hard to choose just one image to sum it all up. At this stage, if there is a bit of graphite pencil drawing, mixed with maybe a hint of collage, whether it be digital or traditional, it would be fairly representative of my work!

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Hmm, probably a lot of things because I don’t know how much your readers know of me! Maybe that I hated Art at high school, but only because I didn’t like the class. I still always loved ‘art’.

CONTACT INFO

RENEE ANNE SHOP http://www.art4friends.etsy.com SITE http://www.myspace.com/art4friends This page: SarahSarah Opposite page: Flowers Stare

ART4FRIENDS

INTERVIEW WITH ART4FRIENDS 51

LITTLEROBOT

Natural Dark

52 INTERVIEW WITH LITTLEROBOT

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m originally from around Liverpool in the UK, but now live on the south-west coast of scotland, just outside Glasgow.

Outside of Etsy I work as a digital designer, I spend a lot of time doing interactive work in Flash and also bits of illustration and animation.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Like most people who do it I can’t remember a time when I didn’t do it...Actually, I like the theory that artists are just people who carried on doing it after they were 5 and everyone else forgot about it somewhere along the way.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The natural world is a big influence and I’ve always been a massive Terry Gilliam fan so I love fantastical characters and machines. I love old mechanics, though i’m not much of an engineer myself I can appreciate it as an art form.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

My style technique tends to rely on symmetry. My painting technique is to use consistent materials (Acrylic inks are my favourite) which allow very fine detail. There is one problem with this which is that it can look cartoony. I use a steel dip pen for certain things and very fine brushes for everything else.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I love oil painting, but my patience gets strained. In oil paintings I’ve done previously I favour the old technicque of layering and glazing, this takes an inordinate amount of time between layers to dry and quite often I’ll have forgotten or got bored with the piece before I finish it...I’ve occassionally toyed with the idea of getting around this by doing an initial acrylic layer and then just glazing in oils but haven’t ever got round to it.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It’s more representative of the direction my work is going in at the moment. There’s the natural botanical element, a female presence...I tend to only do the head or head and shoulders...For some reason I tend not to paint the rest of the body. The colour scheme is a lot richer than is usual in a lot of my previous paintings i’ve always stayed almost monochromatic until now.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Along with liking folk music I also have a taste for severe drum ´n bass and electronica.

CONTACT INFO LINDSEY CARR SHOP http://www.littlerobot.etsy.com SITE http://www.littlerobot.org.uk BLOG http://little-robot.blogspot.com Nested INTERVIEW WITH LITTLEROBOT 53

THE PAPER APARTMENT

54 INTERVIEW WITH THE PAPER APARTMENT

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Aside from Etsy I show my work at a local artisan market that runs during the summer here in Boston and next month I’ll have my work for sale in a local shop for the first time.

I also work a couple of days a week at a little stationery store, which is great because I’m surrounded by paper all the time.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve been making art from the second I could hold a crayon and it’s always been the thing I’ve been best at. I’ve explored everything from fashion design to printmaking but I settled on illustration as my main focus in art school. I still dabble in a little bit of everything but professionally it’s illustration all the way.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Ever since I started working with paper I’ve found that just coming across a really pretty paper is often inspiration enough for a new piece. I’ll see something and buy it with the hopes of building something around it. I’ve got a huge stockpile of paper in my studio just waiting for a purpose.

I’m also really influenced by fairy tales, fashion photography and nature. My favorite subjects always seem to be girls and small animals.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Lately I’ve been using cut paper more than anything else in my work. I used to paint and draw a lot more but most of my work lately has been about 80% cut paper and 20% hand drawing, although I feel like the cutting I’m doing is really just drawing with scissors. It’s ridiculously intricate and time-consuming and sometimes I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into!

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I really like a lot of the doodling I find myself doing on scrap paper and I’d like to find a way to incorporate that into my work again. More drawing! I think I lost some of that somewhere in college and I’d like to get back to something a bit more organic someday- a little looser.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I chose Paper Fawn not only because it was the first thing I ever had in print, but because it’s one of my only pieces that I look at and honestly feel like I wouldn’t change a thing about. I’m definitely a perfectionist and I could probably work on one thing forever if I had the time but when I look at Paper Fawn I feel totally satisfied. I also think that it’s really representative of me as an artist in technique, subject and overall mood. It just feels right to me.

This page: Sweets Opposite page: Paper Fawn

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Last year instead of sending out Christmas cards, me, my husband and a friend of ours recorded a cover of George Michael’s “Last Christmas” and sent out a CD with a handmade case to all of our friends and family. My husband played guitar and keyboard and in place of vocals I played a very soulful kazoo. Plans for this year’s song are already in the works!

CONTACT INFO ANGELA STASIO SHOP http://www.thepaperapartment.etsy.com BLOG http://thepaperapartment.blogspot.com

INTERVIEW WITH THE PAPER APARTMENT 55

Assembly of Defeated Beasts

KENDRA BINNEY 56 INTERVIEW WITH KENDRA BINNEY

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I‘m a full time artist and show my work in galleries as well as on etsy so most of my time is spent painting, drawing, or working. I’m really passionate about animal rights, and feminist issues. I try to spread my passion for art by working with kids in local schools and community centers. Most of my weekends are spent outside. I like hiking and camping and snowboarding...Living in Oregon makes those things really easy. I go out to see live music nearly every week... and I play competitive kickball.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I‘ve been drawing fervently since I can remember. We were constantly running out of paper so my parents would satiate me by letting me draw on the insides of books or on their work papers. The floor beneath the carpet of my childhood home is still probably covered from wall to wall with my drawings.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Everything. I think there’s a lot of pain and sorrow in the world, as well as a lot of cruelty and unfairness. At the same time, I’m constantly aware of the beauty and intricacies around me. I’ve used art my entire life as a way of channeling these things. For me, my paintings are an attempt to grasp what I can’t catch and to express what I can’t articulate.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use a lot of watery dripping paint. Most of my techniques are not controlled. I like the way that environments and images start to appear as the paint runs down and seeps into the wood.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haveńt had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I really like working with resin as well as doing more sculptural, 3 dimensional stuff. It’s something I wish I had more time to work with. I’d also really like to put my works into motion. I’ve just started working with an animator though and will hopefully have a short little video piece soon.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Assembly of Defeated Beasts. For one, it’s a fairly recent painting. I think my work has changed and evolved over time - just like I have, so I always relate best to the most recent work.

This painting was kind of the starting point for a subtly different body of work. There are always elements in my paintings that represent something personal as well. I have some really vivid memories involving snails, and will always remember the time and place in my life when this piece was created.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Sometimes people write to me and tell me to cheer up. In reality I’m a pretty happy, optimistic person.

CONTACT INFO KENDRA BINNEY SHOP http://www.kendrabinney.etsy.com SITE http://www.kendrabinney.com BLOG http://www.myspace.com/kendrabinney

Nothing Left

INTERVIEW WITH KENDRA BINNEY 57

SARAH JANE STUDIOS

April Showers

58 INTERVIEW WITH SARAH JANE STUDIOS

The three bears revisited Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Sarah Jane and I am a wife and mother of two bouncing toddlers. Addie and Ian are just one year apart, and certainly keep my on my toes! Life at home is spent painting, singing, drawing, building, coloring, and a little housework thrown in on a good day. Nap time and bed time are my time to be creative and work on my business. Shipping, packing, emails, filling orders and working with retailers fill up most of my afternoons, but drawing and creating new artwork is a must for a creative personality!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I don’t think that art has ever NOT been a part of my life! Every child is an artist, and I just never grew out of it! I can remember trailing behind my mother in the department store picking up loose odds and ends that would fall from the clothing racks. I would make anything out of junk that I found on the floor. As a 7 year old, I remember my mother telling me I needed to go to bed, and in my efforts to obey, I would hide paper and pens under my night shirt as I trailed off to my room. I was always drawing and creating! I saw the world through color and design, and because of that, I had a very happy childhood. My parents noticed my passion for art at a young age, and at 10 years old, I started taking private art lessons from an elderly woman for 4 hours every Saturday.

Her studio was a place where I could ask questions and explore and it was then that I knew that I wanted to be an artist.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

My illustrations have a very nostalgic and vintage feel to them, and I can’t say that I have a direct inspiration. I honestly draw from my heart...my own childhood as well as from my own children’s experiences. I love the work of vintage children’s illustrators from the turn of the century to about 1945, and much of my work reflects the ink and

wash style of children’s books during that era. I am passionate about children’s literature! Infact, put me in Barnes and Noble, and I will head to the children’s section first!

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use a fountain pen and paper for my illustrations. I love ink on paper. I do, however, scan in my images into photoshop to color my images. This brings fresh color to the images, but still maintains a very hand drawn presentation.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I am currently trying to learn more textile design. I love patterns and textiles! I am applying my efforts to master Adobe Illustrator, and hope to master some skills very soon!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I love this piece because it represents my effort to create images that are illustrative, tell a bit of a story and yet are worthy of hanging up on the wall. My art takes you back to your favorite childhood storybooks, but still maintains the trends and interests of modern day style and design.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I graduated from BYU with a BFA in musical theater performance. I spent my teenage and young adult years on the stage as much as in the art studio!

CONTACT INFO SARAH JANE SHOP http://www.sarahjanestudios.etsy.com SITE http://www.sarahjanestudios.com/blog SHOP http://www.sarahjanestudios.com/shop INTERVIEW WITH SARAH JANE STUDIOS 59

COOKIE SUNSHINE

60 INTERVIEW WITH COOKIE SUNSHINE

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Married for five years husband is a psychiatrist, we live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and have one cat, Chevy. I put my volunteer activities on hold last year so that I could concentrate my time on my Mother who has Alzheimer’s/Dementia and is now in the late stages of the disease.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

My father bought my first art desk for me when I was two years old as a way of encouraging me to draw on paper instead of walls. I began making collages when I was very young sitting on the back porch at my Aunt Jeanette’s house. Art has always been part of my life. Most recently I began doodling again when my Mother was in the hospital with a broken hip. I found that with my illustrations I could be very productive, work and spend time with her at the same time.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I overdosed on Dr. Seuss as a child. I love drawing strange and unusual machines. My husband Steven and I spend a great deal of time sharing and discussing dreams. He continually inspires me and encourages me to move in different directions. He’s highly creative and great fun to be around.

Anytime that we talk about things I find myself walking away with a new picture in my head.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I’m only working in pen and ink right now. Everything is very fluid with no real planning. I never really know exactly what I’m going to have until I finish. I don’t really enjoy doing commissions for that reason. I like having the freedom of being able to just go.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would love to learn print making. I did some in college but that was long ago. My lines are great for prints. I’d love to do some really involved machines.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I chose A Midsummer Nights Tea party because it is simple and sweet. There is a kindness to most of my pieces that I like a great deal. My illustrations are intended to make you feel happy. The little girl is standing on a cupcake holding a teapot, teacup and bouquet of flowers. She is peaceful.

This summer I have drawn a number of cupcakes. I really don’t know why but there is a definite cupcake theme running through my work. My Mother is dying. I want to draw happy pieces. The line work in this piece is especially nice.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I am blind in one eye. I have an eye disease in both of my eyes called Keretaconus.

CONTACT INFO DONNA CHILDREE GOTLIB SHOP http://www.cookiesunshine.etsy.com SITE http://www.CookieSunshine.com BLOG http://cookiesunshine.blogspot.com/ This page: Princess Machine Opposite page: A Midsummer Nights Tea Party

INTERVIEW WITH COOKIE SUNSHINE 61

MEARTDESIGN Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m a work-at-home mom to a 2 month old and a soon to be 2 year old. They pretty much takes up most of my time at the moment. When I have time, I love to read, surf the web, and vintage/antique shop and go to garage sales. I love finding treasures!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

The need to create have always been a part of me. I think that may be true of most creative people. I guess it formally became a part of my life when I decided to study design in college. Illustration has become more prominent lately.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I think the desire to create something hopeful and happy might be the inspiration.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Drawing seems to be the technique I use the most.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I hope to have a variety of techniques in my work in the future. I really love the look of mixed media and have been wanting to use gouache.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I think The Neighborhood might be the most representative of my work because it is a mix of whimsy and detail.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I love post modern design or maybe that throughout my 38 years of life, I’ve moved, on average, every 3 years.

CONTACT INFO MICHELLE EWART SHOP http://www.meartdesign.etsy.com

62 INTERVIEW WITH MEARTDESIGN

This page: Flora in Pale Opposite page: The Neighborhood

INTERVIEW WITH MEARTDESIGN 63

THE PAIRA BIRDS 64 INTERVIEW WITH THE PAIRA BIRDS

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Tabitha Bianca Brown. I am an artist/illustrator. I graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, in 2005. I like recycling. And, I share and sell my work through my website The Pairabirds and also through the website Etsy.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I became interested in drawing when I was about eleven. I tried to copy the drawings in the comic-books I was reading.

The interest bloomed as I began to realize there were very few people that looked like me in these comic-books (big glasses and brown skin) and other works of art. I figured if I wanted to see women that look more like me, I would have to do it myself.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I am inspired by contrast; light and dark, graffiti and minimalism, modern and vintage. I think my interest in this comes from my love of Jazz and Funk music, which combine contrasting elements to create harmony Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Most of my work is done with a trusty 2H pencil and a dependable 2B pencil. I am able to get smooth linework with those items no matter what my drawing surface is (canvas, recycled paper, etc).

This page: Sky is the Limit Opposite page: Sink or Rise

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would love to be able to silkscreen like a pro. I tried last summer, but wasn’t very successful. If I can perfect that skill, I would love to create large prints, shirts, and my favorite... tote bags.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Sink or Rise is most representative of me. When I drew the image, I could not decide if the girl should sink or rise. In fact, I tell viewers to decide how they would display the picture.

Like the girl in the drawing, sometimes I’m floating at the top.

Other days, I am falling below the surface. But, at the end of the day, I get to decide which way I want the story to end.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have no clue how to use a stove. If it can’t be microwaved, it cannot be “cooked” by me.

CONTACT INFO TABITHA BIANCA BROWN SHOP http://www.thepairabirds.etsy.com SITE http://www.thepairabirds.com BLOG http://coverthatmother.blogspot.com INTERVIEW WITH THE PAIRA BIRDS 65

BELLE & BOO 66 INTERVIEW WITH BELLE AND BOO

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I studied at Leeds Met. University, during which time I went on an exchange trip to France. It was here that my love for illustrating children truly blossomed as I spent many an hour in the parisian parks drawing the beautiful French children. Other than selling Belle & Boo on Etsy I work with my business partner Kate to develop Belle & Boo into many other areas such as children’s books. In my spare time I like to travel as much as I can and draw on inspiration from the places I visit.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

From when I was a little girl I always had my hands in the paint pots, drawing and making things filled my days as I grew up. I was lucky enough to go to art college and pursue my passion.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Stories that I loved from my childhood such as Milly Molly Mandy and watching the enchanting innocent adventures of my friends children develop every time I see them.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I draw with pencil and ink and then scan my illustrations into the computer where I develop them using Photoshop.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I always wanted to be able to sculpt yet my mind doesn’t seem to work as well in 3D as in 2D. I love Degas Bronzes of Ballet Dancers and in the future I would love to be able to create a Belle & Boo Sculpture Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Belle & Boo heads up the collection of artwork that I have available. Belle with her bobbed hair, bright eyes and vintage clothing is insistently curious about the world around her and based on me in many ways. I always loved surrounding myself with friends, and so when creating Belle I gave her Boo - Belle’s adorable bunny rabbit companion and confident.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I wrote and Illustrated a children’s book about my cousins little girl inspired by my experience nannying for her for 3 months in California. It’s called Evie’s Seaside Lullaby and was published by Orchard Books.

CONTACT INFO MANDY SUTCLIFFE SHOP http://www.belleandboo.etsy.com SITE http://www.belleandboo.com/ BLOG http://www.belleandboo.blogspot.com/

This page: Joy in White Opposite page: Belle Hugs Boo

INTERVIEW WITH BELLE AND BOO 67

JOHN CLARK Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is John Clark. I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my girlfriend, Andrea. My spare time is spent going on bike rides, hiking around town, playing videogames and watching movies.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve been drawing since I can remember. My parents and I used to draw and paint together. They’ve always been very supportive.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The inspiration behind my work is mostly the imagery of film noir, pulp novel art, grafitti, and comic books.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

The techniques and materials are extrememly low tech. My work is simply drawn with a drafting pen and sharpie on old book pages.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

People often think my work is screenprinted and I’ve always wanted to learn how to do that. I’ve experimented with a Gocco printer but haven’t had time to go any further.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My work is meant to give a piece of the story and let the viewer fill in the rest. I think these pieces have just the right balance of beauty and mystery.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have a scary amount of knowledge of the most useless topics,1980’s pro wrestling and comic books for example.

CONTACT INFO JOHN CLARK SHOP http://www.johnclark.etsy.com This page: Spare Me Opposite page: A Beautiful Combination

68 INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CLARK

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CLARK 69

70 INTERVIEW WITH MEREDITH DILLMAN

MEREDITH DILLMAN Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m from Minnesota and I have one cat. I like reading comics and fantasy books, and playing video games when I have time. I’ve been painting watercolor since 1998. Besides Etsy I sell my art on my own site and at science-fiction and fantasy conventions all over the US. Some of my paintings have been licensed for products like greeting cards and stickers.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I suppose it always has been. I was drawing fairies and fantasy things for as long as I can remember. In college I went to my first science fiction convention and saw an artist who did fantasy art in watercolor with a lot of details. There were some Japanese comic artists I liked who also used what looked like watercolor so I decided I would try that.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

It comes from all kinds of things. Sometimes I see a movie or read a story and get a little idea from it. Other times it’s a costume or design or something from and old painting or something I see in nature.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Almost everything I do is watercolor over an inked drawing.

Sometimes I don’t ink the drawings but that would be the only thing I do differently.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d like to try using oil paint more. I did in school, but I’ve never had room or time to let them dry. The problem is I like both realism and more stylized art.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The Edge of Enchantment combines my love of fantasy and my love Japanese art and design. I love painting colorful costumes and twisting trees.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Sometimes I’d rather I was known for drawing comics than painting.

CONTACT INFO MEREDITH DILLMAN SHOP http://www.meredithdillman.etsy.com SITE http://www.meredithdillman.com/ BLOG http://meredithdillman.blogspot.com/

This page: The Golden One Opposite page: The Edge of Enchantment

INTERVIEW WITH MEREDITH DILLMAN 71

MARMEE CRAFT

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I live in a cozy little nook deep in a Florida jungle with my wonderful and creative husband, and our two mischievous cats. When I’m not working on paintings, prints, dolls or organizing and promoting my little Etsy shop, I can be found baking cupcakes, planting flowers in our wee garden, and day dreaming about Victorian fashions (or sewing them).

This page: Counting Opposite page: The Acorn Keeper

72 INTERVIEW WITH MARMEE CRAFT

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has, in one form or another, always been a part of my life. My work for my shop, MarmeeCraft, began to flower in 2006, when I opened my Etsy shop and discovered a whole (magical) online art world! I’m such a shy creature in my daily life, that I never could have worked up the nerve to approach galleries, boutiques or magazines about my work...so opening my shop/gallery at Etsy has really changed my life!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

My inspiration comes from many places...music that I love (old folk ballads, for instance) , poetry, literature (19th century mostly), films, nature (I’m particularly fond of cute forest folk), blushing cheeks, 19th century folk art, antique /vintage fashions and textiles, and all the whimsical little sayings and stories that come into my head while I’m drawing in my sketchbook.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

As far as my illustration/painting work, I usually work in a combination of watercolour and acrylic in a light-handed style. I’m not one to pile on paint, but rather, I use it in thin layers (or washes) in order to build up a piece until I feel it’s just right. I also do a lot of digital work in Photoshop with my hand sketches to produce a sort of digitally collaged final piece.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would love the opportunity to learn some different printmaking techniques, like etching. I would also really like to learn how to better work with oils...I’ve worked in oils in the past and drifted away from them...they have such glow!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Blushing cheeks, long necks, prettily-detailed dresses and a sense of sadness hiding just beneath, along with a tiny bit of symbolism.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have an unnatural obsession with cage crinolines and bustles from the mid-late 19th century...I love their architectural details and the many, (often wildly creative) designs that arose from a basic need to support long, full skirts.

CONTACT INFO MARJORIE LUICCI SHOP http://www.marmeecraft.etsy.com BLOG http://marmeecraft.blogspot.com

INTERVIEW WITH MARMEE CRAFT 73

74 INTERVIEW WITH CORID

CORID

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Cori Dantini. I am a mother and a wife. A reader.

A painter ( I could go on and on with these short sentences, but I won’t). I live and work as an illustrator in the town of Pullman, nestled in the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse, in eastern Washington (state). As an illustrator I do just about everything. I design greeting cards, work on maps, create illustrations for books. You name it and I do it, and I love it.

As a matter of fact, I feel very lucky to be able to fill my days with this kind of work When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Pre motherhood. I had to come up with a plan to work from home, and this was my plan (which I have stubbornly stuck to over the years). It just seemed to be the perfect marriage of needing to work from home and doing what I loved.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I LOVE fragments of things...I love the small parts of the whole. I feel like a lot of mystery is held in the spaces between things, not in the things themselves OR the words we use to describe them. I like how all the small parts “add up” I suppose.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I am a jack of all trades when it comes to technique. I do whatever I need to do to get me to the end result.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would LOVE to learn to screen print. OH- and I wish I had a better handle on transfering techniques.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Be Freedom. I love this piece. I think it is the antithesis of spaces. Of an umcomfortable moment. Of a simple idea of freedom. Of falling. Of your past. Of hanging over the past... confronting the moment, while all the time you have your own set of wings.... and perhaps, you could just fly away if you’d like. I feel like it is a success in many ways, I love the layers. I love its simplitcity. Its boldness. Creating it was a real highlight of the past year.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I can’t fall asleep in an unmade bed (this is one of many “oddish” pet peeves I have).

CONTACT INFO CORI DANTINI SHOP http://www.corid.etsy.com SHOP http://www.coridantini.etsy.com

This page:She should always have her tools Opposite page: Be Freedom

INTERVIEW WITH CORID 75

KARIN GROW

76 INTERVIEW WITH KARIN GROW

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am really not very good at talking about myself. I become instantly shy which is not like me at all. My artwork has always been so personal to me, that it’s not until just recently that I’ve been able to put it out for the world to see. Luckily, I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from my community and everyone I’ve met though my Etsy shop. It’s really helped me come out of my shell and promote myself as an artist.

I have been self employed most of my life and couldn’t imagine it any other way. About 15 years ago, I started selling my candles and jewelry to local shops. Then I jumped into retail and had my own gift shop and wholesale business which taught me so much about business and helped prepare me for my next adventure. Now at 36, I’ve found myself wanting to live a simpler life filled with my close friends and family.

For me, the perfect day would be spent with my husband (who is my biggest fan), my dogs and cats, gardening, and painting. In the future, I’d like my Etsy shop to be full time, but I also love doing art shows and festivals throughout the year.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has always been part of my life. When I was little, I remember how the smell of a brand new box of crayons with all it’s new colors was exciting to me. If I had the time, I’d be a full time art student. When I was 18, I got a job as an apprentice for an artist in my area. We worked on huge tile murals and illustrations that really helped me develop as an artist and taught me so much about working with designers and doing commissioned work. I realized then that doing commissioned work just wasn’t the path I wanted to take.

Growing up, I always said I wanted to be an artists or a veterinarian. It’s funny how my life has played out. I’m an artist, with three dogs and three cats and a husband named “Art.” What is the inspiration behind your work?

There is so much that inspires me. I would say that I love messing around with different color combinations, vintage retro-tropicana images and nature are probably my top three inspirations.

This page: Sea Nymph Opposite page: Yellow Chickadees

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Most of my paintings are acrylic paint on canvas. I love creating patterns with different stamping techniques in my backgrounds to add an extra almost fabric like texture in my work.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I really want to try a transfer technique to put my images on glass objects. I bought all the supplies I need to get started, but I’ve been too busy working on my other 101 ideas to start. Hopefully in the next couple of months. Right now I’ve been carving my own designs in lino-blocks to use as stamps. I wish I could find a technique that isn’t so hard on your hands!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

This painting Yellow Chickadees is my favorite piece right now. Most of my work has a few things in common. I love color, and outlining in black paint. My pieces have been described as stylistic, surreal images with a vintage tropicana/ asian feel to them.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I think that when people see my art, they may picture me as asian or something because I like that style, but I’m just a blond haired, brown eyed girl from southern California.

The only other thing that seems to surprise people is that I come from a huge family of 10 kids, all born and raised here in California. My husband and I bought the house I grew up in about 8 years ago which we’ve made into our own little oasis. I guess that was two other things?

CONTACT INFO KARIN GROW SHOP http://www.karingrow.etsy.com

INTERVIEW WITH KARIN GROW 77

TABIDESIGNS

78 INTERVIEW WITH TABIDESIGNS

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m Tabitha the designer/ artist behind ‘tabitha emma’. I am a 22 year old student, business owner and design addict. I already have a degree in Fashion, which I studied at the Whitehouse Institute of Design, and I am now studying graphic design at Enmore Design Centre, Tafe. I also work casually at an Ice-cream shop called Mr. Whippy.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I have grown up in a very creative environment. My mum is a freelance artist, designing greeting cards and wrapping paper. As she worked at home, she got to spend a lot of time with my brother and I and encouraged our creativity.

We spend many hours doing crafts and painting when we were little. It seemed only natural to turn it into a career. I am constantly trying to learn new techniques and improve my skills.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I find inspiration for my designs all over the place. I am constantly on the look out and imagining. The designer in me is never switched off. Some of my favourite places on the web to find inspiration are etsy, deviantART and flickr. I also subscribe to a lot of design blogs. I think as a designer it is important to keep up with trends and what other people are doing. Even if something doesn’t directly inspire me, it may help in the culmination of an idea. Going through Google reader looking at the latest art and design, is like having a meal. It´s really satisfying to see new and different things that spur you on to keep designing.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I have been using a lot of machine embroidery lately. I love the randomness of it. It’s creatively messy and gives something a more artistic feel.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I did screen printing back at Whitehouse, which I really enjoyed. I’d love to get all the equipment and create my own screen printed fabrics. There are a lot of screen printers on etsy I really admire.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My work is very girly and feminine but also has an edge to it a little humour and novelty, and I think this piece really represents that. Also I make a lot of ‘sweet’ things, which this is. Who could resist cake?

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Despite the fact I use a lot of tea imagery in my work, I don’t actually drink tea.

This page: Type Bird Opposite page: Slice of cake purse

CONTACT INFO TABITHA EMMA SHOP http://www.tabidesigns.etsy.com SITE http://tabithaemma.com BLOG http://tabithaemma.blogspot.com DEVIANART http://tabithaemma.deviantart.com MYSPACE http://myspace.com/tabitabtab

INTERVIEW WITH TABIDESIGNS 79

VOL25 80 INTERVIEW WITH VOL25

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am 26, and a stay at home mother to two beautiful daughters, ages 3 1/2 yrs, and 7 weeks. My husband and I will celebrate our 5 year anniversary this October. I also enjoy scrap booking, photography, cooking, and gardening... although I do not appear to be good at any of them! :) I love chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and crave ice water.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

For as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in drawing. I am completely self taught, but would one day like to take a class or two. :) When I was a little girl I drew horses like crazy, still have most of those drawings to this day. I had a definite dream of one day owning my own, and that dream finally came true when I turned 13!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Quotes and colors really inspire me. Home decor magazines also give me quite a bit of inspiration, my husband and girls give me ideas without meaning to as well! :).

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

This isn’t so much a technique, but one thing I notice appearing in my work ALL the time... is the use of hearts. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to finish a piece without the addition of at least one heart. If I do manage to leave it out, it is a huge victory let me tell you!

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I am really wanting to learn how to paint with acrylics. This is next on my list of things to accomplish. However, with the new baby... my list just seems to be getting longer, and not much shorter. :).

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It was really hard to choose just one, but I decided on this particular print I love you, because it was my first “popular print” and the green woodgrain inspired my store branding.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I love mustangs, and am somewhat of a car buff. :) I used to work at a Chevrolet dealership before marrying my husband, and I proudly drove my 91 Ford mustang GT convertible to work every day! :).

CONTACT INFO JESSICA ROSE SHOP http://www.vol25.etsy.com BLOG http://www.vol25.typepad.com

This page: What ever floats your boat Opposite page: I love You INTERVIEW WITH VOL25 81

SUGAR & CREAM 82 INTERVIEW WITH SUGAR AND CREAM

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Sugar and Cream is a collaboration between the husband and wife team of Gary and Kittie. Unfortunately, Kittie has been very busy and tired running around with a toddler all day long. As such, Gary (me) is the only one that has actually contributed artwork towards this collaboration. Besides Etsy, Gary is especially fond of growing heirloom tomatoes, dancing, singing and reading great nonfiction books about how we can save the world.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art became a major part of my life when I was in my early teenage years; sparked by comic books and Hayao Miyazake’s: Laputa. I spent many hours studying and mimicking storytelling artists.

I was intrigued by art’s ability to convey complex stories and emotions.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Quotes and colors really inspire me. Home decor magazines My baby daughter hands down. She is fun, hilarious, surprising and beautiful every moment of every day. (Yes, I’m a daddy!). I have also been heavily inspired by the concepts of environmentalism, sustainability and community.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

My artwork is based around digital art. I am partial to clean lines and a playfulness with colour.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would like to incorporate my digital art with a more hands-on print-making process. In the near future I would love to learn how to silk-screen with textiles and sew!. Sewing & Textiles opens up a much wider scope of possibility: art as everyday objects.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Ice Cream is my favorite piece in this body of work. It is a little sad, but also a little funny, and very hopeful. I think that my work has an optimistic outlook, and Ice Cream captures that feeling for me.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

For a living, Gary works as a computer engineer.

CONTACT INFO GARY AND KITTIE SHOP http://www.sugarandcream.etsy.com BLOG http://sugarandcreamdesign.blogspot.com This page: Life is Beautiful Opposite page: Ice Cream

INTERVIEW WITH SUGAR AND CREAM 83

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I‘m a full time graphic designer for a greeting card company.

That and Etsy take up most of my time the rest is spent watching movies and collecting art and toys.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

When I was about 2, or whatever age you are when you can hold a crayon.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

My life is defiantly a huge inspiration as well as movies and music. Really, everything inspires me.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

There really isn’t one technique I use the most. I’m always doing different things depending on what I envision will look the best for my idea.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

When I was younger I use to paint with oil paints but would get frustrated with them taking so long to dry that I started painting only with acrylics. I love the look of oil paintings and want to start it back up again.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It’s hard for me to pick a piece that I feel is representative of my work. I don’t think I have one distinct style, there’s where the multiple personalities come in. I chose this piece, Just be Quiet, only because it is a representation of me and my overactive brain.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I love horror and slasher movies and anything dark and creepy. When I was younger I really wanted to be a special effects artist for horror films. Making fake blood guts would be so much fun.

CONTACT INFO SARA HARVEY SHOP http://www.MultiplePersonality.etsy.com SITE http://www.Multiple-Personalities.com This page: Lace Opposite page: Just be Quiet

84 INTERVIEW WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITY

INTERVIEW WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITY 85

LAKE ILLUSTRATION 86 INTERVIEW WITH LAKE ILLUSTRATION

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Besides Etsy, I’d say that I’m primarily a freelance children’s book illustrator. I’ve just finished a huge job illustrating five children’s books, so I’m in a pretty good mood as I write this. For the job I’ve just completed, I was given the text and then asked to provide the illustrations. I did around eighty black and white illustrations and three full colour covers, so it was a lot of work! Besides this freelance work and Etsy, I’m also making my own children’s book, which I hope to have published at some point in the future.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

At a very young age. At school there wasn’t really anything else I was interested in except art. I wish that some of my teachers would have turned me on to more stuff.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I keep a very open mind. Keep searching all the time, if you do this you’ll find things that will inform the work. I constantly listen to music , spend a lot of time on the internet, read a lot and look at the work of other illustrators and artists.Also I find that simple images really inspire me. Not necessarily minimalism, but things that are uncluttered.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

For my work, I use either Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.

I generally use one or the other when I work on a piece, I never combine the two. I like to keep it simple! For my children’s book work, I only ever use Illustrator. I’m mainly looking to get the composition right for a scene. Normally I have a lot of work to do on a job, so Illustrator is ideal as it allows me to work quickly and efficiently. For Etsy I’ve started using Photoshop more and more. My main concerns are to make something that will look good on someones wall, that will appeal to a large audience and that will sell.

For most of the work I sell on Etsy, I’m just having fun with images and experimenting with colour which I’m really interested in. I would say that at the moment Etsy is maybe more of a sideline for me. Though now that I’ve established myself in some little way, I’m hoping to make it more of a priority and maybe move on from making portraits into something else completely different.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I think I’d like to learn more about photography. I was listening to an interview with Lou Reed on the radio the other day, he was talking about his photographs of New York and about how he was interested in capturing the light near the Hudson river which really inspired me.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Most of my work on Etsy is portraiture, so in that sense it represents my work. I wouldn’t say it really represented

my children’s book work though. I work in a few different styles, so its really hard to select a piece that represents all of them.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I’m currently selling my prints through five other websites apart from Etsy and hope to find more outlets in the future!

CONTACT INFO OLIVER LAKE SHOP http://www.lakeillustration.etsy.com SITE http://www.lakeillustration.com SHOP http://stores.ebay.com/lakeillustration This page: Stanley Kubrick Opposite page: Tom Waits INTERVIEW WITH LAKE ILLUSTRATION 87

BLUE BICICLETTA

88 INTERVIEW WITH BLUE BICICLETTA

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Right now, I have kind of a portfolio life situation: I am working on my art part-time, taking some classes at a local community college in art and design, and working part-time at an office. I also teach a beginning black and white photography class one night a week at the University of California at Davis Craft Center, a recreational art program and facility for students and the surrounding community. In addition to these things, I love to cook, garden, read, and spend time outside with my boyfriend Mike, and my dog Lance.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has always been a part of my life. I come from a family that encourages creativity; my parents are both creative in all sorts of ways, although their main medium has been food, and they have been in the restaurant business for most of their lives. But I grew up around creative people, and “artist” was the first and main “career path” I thought of all through my childhood. I focused on creative writing and photography in college, but a few years ago, I got back to drawing and painting, and I really love the direct creativity of putting lines down on paper.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Right now, I am doing two different kinds of work that sometimes weave into each other, but are of slightly different styles. The first kind is what I call, “pattern drawing.”

Like my drawing, “Bloom,” the forms are often somewhat or completely abstract. My inspiration for this work comes directly from line and shape. I start with a simple form, or a single line, and the work builds from there. I get inspiration from the simple joy of putting ink on paper.

My other type of work is based around words. I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate my interest in words, poetry, and writing with my interest in visual arts. I have started to find that intersection in hand typography, and creating compositions that center around written ideas. My inspiration for this work comes from wanting to say something, as loudly as letters will allow me, and from the quieter place of admiring words and the letters that make them up.

Without necessarily intending it to, I find this work leaning greatly towards personal empowerment and defining how I want to live.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Currently, I am working largely in pen, ink, and black marker.

Most of my work is black and white because I find the high contrast and simplicity so appealing. I am also working on some larger word paintings using colored house paints. I still do some photography work as well, especially using my Holga (a very simplified medium format camera) and black and white film.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I have dabbled in some different printmaking techniques like linoleum block printing and screen printing, but I haven’t had the time to really learn how to do them well, and so

they are on my to-do list for right now. I also love letterpress printing and have been itching to try it for some time—all those letters drive me wild.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My piece Eat Well and Slowly is very representative of my work because it incorporates both styles I am working in, and really represents my personal values in and out of art.

The hand typography is dominant here, but there is also some line pattern on the plate, and some simple line drawing. This was one of the first pen and ink pieces I did with a big emphasis on written words. I had so much fun playing around with the letters, and I love their dark contrast to the white paper. This piece is so much of me—I love to cook and eat, and I want so much to appreciate these simple things in life—cooking, eating, and making art. I did all three with this piece.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I was a very “feminine” little girl—I was obsessed with dolls and the color pink. This is especially surprising if you actually see me in person now, because I’m somewhat of a “tomboy”—riding bikes and hiking. Although in the last few years, I have picked the color pink back up as one of my favorites.

CONTACT INFO NICOLE K. DOCIMO SHOP http://www.bluebicicletta.etsy.com FLICKR http://flickr.com/photos/bluebicicletta BLOG http://bluebicicletta.wordpress.com/ This page: Bloom Opposite page: Eat Well

INTERVIEW WITH BLUE BICICLETTA 89

OBSOLETE WORLD

90 INTERVIEW WITH OBSOLETE WORLD

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Jeannie Lynn Paske, I am a 32 years old artist with an over-active imagination and a love for all sorts of creatures and monsters. I created “Obsolete World” four years ago as a place for my creations to call home. While not working on art, I spend my time with a wonderfully inspiring musician and a very large fuzzy dog named Atticus. I like to go for evening walks, listen to music and enjoy a good book now and then.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I started drawing at age three or four with my older siblings.

We used to write and illustrate our own comics and stories.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Nature, music, books, cartoons and the everyday happenings in the world around me.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Layers upon layers of watercolor and lots of scribbling.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would like to master the art of pastels. I just started adding them to my work about a year ago.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I honestly wasn’t sure which piece to use as it is very hard to narrow what I do down to just one, but The Scattering of Time is a fairly new piece and I think it does a nice job of conveying the delicate balance of reflective thought and wonder that finds its way into so much of my work.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Hmm... well I’m really not all that crazy about the rain and yet I choose to live in Portland, Oregon...

CONTACT INFO JEANNIE LYNN PASKE SHOP http://www.obsoleteworld.etsy.com SITE http://obsoleteworld.com BLOG http://obsolete-world.blogspot.com This page: The Scattering of Time Opposite page: The Slow Drip of Years

INTERVIEW WITH OBSOLETE WORLD 91

BRISTLE AND NIBS Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I live in New England. I like books, especially old books. I’m usually reading about two or more books at the same time.

I find turn of the century art (Sargent, Twachtman, Dewing, the Russian Impressionists) and literature (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs) very fascinating.

I also enjoy learning about ancient civilizations. My full-time job involves animation and interactive design at a Bostonbased company.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Very early on. I started out just drawing from my imagination as most kids do. Also, my brothers and I would watch Captain Bob--remember that show? He would draw an animal or an object and we would follow along with our own crayons and paper. A lot of my drawing was actually in collaboration with my younger brother. We would draw on my

92 INTERVIEW WITH BRISTLE AND NIBS

grandfather’s old dot matrix computer paper, inventing dozens of strange characters doing strange things.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I’d say the biggest influences as far as artists and illustrators go are Andrew Wyeth, his father N.C. Wyeth, Leonardo Da Vinci, Dean Cornwell, John Singer Sargent, and F.R. Gruger.

What I read often brings ideas to my mind for future work.

Some other random influences: cryptozoology, old houses, 19th century literature.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Probably a combination of pencil or pen and watercolor or oil.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d love to learn how to screenprint.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Yeti is a good representation of my work because it incorporates a couple key elements found in much of my art: a. Storytelling - The work itself reveals a back story. The viewer is only seeing one small part of a greater tale. b. Science Fiction - The subject matter is beyond the realm of reality.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I’m half-Armenian even though I don’t really look it.

CONTACT INFO BRIAN WEAVER SHOP http://www.bristlesandnibs.etsy.com SITE http://www.brianweavercreative.com/ This page: Time Machine Opposite page: Yeti

INTERVIEW WITH BRISTLE AND NIBS 93

MIAMIBOX

94 INTERVIEW WITH MIAMIBOX

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My true name is Anna and I live in Poland. I am psychologist but my passion is making art. I would like to join these two fields of activity and now I’m studying art therapy and hope to use it at my work. I like photomanipulation, digital art, mixed media and scrapbooking. I am a mother and wife.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I liked all crafty activities ever since I can remember, as a child I loved drawing, moulding, painting. There was a time I was thinking about studying art but finally I’ve chosen something else. I came back to creating after my daughter was born. This is my pirivate time when I am on my own with my thoughts and feelings. I find it the best way to relax, it is very important to me and I feel realy frustrated when I can’t “make things”.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Inspiration is everywhere. Sound simple but it’s true. I try to keep my eyes open. I like watching people, their faces, their clothes, what they are talking about etc. Sometimes these mix of colors from adverts seen on the street or bulidings’ shapes that catch my eye. I think I am inspired by my daughter and her little world where everything is possible. Many inspiring images came from my dreams, I dream a lot.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I like mixing collage, watercolor and hand drawings in one work. I love using old newspapers or book pages and incorporate them in my works either digital or traditional. Most This page: Colors Opposite page: Sunset

often I make scans of simple hand sketches or watercolor paintings and work on them in graphic program. I like layering effects, blending of images.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d like to learn sculpting and pottery. I have taken few pottery classes some time ago and found it very relaxating. I think it teaches patience (I’m so impatient).

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I’m rather critical for myself and always see something which could be done better, but this one, Sunset, I really like. I like this mood - nostalgic, calm, a bit sad - those feelings are present in my other illustrations. I used my favourite colors here. It’s half traditional (watercolor) half digital like most of my works. If I add a bird or two and a piece of newspaper here it would be 100% my art ;).

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I’ve been learning belly dancing for a few months and I love it :).

CONTACT INFO ANNA SOBOCIŃSKA SHOP http://www.miamibox.etsy.com

INTERVIEW WITH MIAMIBOX 95

THANEEYA 96 INTERVIEW WITH THANEEYA

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m a 29 year old artist, traveller, and thinker.

Art forms the anchor for all my other intellectual pursuits, providing me with the time for inner reflection and contemplation. In addition to art, I also really like to travel around the globe. I have a keen interest in other cultures, both ones that are relatively similar to my own as well as those that are comparatively exotic.

There’s something wonderful about being immersed in the unfamiliar and trying to see the world through a completely foreign set of eyes.

I also consider myself a very spiritual person, which is intimately linked with my creative urges. I strive to live a life that is imbued with meaning, so I seek to fill my minutes and days with activities and thoughts that bring fulfillment.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve always enjoyed creating art, ever since I was a kid, so it’s always been an important part of my life. From 2000-2004 I was a full time art student, and upon graduating with my BFA I have been doing art full-time ever since. I can’t imagine art ever NOT being a part of my life :).

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Life!. Everything!. Art is my way of processing and expressing my experiences of being alive on this planet, allowing me to communicate in a form beyond words. As much as I love the beauty and fluidity of language, sometimes our brains get too caught up in meaning and concepts. Thus art allows the opportunity to absorb visual imagery in one’s own way, to form a connection with an image or an object on our own terms. With art, there is no right or wrong, there is only expression and communication.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I mostly paint and draw. I primarily use acrylics when painting, although I really love watercolors as well.

With drawing, I normally use Prismacolor colored pencils, although I’ve recently started getting into pen & ink.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’ve dabbled a bit in screenprinting during my art student days, a process I truly enjoyed but never got to experiment with further due to not having the proper equipment at home.

So when I first heard about gocco, it sounded perfect, but since they are no longer manufacturing the machines and parts, I decided not to invest in one. I would LOVE to discover a compact, easy way to do screenprints though.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I chose Pink Cupcake / Fulgent Life because it combines my 2 favorite artistic styles - abstraction & photorealism. This piece

is colorful, whimsical, and full of energy. I feel it expresses the joy and exuberance of being alive. It simply makes me happy, and if there’s one impact I would like for my art to have on viewers, it’s to provide an uplifting dose of color and spirit.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have a mild obsession with whale sharks.

CONTACT INFO THANEEYA MCARDLE SHOP http://www.thaneeya.etsy.com SHOP http://thaneeyabean.etsy.com SITE http://www.thaneeya.com BLOG http://thaneeya.com/wordpress/ MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/thaneeyamcardle This page: Amble Opposite page: Pink Cupcake / Fulgent Life INTERVIEW WITH THANEEYA 97

JESSICA DOYLE

98 INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA DOYLE

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

What is there besides Etsy? haha. Well, I am 34 and single. I live and work in Saint John, New Brunswick as an illustrator and freelance graphic artist. I am an avid gardener and this year I am growing brussels sprouts for the very first time. I also hoola hoop using a hand-made hoop and can walk through it, spin it from my knees to neck and wind it around and off my body into my hands and back on again without stopping.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Professionally wise, I began working at age 22 doing freelance graphic arts and drawing pencil renderings for a local pewter company after graduating college. The pencil sketches were then given to a sculptor to carve for the moldings of earrings, brooches and ornaments. Before that, I drew my first picture at age 4. My Dad worked at a papermill and used to bring home large rolls of newsprint. Mom gave me watercolour, rolled the paper out on the floor and I went to town painting What is the inspiration behind your work?

Life inspires me. After three near death experiences I am happy to be amongst the breathing. Simplicity in every day life and how those moments join together give me cause to continue creating.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Ink by far. I spent four years from 2002 to 2006 only drawing and writing in ink daily wanting to eliminate the use of pencil all together. After the ink I’ll add watercolour, more ink via pen or brush then coloured pencil. However, I’ve experimented with laying down watercolour first and doing the reverse. I like to scan in ink drawings and colour them in photoshop.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

During those years that I was creating with ink I also began painting on a large scale. My artworks measures in feet rather than inches. I was living in Vancouver, BB during those years and had plenty of room to make a mess. I hope to own a large studio after Christmas this year to create 4 by 4 foot paintings again in.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The Sassy Sea Urchin. I drew this piece and The Wise Barnacle on one sunny day in the summer of 2003 with Micron pen in hand on paper while laying on a beach in Vancouver, BC. Five years later and now the summer of 2008 I scanned her into photoshop and began colouring. For in between those five years I fought hard to love, to work, and stay alive. Her completion closed and era.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

That on August 26th, 2008 I will be sober of gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) Addiction for three years. YAY! I spent eight months (August 2005 - March 2006) in outpatient treatment in Vancouver, BC for treatment of addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I was very sick and struggling with life on a daily basis for a couple of years previous to that. I was using drugs as a way to cope with working obscene hours per week as an art director for a large magazine along with freelancing.

I began blogging in March 2006 in search of another way to live. And everyday I am moving closer to my dream :).

CONTACT INFO JESSICA DOYLE SHOP http://http://JessicaDoyle.etsy.com SITE http://http://JessicaDoyle.com BLOG http://http://JessicaDoyle.ca FLICKR http://flickr.com/photos/eastvanesica TRUNKT http://trunkt.com/JessicaDoyle This page: Original Sketch Opposite page: Sassy Sea Urchin and The Wise Barnacle

INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA DOYLE 99

KATCHARLY 100 INTERVIEW WITH KATCHARLY

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I‘m originally from a small country town where the grass doesn´t grow and you make your own fun. I moved to a little place called Avoca Beach on the central Coast near the sea to study Graphic Design. I studied for two years and when finished I found it hard to break into the industry. That´s when I came accross Etsy and found that I no longer wanted to pursue Graphic Design but establish my illustrations. It took a few years before I got to the point of selling online. I came up with the idea of Katcharly over a Starbucks caramel macchiato and from there it began. I have to admit that things are slow as I work fulltime and I don´t have the time that I would like to spend on my shop and designs. But that´s all about to change in the very near future (I hope).

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I´ve always loved art and always will. I remember one of the first drawings I did when I was in about year 2. I borrowed pencils from my friend next to me in class and when I finished the drawing I was so happy with it. My friend then said ‘its only that good cause you borrowed my pencils’.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

My life is the inspiration behind my work. The first illustration I drew was the toast girl who is the exact mirror of me. I always feel tired and exhausted. I basically feel like TOAST. Every illustration I draw has some hidden meaning or truth about myself in it that people may never see in me.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Drawing, I can seem to capture more with a pencil.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would love to master oil painting for the life of me I just can´t use oils but it´s on my to do list.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I work full time an hate it. I would love to wake up every morning to know I can dabble in my home with my illustrations and not have a care in the world I just need the courage to do it.

So the illustration I chose is Doing Time which describes the way I feel until I can one day quit my day job. This is what my illustrations are about a little girl who represents me.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Two years ago I would never have had the confidence to even list my work on etsy.

This page: Toast Opposite page: Doing Time

CONTACT INFO KAT CHARLY SHOP http://www.katchalry.etsy.com BLOG http://katcharly.blogspot.com/

INTERVIEW WITH KATCHARLY 101

SYBILE

102 INTERVIEW WITH SYBILE

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I was born and I live in Belgium. Painter, portrait painter, illustrator and my new passion is to make goodies with my work. Since I am member of Etsy many people visits my blog and is interested in my work. I do not know how I made it without Etsy.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I draw since I was a little girl, but it has been a year since I work full time in my passion.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The inspiration for my dolls can come from everywhere, But I think that I am strongly influenced by cartoons and cinema, for example Japanese or Tim Burton’s movies. I take many photos too, when I see something that pleases me, colors, objects, flowers, I shoot.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

My favorite tool is acrylic, it allows me to make all I want easily and it dries quickly. But that it is for the final realization on canvas, for the projects I use a simple pencil and a sheet to make sketches which I work again then on the graphics palette. I have a LCD Tablet Wacom and I like it!

It allows me to try different colors, patterns, effects before I decide.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

There are many techniques that I would like to know: pastels, sticking, digital art...

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My most succesful illustrations. They are very representative because they are very “girly” and colored.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I am very superstitious!

CONTACT INFO SYBILE SHOP http://www.sybile.etsy.com BLOG http://www.sybile.net DEVIANART http://ladysybile.deviantart.com MYSPACE http://profile.myspace.com/sybileart

This page: Miss Papillons Opposite page: Coeur et Dentelle

INTERVIEW WITH SYBILE 103

LINEANONGRATA

104 INTERVIEW WITH LINEANONGRATA

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Hello, I’m Julia. I was born in Germany some thirty years ago and have lived in France for more than nine years now.

After school I made a desperate attempt at doing something serious in life and studied Biology, but I had to give that up fairly quickly. Drawing and painting had always been two of my favourite occupations and in the end this is what I ended up doing for a living. For four years I studied Graphic Design in Aix-en-Provence and Paris, got my diploma in 2004 and have been living happily ever after as a freelance illustrator.

Or amlost. Last year my companion Vincent and I moved to the South of France where we live and work on a winery.

Vincent is the boss around here (and he’s the one who wanted to live this adventure in the first place), but that does unfortunately not mean that I can work as a full time freelancer in illustration. At the moment I’m juggling the household, the kitchen, a garden, six big guys who always seem to need something and my own work as an illustrator. Right now my biggest dream is to work full time as an illustrator again.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

As I said: I’ve always liked drawing and painting. During the four years I studied graphic design and illustration I experimented with techniques and learned the way you have to think when you illustrate for someone other than yourself.

So I guess the answer to that question is during my years of study.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Anything can be inspiring. Another illustrator’s work, a texture I see somewhere. Often it’s books or texts I read.

Sometimes an idea even just bubbles up inside my brain and I have no idea where it came from.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

My illustrations are usually done with Stabilo pencils (the big, water soluble kind for kids) and there are times when I work a lot with collages. Some months ago I started to use the sewing machine and thread in my illustrations.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Printing. I would love (with a capital L) to experiment more with printing. The way you have to construct your image is so different from what I usually do and it fascinates me.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Be afraid of all flying things is one of the images of the ‘war against terrorism’ series. It’s typical for my work because I used collage and pencil to construct it, and it shows well the way I think about subjects. When I illustrate an idea (sometimes I do purely decorative, too) I try not to picture it directly but with

irony or slightly contorted so the person who looks at it has enough room for his or her own thoughts and imagination.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I‘m incapable of telling a joke. I start one and then I have to laugh so hard while telling it that nobody can understand a word I say. Usually people end up laughing because I have tears of laughter streaming down my face and am shaking with mirth... Let’s call it a cheerful disposition, shall we?

CONTACT INFO JULIA FREUND SHOP http://www.lineanongrata.etsy.com SITE http://www.lineanongrata.com BLOG http://juliafreund.typepad.com/lineanongrata This page: Difficult Knitting Opposite page: Be afraid of all flying things

INTERVIEW WITH LINEANONGRATA 105

BROOKLIT

106 INTERVIEW WITH BROOKLIT

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I live in Manhattan in a great little apartment that is only a hop, skip, or jump from all the museums, restaurants and shops. I have loved pulling my apartment together and making this tiny space work, it’s my own little “urban cottage”.

Over the past few years I have worked as a Product Designer and Photo Stylist, primarily working on home accessories and interiors for nationally recognized brands. Previously I had always worked in fashion and wardrobe (and had majored in Fashion Design in college). Over the past few years though I have loved being able to take a brand and interpret a it into multiple product categories and not only work on fashion.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I have always been an artist and have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Art runs in the family: my dad is an amazing potter with a passion for ceramics, my mom was a fashion designer, and I am a cousin of the famous sculptor Louise Nevelson. I couldn’t image art not being a part of my life, or one of the things that defines me.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Primarily it’s fashion. The fashion I see on designer runways, in magazines, stores, on tv and the streets of the city are all constant sources of inspiration.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I always start out with loose gesture drawings of the figure as a base to build upon. The medium I use is mostly pencil and markers, only I use them as though they were watercolors. I couldn’t live without brush-tip markers. They give such a fantastic range from deeply saturated color to barely there washes.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d love to “get my hands dirty” with crafts that I dabbled in as a teenager: stained glass, ceramics, painting, and baking.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The drawing Lily encapsulates what my fashion illustrations are all about; fashionable and chic but with a sense of humor. I love drawing sophisticated and polished girls but giving them a little twist. Like here adding a big clear umbrella, or giving her that little twinkle in her eye, or a twisted little smirk.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I am addicted to TV and thank goodness for dvr’s! My favorite shows are one’s where people are insanely creative through career paths that couldn’t be any farther from my own, like Miami Ink and Ace of Cakes. I feel a true artist can apply their talent to anything. Whether it be tattoos, cakes or illustrations, it`s amazing to have the ability to create jaw dropping artwork.

CONTACT INFO BROOKE HAGEL SHOP http://www.brooklit.etsy.com This page: Billowing Bride Opposite page: Lily

INTERVIEW WITH BROOKLIT 107

LEAH GIBERSON

CONTACT INFO LEAH GIBERSON SHOP http://www.leahgiberson.etsy.com SITE http://www.leahgiberson.com BLOG http://leahgiberson.blogspot.com/ FLICKR http://www.ямВickr.com/photos/leahgiberson/

108 INTERVIEW WITH LEAH GIBERSON

This page: On Stilts Opposite page: Chutes and Ladders

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

For over 10 years I have made my living as a freelance interactive designer. When I’m not working on the computer, I can be found getting my hands dirty in my painting studio, the kitchen or digging in my tiny garden. I live and work in a small, but sunny apartment with the man I love, my 3 kids and my cat. My mixed media paintings begin with giclee prints of photographs I’ve taken, which I adhere - either whole or cut up - to a loose piece of canvas. I paint out much of what would give the image a geographic specificity and distill the elements to what feels essential to me. When the painting is very close to completion, I sometimes embroider sections along the edge of the canvas before adhering it to a wooden panel, which is about 1.5” to 2” deep. I then continue the painting beyond the edge of the canvas onto the wooden surface, including the sides of the box. The result is a very textured surface full of surprises as you get up close to it.

By the time I am done, there is very little (if any) of the original picture left visible. By painting over the original “fact” of the photograph, I simplify and cover up some parts and emphasize others in an attempt to unearth an arguably truer underlying story.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

My two younger sisters and I were raised by artists deep in the woods of New Hampshire. Arts and crafts were always a part of our lives. Our parents had a studio in the barn behind the house. It housed my father’s hot glass studio, a blacksmithing forge, a cold glass shop, a woodworking area and (for a bit) even a weaving loom and pottery set up. Inside our house we had access to all kinds art supplies for painting, drawing, crocheting and sewing as well as tons of old magazines to use for collages. I don’t think any of us realized how lucky we were at the time, but I am happy to say that all three of us are working artists today and are very grateful for the incredible environment that we were raised in.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

In many ways I think the process I use in my paintings is similar to what we all do in our daily lives as we try to “keep it together”. Whether we’re dealing with complicated, uncertain or disappointing realities, we frequently over-simplify or ignore some details in order to make sense of the bigger picture. I am most drawn to seemingly ordinary and mundane scenes, which set a perfect stage for the visually poignant moments that exist all around us, but are of-

ten overlooked. My paintings often feature isolated houses tenuously connected to others only by power lines, looming shadows from unknown/unseen sources, awkward or missing architectural elements and empty chairs or abandoned pools patiently waiting. There’s often a quiet uneasiness, anxiety and loneliness in many of my paintings, but also a sense of bravery or at least a blind and determined optimism.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I fall somewhere between a photographer and painter. All my pieces begin with a printed photograph, but by the time I am finished, I have painted over almost every bit of the photograph. I find a blank canvas utterly uninspiring and have to come to accept the fact that I need something to respond to.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d love to try some pieces that come out even further from the wall and are perhaps arranged in clusters of different sized boxes. I’d also love to have enough studio space to make some larger pieces. With my limited space, most of my work needs to fit on my small desk or in my lap.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

This was a hard choice, but I decided to pick a small diptych that I completed a couple years ago called, On Stilts.

I love the way that the tiny little house and leaning telephone pole stand precariously on a thin strip of sand between the road and the ocean, like asphalt flowers making the most of where they are. The house is propped up only by skinny stilts and it’s unclear whether it supports the telephone pole or vice versa, but there they stand - with flag waving and flowers growing - side by side and yet ultimately on their own.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I guess the thing that most people seemed surprised by is the age range of my three kids - 17, 9 and 1.

INTERVIEW WITH LEAH GIBERSON 109

110 INTERVIEW WITH HISSS

HISSS

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

When I’m not working (I’m a graphic/web designer), I like to paint. I also like to read, trade banter, harrass my friends and coworkers, hang out with my family, stay somewhat informed on worldly topics, and isolate myself in my apartment with my cats. I have an unhealthy obsession with reality tv (the more ridiculous the better), spam email, and crude humor.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Both of my grandfathers liked to draw so I think it rubbed off on me at a really early age. I’ve always been painting, drawing, playing with clay, making jewelry, or scheming to learn something else.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

You’ll probably notice something a little odd (or a lot) in most of my paintings. I love creating little puns or catchy titles and pictures to go with them. Titles are a huge part of my work. If I don’t have a good title for a painting I won’t show it to anyone until I come up with something that I’m satisfied with.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I don’t know how to answer this question because I’m always changing things up so that I don’t get bored. I use acrylics, watercolors, and gouache (I’m trying to learn oils now too). I like painting on different surfaces (papers and canvas). Although I’m not always consistent with my techniques I always pay attention to detail and composition.

Most importantly, there’s always a thought process behind each idea. I like to keep things entertaining.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’m learning (trying) oil painting. I want to know how to use each type of paint so that I can figure out what will work best for what I’m going to do. I love (NEED) to have options.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I chose handy handlebars because I think that it achieves both things that I’m always going for with a painting - quirkiness and craftsmanship. Also, the title is one my favorites.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

One of my cats has a crooked half-tail. I have a 6 ft tall cardboard Abe Lincoln in my living room.

CONTACT INFO SARA BROSKI SHOP http://www.hisss.etsy.com SHOP http://hisssphotos.etsy.com SITE http://www.sarabroski.com MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/ss_sara FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/hisss This page: Little Ship at Sea Opposite page: Handy Handlebars

INTERVIEW WITH HISSS 111

NOOSED KITTY 112 INTERVIEW WITH NOOSED KITTY

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m from New York, born and raised. I spend most of my time on work for etsy and illustrating. It’s a onewoman operation, so it keeps me pretty busy. When I’m not working, I like to cook and bake. I really enjoy eating; food makes me happy When did art/illustration become part of your life?

It’s always been part of my life!. I loved coloring and crafts as a child (and still do today). I was more likely to be found making pot holders or mastering the art of glitter glue than playing dress-up.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Everything and anything! It could be whatever I currently find amusing, a movie, a phrase, or a recently completed activity. I like to incorporate humor into my work and create picture puns.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Most frequently watercolor and graphite, with occasional colored pencil and ink.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would like to spend more time oil painting. I learned the basics in college but never got the time to explore it the way I’d like.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

At this time, Here to Help is my most recently completed piece. It combines elements of humor with being cute and a little dark, all of which I like to include in my work. It is also typical of my style and medium of work.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have two cats; neither one of which is in a noose.

CONTACT INFO JAMIE FALES SHOP http://www.noosedkitty.etsy.com BLOG http://noosed-kitty.blogspot.com MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/jamiekitty FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/noosedkitty/

This page: Sweet Locks Opposite page: Here to Help

INTERVIEW WITH NOOSED KITTY 113

KERRY BEARY

114 INTERVIEW WITH KERRY BEARY

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m a 36 year old native New Yorker currently living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with my awesome husband Jeffrey and our four little dogs. I have a BFA and MFA in Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting. I have been working as an artist full time for the past six years in my home studio. I discovered Etsy last year and I absolutely love everything about it! I also sell and showcase my work on my website www.kerrybeary.com as well as over thirty galleries and shops across the country and the UK. I have designed calendars, fabrics, stationary, etc. for retail as well. I also frequent yard and estate sales where I find a lot of the props for my drawings which I eventually turn into paintings. I LOVE mid-century modern design, so I spend a lot of my free time finding things to decorate our 1950’s ranch!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I loved drawing and painting as a small child, so I have always had the idea I would be an artist when I grew up! As a teenager, I really wanted to create art and support myself with my work.

I sold my first piece when I was fifteen for $75.00 and I was hooked!

It was one of the best feelings ever so I dove in head first. I painted murals, denim jackets, tee-shirts, and even a few cars! I would go to the library and check out every book I could about art and techniques, art history, aesthetics, etc. until I was able to go to college and learn as much as I could to succeed. I would jump on the train to Manhattan and go to MOMA, the Whitney, and the Met every weekend (I occasionally cut school to just walk around the city and absorb the creative energy)! If my mother only knew what I was up to!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Inspiration is everywhere for me.

My love of mid-century art and design is always a great place to start. I am inspired by my own environment, nature, architecture, and fashion, and I try to pull some or all of it together when I compose a painting or illustration. Animals also have a tremendous presence in my work because they all inspire us in some way. Another source of inspiration for my work is my family. I loved looking through boxes of pictures and slides where the family sat around at Christmas and Easter in their Sunday best, big hair, and frosted lipstick. I cannot forget to mention that they were always equipped with endless cocktails and cigarettes! And oh the gossip! Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use several techniques in my work and it depends on what medium I am working in. I have a few super secret tricks that I use in my paintings to create my crisp tight lines (lots of technical drawing in school) that my work requires. I start with a scale drawing in pencil and pen that I transfer to my

panel or canvas. I mix all of my colors and work the paint in multiple layers from back to front: the largest areas first and the details at the very end. This enables me to build up the colors, patterns, and textures of the painting.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would love to do more printmaking: linoleum, etching, and silk screening. I haven’t had the opportunity to do a lot of printing since college and I really miss it. I don’t have the space in my studio to have a printmaking station since I already work in so many mediums and I simply have a lot of stuff! I recently purchased a Japanese Gocco printer and I LOVE it because it’s small and compact. I would also love to dust off my Holbein airbrushes one of these days!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Be Good While I’m Gone (16 x 24 Acrylic on Canvas 2007) is probably one of my most signature pieces because it contains all of the elements that define my work in terms of color, pattern, and overall subject matter. It’s one of the only paintings that I have kept for my own collection. I also used personal elements like the sputnik, the bar, and of course the Dachshund (I have three). They are as close to cats as I can get... and that’s probably why I paint so many mischievous kitties! I continuously try to tell a story with my work.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I taught High School Art in New York for seven years! I believed that if I taught nine months a year that I would still have time to work towards my painting career. Not true; being a teacher is so much more than a job. It becomes your entire life no matter how hard you fight it. After three years, I was tenured, a mentor, yearbook advisor, art club advisor, school musical set designer, fashion show coordinator, and on and on. I did not pick up a brush for way too long and I found that I really needed to go back to what I was meant to be doing.

CONTACT INFO KERRY BEARY SHOP http://www.kerrybeary.etsy.com STE http://www.kerrybeary.com BLOG http://kerrybeary.blogspot.com This page: Modern Space with Cat Opposite page: Be good while I´m gone INTERVIEW WITH KERRY BEARY 115

TUMMY MOUNTAIN

116 INTERVIEW WITH TUMMY MOUNTAIN

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

We are a huddle of little people on tummy mountain. I was living in the real world creating nonsense to entertain the masses. The small ones took me by the hand and led me away from reality, and back to tummy mountain.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

All of us have always done painting, finger painting, and painting potatoes with happy faces. But we are not allowed to eat the potatoes with faces on them.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The sun is up, and the little ones run out the door. I follow them. The small ones are making a house for snails out of sticks. I paint them.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use pencils, gouache paints, and ink. The technique I use most is called “Down kitten! Down!”

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It is just a day in the life on tummy mountain.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I have always wanted to be a tug boat captain.

CONTACT INFO TUMMY MOUNTAIN SHOP http://www.tummymountain.etsy.com BLOG http://tummymountain.blogspot.com This page: Walking with Sticks Opposite page: Salon

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would like to know a better way of keeping the kitten off my painting.

INTERVIEW WITH TUMMY MOUNTAIN 117

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Entertaining, providing for, feeding, cleaning, at the beckoned call of, juggling, and anything else that comes under that list of motherhood is my full time job...I have my hands full with two little munchkins-Aiden, 3, and Emerson, 7 months.

They keep me on my toes and are the loves of my life. People ask me all the time how I have time to do what I do, and my answer is that I lose sleep and the laundry suffers, but as a result of creating constantly, I’m better at being who I need to be for my children.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art and illustration have always been a part of my life...since the earliest of memories I can recall spending hours on little creations, bent over the crayons and paper for hours on end. I always felt a compulsion to create. My life is not complete without the construction of something to express myself. That evolved when my parents, always ready to invest in whatever their children were interested in, encouraged me in that realm. In college, after wasting a year in marketing and struggling through classes like economics, which were clearly NOT for me, I discovered this fabulous major known as graphic design, where I was able to draw and paint and design, all for a grade. (!!!) I was in heaven.

118 INTERVIEW WITH PURE INNOVATION

PURE INNOVATION What is the inspiration behind your work?

That’s a good question. My children are a big part of this. I wish I could maintain a view of the world as my children see it.

As we all used to see it. An appreciation and awe found in the wonderment of bubbles and sparkle of sunlight on the floor.

I feel like, as adults, we lose that wonderment, and we should have a deeper appreciation of the world around us. That is where the inspiration lies. Sometimes I feel like a living sponge. I soak up all the colors, patterns, music, movies, fabrics, books, various publications...anywhere I can. If I see a color I like, a new design I have conjured in my head-I meditate on it. And then I chew and digest until I come up with my next creation.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use a fair amount of both illustrations on the computer, and paint. I like to have a good balance but paint is probably my number one medium, and technique. It’s the most forgiving and flexible hands-on experience. It’s very cathartic to see all the colors and forms blend together into something pleasing and intriguing to the eye. It feels like second nature to work with it.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I have begun to dabble in sewing, and I love the whole new world of opportunities that the area of textiles open up. I hope the textile design gods are out there listening, because I would love to dive in to the textile world.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I have quite a variety of mediums I enjoy using, but I think that the combination of typography with paint, and the textured presence of that application is really representative of what I do. I have training in both worlds that are supposed to be “enemies in the art world” Graphic Design and Fine Arts. I have a passion for the application of that knowledge in my work - and plan to do more of that in the future.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

This is random, but growing up, I had a pet squirrel.

I come from a family of animal-rights activist/lovers, and we rescued a baby squirrel that had fallen from a tree in a hurricane. We saved said squirrel and added him to the rest of our collection in the back yard of exotic rainbow geckos, parrots, giant turtles, lizards, fish, one dog and of course, a partridge in a pair tree.

We had the local mini petting zoo for all the neighborhood kids. I definitely come from a creative family, to say the least!

CONTACT INFO ASHLEY MALONE MILLS SHOP http://www.pureinnovation.etsy.com BLOG http://www.Supablogga.com This page: Bird Cage Opposite page: Letters

INTERVIEW WITH PURE INNOVATION 119

120 INTERVIEW WITH JANICEJ

JANICEJ Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I live in London where I work from a little terrace house. Etsy and selling on consignment are my main endeavours at the moment.

That and building a portfolio for freelance illustration.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I did a degree in Theatre Design but about a year ago I found I was more interested in illustration and enrolled on a short course.

During that I stumbled across Etsy and decided to pursue selling prints of my work.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

There are many things but my main inspiration is the city I live in and cities I’ve visited on my travels, and some that I haven’t. I have a real inclination towards architecture and the mix of styles you see on most streets. Stories also often trigger an image in my head that I feel the need to put down on paper.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Drawing in ink with a dip-pen. I’d never drawn with one until last year and since then I don’t really feel comfortable with anything else.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d definitely like to learn screenprinting at some point.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The Good Harvest Supermarket. It’s inspired by existing everyday places, the sort of places people walk by on an average day. I like putting in lots of little details like hanging laundry, objects in shop windows, just those things that are the evidence of life going on.

My tendency for bold colours is also evident here.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Once on work experience during university I had to make human guts out of rags dipped in latex. It smelt absolutely disgusting.

CONTACT INFO JANICE JONG SHOP http://janicej.etsy.com BLOG http://drawinginthebackroom.blogspot.com FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/janicejs Left: The Good Harvest Supermarket INTERVIEW WITH JANICEJ 121

MY CHARLIE GIRL 122 INTERVIEW WITH MY CHARLIE GIRL

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

During the day, I work full time as a Graphic Designer, for a small advertising firm. I live with two other lovely ladies, my maltese shitzu Charlie and our new kitten Audrey, in a cute little victorian terrace house in Melbourne. I have a lovely boyfriend who is studying design and fine art, so we have lots in common! When I have free time to myself, I enjoy pottering around the house in my pyjarmas and slippers.

I´m the eldest in my family, with a younger sister who is a mathematician and my little brother is a scientist. I´m a very proud big sister!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I´ve been creative since i can remember. My parents (and grandparents) were always supportive and encouraging, buying me art diaries, pencils and the like. Art was at the top of my priority list at school, (had been known to skip geography classes to hang out in the art rooms) yet I found I didn´t endulge in any creative career untill recently, when I went back to study and completed my diploma in graphic arts. That´s when I started taking my art seriously and my passionn for creating strongly emerged.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

This is a slowly changing thing. At the moment I´m inspired by feminine beauty and the many different levels of the feminine psyche.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I mostly draw with graphite and coloured pencil, sometimes digitally colouring my drawings too. Last week I picked up the old paintbrushes and am trying my hand at oils.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

As I touched on above, it´s oils. I feel drawn to paint at the moment. Not sure why. I used to paint when I was younger, my aunty was a folk/naive artist and I would spend ages painting with her paints on the weekends. I guess painting what I normally draw will let me explore a different side of my subjects and hopefully I might grow as an artist :) Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Gisele. Hopefully this piece portrays feminine beauty, as women are just beautiful creatures! Also I hope it shows that we are deeper that our outside beauty. When you look into her eyes you see that there is more to this person, that there is depth to her soul.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Um, well most people are surprised when I tell them that I spent a year in the Army Reserves and found it quite fun!!

CONTACT INFO REBECCA WINNEL SHOP http://www.mycharliegirl.etsy.com SITE http://www.mycharliegirl.com This page: Lucy Opposite page: Gisele INTERVIEW WITH MY CHARLIE GIRL 123

MICHELLE CAPLAN 124 INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE CAPLAN

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Michelle Caplan. I am a Mixed Media Collage Portrait Artist. Aside from my art, I am also a Graphic Designer. I love doing anything expressive, from cooking and gardening to knitting.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has always been a part of my life. As a kid I loved painting t- shirts and collaging. I have always done something artistic. In 2004 art became my career. I decided to quit my job as a Graphic Designer, and be an artist full time when I realized that it could be a reality! I have never really looked back.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I work a lot with vintage photos, and find the different eras very inspiring.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I always have a book under the canvas so that when I dredge out the excess glue, there is a hard surface to push against.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I want to learn how to sew really well, and know all of the stitches, so that I can incorporate some cloth and quilting into my work.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

To Vera is one of the first pieces that I ever did. I bought that photo at a flea market in NYC 10 years ago, and dragged it around with me from apartment to apartment, and city to city, never sure what I was going to do with her. Once I started doing these portraits it was only right Vera would be one of the first!

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I like to sing in the car a the top of my lungs!

This page: Eugene Opposite page: To Vera

CONTACT INFO MICHELLE CAPLAN SHOP http://www.mcaplan.etsy.com SITE http://www.michellecaplan.com

INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE CAPLAN 125

UBIKI 126 INTERVIEW WITH UBIKI

Rawr

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Although art is my primary passion, I am also a self-employed web and graphic designer and blogger. I’ve founded several successful websites including Indiepublic, PadStyle and Cuteable; I’m presently working on my latest website, The Awesomer, which features products and news of interest to guys.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

For as long as I can remember, art has been a part of my life. I’ve always been very imaginative and art was a way of translating my dreams and fantasies into something tangible. My earliest memories are of doodling on the back of discarded to-go menus that my dad would bring back from the restaurant he worked at. As I studied biomedical engineering and computer science in my college years, I found that I was constantly drawn towards the artistic and creative aspects of these disciplines. It’s why my favorite class as a biomedical engineer was biology and anatomy (it gave me an excuse to draw cells and biological structures), and why in computer science my favorite classes centered on 3D rendering. Even today, all of the various successful blogs and websites I’ve created have all born out of my desire to share art with others.

PadStyle features stylish furniture, Cuteable features cute art and accessories, and Indiepublic features artists and designers. Even The Awesomer is basically a visual smorgasbord of amazing things.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I draw my inspiration from other artists, broadly speaking. I have an “inspire” folder in my internet browser where I bookmark anything and everything that inspires me. Some of the best inspirations are downloaded onto my computer and set to run as a slideshow in the background whenever I need inspiration. I am drawn to everything from commercial and industrial design to mixed media collages and urban art. In general, I tend to be drawn towards work with sharp, saturated colors and clean lines, which is why most of my artwork is brightly colored and designed with vector-based programs.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

My present artwork is 100% digital; my earlier works were raster/pixel based, but most of my present work is vector-based.

My primary technique is thus to spend long hours in front of a computer screen with my trust Wacom tablet by my side.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I really want to move into “real world” art; beyond sketching with pencil and pen, I’ve never seriously dabbled with acrylics, oils, charcoals or any other media. Despite the level of control that computer-based art affords me, I sincerely believe that the best artwork is composed of a hundreds of happy accidents; real-world media is much more permanent and thus would be quite an adventure for me.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Rawr is a piece I drew in less than an hour; it flowed so naturally and quickly that I knew it had to come from the heart.

Objectively speaking, Rawr is about monsters, and I’ve always been sympathetic to monsters. In school, I was always the odd, geeky (but kind-hearted) kid; many of my closest friends could be similarly considered oddballs and outcasts.

Though I’ve always gotten along well with everyone, my school years taught me that some of the most amazing individuals are the ones that don’t fit in. Rawr is therefore about the value of being yourself but also a recognition of the costs of such individuality.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

The biggest surprise for most folks is that I’m a guy. Thanks to my ambiguous name, the nursery-themed nature of my artwork and the anonymity of the internet, I’ve been artistically referred to as a “she” as often as a “he.” The other thing that might be surprising is that I am very technically oriented; although I love artwork, I also have degrees in biomedical engineering and computer science. This has worked out well on the Internet, where I regularly switch between technical and creative hats.

CONTACT INFO SION SHOP http://www.ubiki.etsy.com BLOG http://ubiki.com SITE http://Ubiki.ImageKind.com

OTHER SITES MENTIONED BY SION http://theawesomer.com http://indiepublic.com http://cuteable.com http://padstyle.com

INTERVIEW WITH UBIKI 127

128 INTERVIEW WITH PLEASE BE STILL

PLEASE BE STILL Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m a freelance illustrator who works mostly for magazines and newspapers. I’ve been working professionally for about 10 years and couldn’t imagine a better career. I really just love what I do.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

As long as I can remember, to tell you the truth. As a young girl I remember looking at my uncle Bruce’s drawings and dreaming that one day I might be able to come close to his abilities. I also had a collection of books and magazines that I would pour over again and again, dreaming of being one of the lucky people who had pictures on the pages.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I wish I had some long thought out answer here, but really all I can say is that I love to make images. The inspiration for the current images might be totally different from the image before it. It’s more about staying in the creative flow than focussing on one specific form of inspiration.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Probably collage, although drawing and painting are a close second.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’d love to work in animation of some kind.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It’s got a little of each of the things I love: painting and collage. But most importantly it has a sentiment that I’d love to have flow throughout all of my work: connection and positivity.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I once lived in a VW van with my husband and our dog. It was one of the best times of my life!

CONTACT INFO JEN RENNIGER SHOP http://www.pleasebestill.etsy.com

This page: Everything is going to be ok Opposite page: We speak a beautiful language INTERVIEW WITH PLEASE BE STILL 129

CATE ANEVSKI

130 INTERVIEW WITH CATE ANEVSKI

CONTACT INFO CATE ANEVSKI SHOP http://www.cateanevski.etsy.com BLOG http://cateanevski.typepad.com This page: Marie Antoinette Opposite page: Myra and the Sasquatch

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Since creating art is my hobby, I do spend most of my free time making things. However, I also love to read, cook, and play board games with my friends, so you will generally find me engaged in one of those activities. Oh, yes, and ogling the artwork of others.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I have always been interested in art, ever since I can remember. I studied art in college, but I decided to focus on graphic design, since I figured it would be a better career move. By my senior year, though, my professors noticed that no matter what project they gave me, I turned it into an illustration project, and many of them tried to convince me that I was an illustrator, not a graphic designer. It wasn’t until I got my first job in a design firm that I realized how right they were. Ever since then, I’ve been in love with illustration and can’t seem to stop drawing What is the inspiration behind your work?

Everything. I read voraciously, so that helps along a lot of the ideas that pop into my head. I also love to be out in nature, and I like to imagine what goes on in the natural world when humans aren’t looking. (Trees and flowers aren’t as straightforward as they seem, you know.) Other artists inspire me greatly as well, and there are too many that I love to list them here.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

My favorite technique is to draw an illustration in ink, then scan it into my computer and complete it in Corel Painter, a software that mimics natural media. I find this is the best way for me to really play with colors and textures in my work.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I have been trying lately to bring embroidery into my work.

I love the textural element to fiber arts and the fact that it is so slow and relaxing.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

This piece, Myra and the Sasquatch, is an example of how I like to tell the beginning of a story in my work. I provide the elements of the narrative, and I want the viewers to fill in the blanks with their imagination.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I was born in a town called Normal, but rest assured that does not describe my personality.

INTERVIEW WITH CATE ANEVSKI 131

SANDRINEM 132 INTERVIEW WITH SANDRINEM

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Since I was a kid, I am fascinated by tdrawing, tales, the imaginary stories. It is quite naturally, that I turned to a creative profession: 2D graphist texturer. But before making this profession, my school and professional route was not simple. I made a formation of secretarial department by resentment and did saleswoman’s small jobs. Afterward I took back my studies a little late (at the age of 24 years) in computer graphics and 2D animation. Since then, I work as 2D graphic designer, creating textures for video games and closely, I make illustrations for the youth and personal.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

When I was small, I drew a lot (I stopped during some years afterwards). I did not read many books (the school discouraged me a lot) but now I read a lot...I could stayed for hours dreaming and creating a universe with my toys. Since, I kept this creative and imaginary side, but I hope it will become a little less childish, more in a dark side. Indeed I like mixing the childhood side, imaginary and melancholic very much .

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I find my inspiratio in music (Rock-Indie, Trip hop) and books, especially in the youth. I read many books. I like the literature and illustrated books because they awake the imagination, which is very important for me. I like spending hours in libraries or bookshops to find rare pearls. I would like to have a big library at home. I also like navigating the Web, to discover new talents, illustrators and musicians. I have small exercise books where I write my drafts of stories, drawings and where I stick lots of things which inspire me. It can be a scrap of paper in a newspaper, a magazine, a photo, an end of material, wallpaper, illustrations...I have many of small sheets and scraps of paper, ribbons, laces which I scan or hang in photos to incorporate them into my illustrations. With a simple textured scrap of paper or a natural material (bark of a tree, a translucent color of a flower). I can find an idea of an illustration. All those things inspire many of my work.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I like very much the set of the materials, the shadow and the light in the images. I work essentially using the computer. I use Photoshop and sometimes Painter. I scan a lot of paper that I find in scrapbooking shops and creative shops. I scan them and photographs, it depends of the effect which I want to give to them. Then I assemble the whole illustration on the computer.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

As I have already said, I like the set of materials very much. I like working with the painting and the collage later on. After I had already made some trials, it needs many technique and time to have the final result. I have already my head filled with ideas and exercise books of notes ... I had no formal education in painting and color. But I plan to work on that soon.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I chose The giraffe who wants to be a deer. I think that it represents very well my work. I like giving my characters a human aspect. And then, this giraffe has a point of humor also, because she would like to be an other animal.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

At this moment, I am finishing a children´s book illustration which will be published soon. I am very satisfied the achievements I obtained with this book. I hope that it will be a platform for the for subsequent books! And I plan to move to Quebec for the next year CONTACT INFO SANDRINE MERCIER SHOP http://www.sandrinem.etsy.com BLOG http://sandrinemercier.blogspot.com/ VIRB http://www.virb.com/sandrinemercier/ This page: Book´s inspiration Opposite page: The giraffe who wanted to be a deer INTERVIEW WITH SANDRINEM 133

LELY 134 INTERVIEW WITH LELY

This page: Helen & Arthur Opposite page: Blancanieves

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Hello, I am an illustrator and graphic designer, although I am more specialized as an illustrator, I work a little in everything. At the moment I am also coordinator of the studio Kamikaze Factory (www.kamikazefactory.com) where, along with my partner Rubén Garcia, I manage all type of creative commissions, bringing together our knowledge of illustration and design.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Drawing, so to speak. I have always made it, who has not copied the Disney characters in their tender childhood?. Although I did not go back to drawing until I was past 14, when I became fond of the manga series that where emitted on television, that is how I got interested in drawing again.

Later I made several studies related to illustration and design and ended up making the decision to do that professionally.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I usually watch a little of everything. Although my great influence comes from manga authors like Clamp, Agasang, Akihiro Yamada. Throughout the years I have known more authors of different styles and also appreciating good classic authors such as Much, Dulacand Laurenceau, Rackham and Waterhouse. I believe that nowadays illustration, design and fashion go hand by hand, so I usually read many design and fashion magazines and flyers that circulate around Barcelona that have the complete tendencies about everything. So many authors specialized in so many fields that not only are fitted properly to illustration for books, demonstrating that there are many ways to adapt illustrations to other supports. Proof of this is Etsy, where every day I am surprised more with the creativity of people.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Pencils, liquid watercolors and Photoshop or other Adobe programs, depending the type of commission. I usually mix both techniques, traditional and digital, you always get more natural and less artificial results. The mixture always gives more richness.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would like to practice a little more oil painting or acrylics on wood. I like the work of Audrey Kawasaki and Amy Sun. Both artists use wood as support for all their works with spectacular results, full of textures and harmonious colors.

I would love to try the same technique and see the results I can obtain with my own style.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Il nuovo bambino. It is a character design based on a script written by my partner Rubén García and that we wanted to adapt as a comic. Blancanieves (Snow White) I made it as a tribute to the American comic Fables. In fact I do not consider I have a more representative piece than another one. I believe that I have several different registries and styles, but I thought this one would be a good example of the union between 2 techniques, manual and digital. This drawing was made totally in graphite pencil and dyed with Photoshop. I believe that no matter how much the digital illustration programs evolve I will continue sketching with pencil. The magic of graphite, the texture of the paper and the freedom of your own hand, is not possible to be obtained any other way.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Some of my works are inspired by dreams that I have had.

Characters who I have dreamed drawing while I was sleeping. Sometimes spontaneously, others beacuse I took work that I wasn ́t able to solve to bed. I suppose that the world of dreams always bears a close relationship with the art world. These are the works I like the most, because I feel they are more part of me.

CONTACT INFO ELISABETH BASANTA SHOP http://www.lely.etsy.com SITE http://www.kamikazefactory.com INTERVIEW WITH LELY 135

BERKLEY ILLUSTRATION

136 INTERVIEW WITH BERKLEY ILLUSTRATION

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I´m originally from northern CA, and I have lived in Portland for the last 8 years. I work full time in the admission office of a liberal arts college. When I´m not working, I try to find time to draw, spend time with my lovely wife Lucy, watch movies, hunt down hard to find action figures, read comics, and unpack our new house.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve always been good at drawing from an early age. And Ive always wanted to be a comic book artist. I’d say when I moved to Portland I kind of ventured off into a “general illustration” mode, and gave up on the comics idea. In 2004, I landed a job illustrating a book, and through the authors I have met lots of other artists, participated in lots of art shows and sales, and kind of got my foot in the door of the Portland art scene. That´s when I started taking it pretty seriously. With Etsy now its nice to finally earn some notoriety and money after many years of hard work.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Definitely comic books, or more specifically- telling stories without using words. I am also hugely inspired by nature and animals- especially the seven seas. And urban art to an extent. I like to create surreal situations with beings and creatures that shouldn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t exist. I like giving the viewer an opportunity to manifest his or her idea on what is going on in my art. I enjoy hearing their interpretations.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

The use of markers. A walkthrough for a typical drawing is as follows: Sketch the piece out in light pencil. Outline the details either with pen and ink, or a sharp colored pencil (for a softer look). Color with markers. The technical technique I use with the makers- laying down darker shade of a color for shading/depth, then filling in the lighter shade of that color over it. The markers I use blend into each other, creating a watercolor-like quality. Then I will finish the piece with tiny deatails using colored pencils.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Definitely painting. Either with watercolor, gauache, or acrylics. I have used all three, but I have never really had the patience with them. Also I am so used to blending color with the markers, to learn an entire new technique with blending paints seamlessly is daunting to me. Also, I would love to be able to master the brush pen. That’s another medium that takes years of practice.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The Chase is precisely what I was desribing earlier- and absurd situation leaving the viewer perplexed. It includes elements of nature, a little urban/street art influence, and the depiction of at least one crazy creature. It’s also a good example of my blended marker work.

This page: Giraffe Opposite page: The Chase

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Let’s see...I have well over 1000 action figures. Maybe over 2000. I´m a strict vegan and a genuine animal lover. Also, if I could get away with walking around in public in my underwear, I would.

CONTACT INFO RYAN BERKLEY SHOP http://berkleyillustration.etsy.com BLOG http://letsshare.typepad.com FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/berkleyillustration/

INTERVIEW WITH BERKLEY ILLUSTRATION 137

HIDENSEEK

138 INTERVIEW WITH HIDENSEEK

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m Hidden Eloise, artist and illustrator, and architect in denial. I usually play around in my little playground of a shop in Etsy and I also like designing pretty things. I hesitate to share them with the world yet, but I hesitated to share my art for years too, so we’ll see :).

When did art/illustration become part of your life? *Scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble*.... isn’t that how it always starts? After surviving years of scolding for defacing my school textbooks, I somehow managed to join a classroom that rewards you for putting your emotions on paper (and on canvas and on wall :) ). I spent my most enjoyable years of education in art school, immersing myself in oils, acrylics, charcoal and clay, quite literally most of the time.

But fate works in mysterious ways and I found myself in a dizzying confusion at university, studying architecture. Always wanting to finish what I start may have not worked to my advantage this time around. I had to get my degree and have a good look at it to really think: “Wouldn’t this degree look better if it was painted with maroon polka-dots, with letters shedding their leaves and little aardvark janitors sweeping them off the university insignia?”. I had to start drawing again.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

The anticipation during a rainy day is always dear to me... there’s always a rainbow waiting to be born... I can’t wait to be bathed in its polychromatic light. I create with the anticipation of a young girl waiting to grow younger and my art is filled with signs of great things to come. I like drawing moments of stillness, as when my mind flutters and skips for a moment and my daily life pauses for a whole world of fantasy and fancy to be given birth. More than wanting to put my emotions on paper, I want to put on paper the things that give birth to my emotions. So I daydream and daydream, like way back when I was staring with wonder at my tiny wee red lustre shoes, and whole worlds spring to life.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I always start with just a pencil over blank paper because, if anything, old habits are hard to break. After twenty pencil leads and five erasers, there is usually something coherent on the paper and if it makes me all fuzzy inside I put some ink into the mix and then scan everything into my trusted computer. Which brings us to my most abundant technique: repetitive strain injury and eye strain in front of my monitor :D. I’m in love with my mouse and I call her Yuki. She has opened so many new avenues for my artistic expression. I fill with colour all my drawings in front of my screen and I’ve scarcely looked back to my old artistic habits. Not that there is no longing for ye olde oil brush...

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

For years I was in love with the time tested mediums of charcoal and oil but since I took up creating again, I started pushing myself in different directions and sought to learn new skills. I now draw in modern lines with digital colour and I only pick up my brushes rarely, to create lively textures for use in my art or just for a bit of messy fun. It came quite naturally to keep working with computers after my many years in front of the screen during my studies but the

brush always keeps calling to me.... “pick me up.... pick me up and paint the world in playful tones.....”

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

There is a story behind this artwork. What the story is, though, I leave for all my playmates to discover. I’m not certain what the story is myself, but I have many theories about what it may be. I enjoy drawing emotionally engaging scenes that lead the mind to wander and so I share my little daydreams and flights of fancy with fellow restless spirits.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Seeing my art, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that I am a very strict vegetarian. But not only am I good at eating plants, I’m also extremely good at eliminating them! :D. I love, love, love my flowers and little pots of herbs, but no matter how much I try and tend them, they still end up brown and withered!. Actually, it seems that the *more* I try and tend them, the more they wither!!. Any tips and suggestions anyone?

CONTACT INFO HIDDEN ELOISE SHOP http://www.hidenseek.etsy.com SITE http://HiddenEloise.com FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiddeneloise/ This page: My Captain..We ́ve reached the end of the world Opposite page: He says he can hear the Forest whisper

INTERVIEW WITH HIDENSEEK 139

LAURAGEORGE

140 INTERVIEW WITH LAURAGEORGE

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am an artist & illustrator living in the beautiful city of Chicago. Other than etsy, I paint, do shows, design album art & poster designs for bands, play my guitar, sing, hang out outside, read, & write. I’ll be starting a blog in the fall. I’m working on a children’s book, as well.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has always been a part of my life. I’ve been drawing & creating since I can remember, in a pretty wide range of forms. In college and shortly after I worked as a scenic artist -- painting for theatre & doing murals. Now I work on a mostly smaller scale, but I still really enjoy doing big pieces like that.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I’m inspired by everything. Really. Things I see. Snippets of conversations. Patterns. Thoughts. Inspiration comes in really fast, vivid flashes for me. I keep a little notebook with me so I can write down my ideas or they’d be lost forever in the clutter that is my brain!

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Currently my work on etsy is mostly created by hand-drawing in ink & then coloring digitally. But I’m in the middle of a new series of paintings for some upcoming shows -- they’re gouache on wood, primarily.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Hm. I don’t know the answer to this one. I suppose when I want to apply a new technique, I will -- it tends to evolve sort of naturally & slowly, I guess. Right now I’m doing what I’d like to be doing. Just wish I had even more time to do it!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Transpanting. I chose this piece because it shows my love of pattern & also has a subtle story/theme. It’s hopeful with a hint of melancholy. Most of my work seems to be that way, whether I intend it to be or not.

CONTACT INFO LAURA BERGER SHOP http://www.laurageorge.etsy.com FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/laurageorge TRUNKT http://www.trunkt.org/laurageorge This page: Find me Opposite page: Transplanting

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I was an actress in my former life.

INTERVIEW WITH LAURAGEORGE 141

ZUKZUK 142 INTERVIEW WITH ZUKZUK

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

Well, in a moment of insanity I decided the most important thing I could do was raise my child so for now, that’s the thing i do most. It’s a pretty wild ride and all and all a pretty creative vocation, there’s certainly a lot of crayon and paint involved! I’m also quite passionate about grassroots activism so organising and being part of initiatives that build community are another way I spend my time. I love to travel and grow things and enjoy the usual pastimes like reading, playing guitar, watching movies and eating lots of chocolate.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I think it’s an integral part of most healthy childhoods. I have fond memories of doing little art projects with my father who was an architect; one in particular was observing a branch of a tree over the course of a month as it went from a bare branch to full leaved glory, we made pencil sketches that we later finished with watercolour, that was nice. I guess I made a bit of a departure from visual arts after school, I ended up studying music at university, it’s only been very recently that I put pen to paper again and now I am having so much fun. Maybe my art just needed a long period to consolidate!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Forms and colours found in their natural state in flora and fauna are tremendously inspiring. Being outside in the garden or in a forest or by the sea seems to be physically and emotionally restorative which is always a good thing if you want to embark on a creative endeavour. Likewise the colours and patterns found in other cultures and being exposed to a variety of artistic styles (the internet is so great for that!) is very useful when I’m playing with an idea. I’d like to be able to transmit big and important themes in my work but at the moment it mostly seems to be about having a light heart and having a bit of a play. I try to restrain myself at times but I can’t deny I’m a colour junkie.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

In an attempt to create a form of art which is affordable my technique of late has been print based. I usually create an image with pen and ink, scan it, colour it digitally and/or finish it by hand with a variety of media; graphite, coloured pencil, watercolour.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I’m planning on hauling out the old gocco printer from the basement at some point in the nearish future and having another crack at that. I’ve also got some nice lino which is patiently waiting to be carved into something interesting.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I don’t think anyone really enjoys being classified or put into a box, much as it is a convenient way to define what people do. I guess it’s representative of what I’m doing today, I do hope to be in another place in the near future!

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Such a funny question. Umm, my father was Fijian and I’m also part Maori (indigenous people of New Zealand) but I came out completely white looking -- I still think that’s odd -- I think it surprised my parents too!

CONTACT INFO HELEN ACRAMAN SHOP http://www.zukzuk.etsy.com BLOG http://www.hellozukzuk.blogspot.com This page: Magic Moss Bears Opposite page: Jelly Bean Birds

INTERVIEW WITH ZUKZUK 143

JOHN W.GOLDEN

144 INTERVIEW WITH JOHN W. GOLDEN

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am a digital visual artist with a background in graphic and broadcast design. I slowly quit my day job over the last year and a half to concentrate on making my living as a working artist. My full-time job is running my Etsy shops. I spend most of my day filling the orders from johnwgolden.etsy. com, and a small part creating the customized art for kids my wife and I create for motanddot.etsy.com, and a small part filling orders from my ring and pendant supply shop, goldensupplyco.etsy.com.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has been there as long as I can remember. My mother is an artist, so it was always there, but when I was 11, she helped me create two linoleum block prints. Those were the first pieces that I offered for sale, and I continued to sell them through my teenage years.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I find inspiration in old stuff, basically. Bygone printing practices, rusty doors and crumbling buildings, tin toys, etc.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I use a combination of techniques which distress and texturize photo and illustrations. They are usually based on layers of textures and custom brushes that I make in Photoshop.

CONTACT INFO JOHN W. GOLDEN SHOP http://www.johnwgolden.etsy.com BLOG http://jwgdesign.blogspot.com/ SHOP http://www.motanddot.etsy.com

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I spend a lot of time on the computer, and I tend to develop the techniques I use through trial and error, so I am never actively looking to learn a new technique unless I have a new traditional technique I am trying to replicate digitally. So I don’t always know what the technique is until I’ve figured it out. That said though, I really want to be able to nail some of the look of low-quality printing like uneven ink coverage.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The entire BOTM sign series is pretty relevant to my life, and came out of circumstances in my life. I think they also have a certain broad appeal because a lot of us have heard or said the things in the signs. No matter what piece I do, and no matter how narrow a slice of people it will connect with, I’m always surprised how it connects with a much broader range of people than I could imagine. So, in that way, each sign is like every other piece of my work.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I’m an Eagle Scout.

This page: Number 46 Opposite page: By Order Of The Management Series

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN W. GOLDENI 145

PINKYBROWN2005 146 INTERVIEW WITH PINKYBROWN2005

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Jennifer Fuchs, I am 36 years old, married and a mother to a beautiful 5 year old girl. We currently reside in Northern NJ. Ironically most of my professional career has been spent as an IT Project Manager. That was up until a month ago when my company had mass lay offs. Now I am on the hunt for a new career and hopefully in a much more Creative role!!. In my off time I love to read BLOGS about home design, art, DIY, crafting and fashion. I also love magazines especially Domino, Real Living (Austrailia), Country living, and the newest BOHO. I never tire of seeing beautiful ways people design their homes. During the summer you will definitely find us at the Beach as much as possible When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Hmmm...well I have always been drawing. It probably started out as doodling. But If there was a blank piece of paper in front of me, I had to fill it up. My favorite classes in school were always Painting and drawing. Even in college, but somehow I didn’t think it was a practical choice for a major. Though I wish someone told me differently back then. So I always loved the arts, but never thought I could use them in my career. And over the past 3 years I would say is when I started to find myself drawn in that direction very strongly. I felt like I was missing that creative piece in my life and I started making time for creative endeavors in my off time after work. I started drawing, painting, sewing and just making things again. I started blogging in 2005, as a creative outlet. I opened my ETSY shop, PinkyBrown, last year. I loved the idea of redesigning items and giving them a second life.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I am inspired to create by so many things. I would say for some of my pieces done on bookpages, I was inspired by a love for the written word. I love using old book pages as a canvas or even the books themselves, painting right on the cover. I get inspired looking through the beautiful images in home design magazines and blogs. A specific color combination might inspire me. When I started my shop on ETSY, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to sell. But my original idea was to redesign, resuse or remake things into something new. For example, a plain cotton tote would be screenprinted with one of my drawings, further embellished with a silk tie trim and lots of buttons. Or an old adult T-shirt would be cut and sewn into a cute dress for a little girl. I think that´s why I love using old book pages as art too. I love stitching them and adding my own touch to it. I love to take

things that might not be used again and giving them a second life. Simply said, I just have a desire to ‘Create’ and am happiest when I do.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

With the book pages I will start with black ink for the illustration and then sometimes stitch/embroider the page with a phrase and then burn the edge of the pages for that old vintage feel. For other illustrations, I will just sketch things out first until I have the finished idea of how I want a piece to look. And then start working on the original piece based off the sketch.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I would definitely love to spend more time Painting. It’s something I love doing but don’t allow myself nearly enough time for. One new skill I would love to learn in the near future is Knitting. I love the idea of using knits in a new way that is funky and modern and not what your granny used to wear. Even though we love our Grannies!!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It’s hard to pick one, but the piece I chose is a mixed media piece called Lovely Thing. I feel it’s one of my favorites because of the combination of things I love such as fashion and home design. As well the mixture of collage, illustration and stitching. It includes a little of each of the things and mediums I enjoy.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

If you catch me in the winter, taking off my boots you will find 1 of 2 things: No socks or mismatched socks!. I guess they feel this is something only kids do! ha : ).

CONTACT INFO JENNIFER FUCHS SHOP www.Pinkybrown2005.etsy.com BLOG http://PinkyBrownInc.blogspot.com

This page: Go girl, Original Romeo and Juliet embroidered page Opposite page: Lovely Thing INTERVIEW WITH PINKYBROWN2005 147

MICAWBER 148 INTERVIEW WITH MICAWBER

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My name is Crystal Wall Lancaster, I am married to the most amazing man named Paul, and we have a 19 month old daughter, Avie, who is simply the coolest kid ever!. I am currently working freelance animation, as well as painting like mad, preparing for a group art show at the Black Maria Gallery in Los Angeles this coming February. I’m very passionate about music, I often get sucked into reality television programs, and I also run an online t-shirt company, The Tee Party, with my husband.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Art has always been a big part of my life. My parents have always been super supportive of my interest in art and have encouraged me to explore all kinds of different mediums at a very young age. At just 8 years old, they enrolled me in an oil painting class where the other students all ranged in age from 14-17 years old. The other kids were amazing, and completely took me under their wing. It was an extremely inspiring atmosphere, I was in complete awe at all of the other kids talent and each day I aspired to be like them.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Every piece that I complete has any number of different inspirations behind it, they’re all different in their own wonderful way.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I was working mainly in the digital format over the last year, because of my job as a computer animator/character designer, it was my comfort zone. Over the last few months I have reverted back to my more traditional roots and I have been painting a lot with acrylics, and I have been absolutely LOVING it!

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

It’s been years since I have used oil paints and once I complete all of the paintings for the art show in February I am going to jump in and try my hand at oils again.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

The piece I chose, Catherine, is a prime example of the new direction in which I am heading with my work. Soft, beautiful, feminine forms with intense colour and strong emotion evoked through simple subjects and composition. Also, it’s an acrylic painting, which is the medium that I am concentrating on at the moment.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

Hahaha! Unfortunately, I don’t think that I have too many “surprising” factors, what you see is pretty much what you get. Hmmm, I guess the most surprising thing about me would be how quickly I could drink a strong, burly bloke under the table! I’m not too sure how proud I should be about that.....but....it´s true, my friend! ;).

CONTACT INFO CRYSTAL WALL LANCASTER SHOP http://www.micawber.etsy.com SITE http://www.crystalwalllancaster.com SITE http://www.theteeparty.com This page: The Crane Wife Opposite page: Catherine

INTERVIEW WITH MICAWBER 149

150 INTERVIEW WITH IRIS SCHWARZ

IRIS SCHWARZ Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I am an illustrator and graphic designer, working and living (with my husband) in Zurich/Switzerland. After my graduation in graphic design/illustration I’m now self-employed for about ten years.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve been drawing all my life...I was really lucky because my family as well as people I worked for (in graphic studios) supported my love for drawing and painting and didn’t push me into advertising or too much into design. So I slipped more and more in to the illustration world, specially editorial illustration. Today I work more as a freelancer, selling my art and illustrations online or directly to my audience.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Art – contemporary, but even more the old schools (Italian renaissance, the Dutch school – I adore this accurate work), fairy tales, craft (I’m impressed by certain skills people have), Victorian illustration. Almost everything old...illustrated books, textiles, furniture (antique shops or flea markets are my obsession, specially in Paris!), nature is very important to me, sometimes a conversation, a story, beauty.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

A pencil, a brush and paper. But, I must admit my iMac and me became really good friends too!

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Printmaking.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Les voix intérieures, it means The inner voices. I guess because it’s kind of ambiguous. There is space for thoughts.

And listening to my inner voice always was a good decision...

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I don’t like going to museums. There are to many pictures. I think two or three would be enough.

CONTACT INFO IRIS SCHWARZ SHOP http://www.irisschwarz.etsy.com This page: Week 30 SEVEN Opposite page: Les Voix Intérieures INTERVIEW WITH IRIS SCHWARZ 151

ALYIOSIUSSPYKER

152 INTERVIEW WITH ALYOISIUSSPYKER

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I work as an illustrator and silkscreen artist and quietly as a secret cake eating superhero called ‘mother’.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I’ve never been very good at other things. For a while I wanted to be an architect but I’m numerically dyslexic so that made some pretty interesting calculations. I certainly wouldn´t have felt safe in a house I’d designed. My parents are both from long lines of creatives themselves so it was inevitable. I did a fashion degree at St Martins before I became an illustrator.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

Everything and anything. I tend to get over excited a lot and have the attention span of a gnat. My son and science are featuring quite strongly in my new work.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Silkscreen and drawing our my favourites, sometimes if I’m feeling a little adventurous, a bit of felt tip pen and a few chocolatey finger prints.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Cabinet Making. My great great grandad was a french polisher and cabinet maker. I have a chest of drawers he made for my great great grandmother, its elegant and beautiful.

One day I will know cabinet making and have my own shed full of power tools.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

My work is constantly changing and evolving, but at the moment these are my three favourite screenprints. I can´t say why , but I loved printing them and they all came out completely different to how they were planned. I like the happy accident element that happens with screenprinting, it keeps me on my toes and nothing is guaranteed.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I can do the splits. I’m a cheap date and get drunk on one glass of wine. I could tell you more, but frankly it’s just embarrasing.

CONTACT INFO KATE BANAZI SHOP http://www.alyoisiusspyker.etsy.com SITE http://www.katebanazi.com This page top: Chute This page bottom: Spaceman Opposite page: Wendy

INTERVIEW WITH ALYOISIUSSPYKER 153

154 INTERVIEW WITH AUTUMN RUSSELL

AUTUMN RUSSELL

CONTACT INFO LILLIAN LANGFORD SHOP http://www.AutumnRussell.Etsy.com This page: Ruffles Opposite page: Leaves

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

My wonderful Mom taught me how to sew when young and ever since then I have been drawn towards the creative side of life! Besides Etsy I am a stay at home Mommy to 4 precious girls! Etsy has given me a oppertunity to still pursue my passion for design and creativity on a smaller scale from home and online! I’m forever grateful for that!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

With 4 small children I had to make some realistic choices about becoming a fashion designer at the present. Being a Mommy was the best thing that ever happened to me!.

Meanwhile always in the back of my mind I had this relentless desire to release my creativity somehow. And that’s where Art and Illustration came in! It fit into my lifestyle at the time. Creating a new idea on a piece of white paper or canvas has always been such a complete source of enjoyment to me!. Its my quiet unwinding time and I love it!

What is the inspiration behind your work?

My inspiration comes from so many different things. For the most part-- Nature, The past, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, are I confess a large influence, the 30’s and 40’s Era as well.

What I catch myself doing sometimes is mixing the past ideas with the future. I enjoy creating anything unusual and original!

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I like to mix fine Art pens and markers with pastels in my work. I use this combination quite a bit!

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I LOVE to paint! I haven’t had that much opportunity to paint as of yet, I’ve done a few murals but someday I want to learn more and become a avid painter!

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

Ruffles. The gown I chose defines my sense of style in a extreme eccentric way, it´s a mixture of the the romantic past and yet has a very modern and futuristic look as well. Totally unique and utterly timeless.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I am a twin and last May I just gave birth to twin girls!

INTERVIEW WITH AUTUMN RUSSELL 155

DUTTON ART

156 INTERVIEW WITH DUTTON ART

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I’m mainly an illustrator and cartoonist. I hang out in a home studio all day, drawing, painting, and snoozing. On good days I get to outside and paint on location, or sketch in coffee shops while eavesdropping on funny conversations. All that typical artsy fartsy stuff!

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

Illustration has always been a pretty big part of my life. As a little kid, I’d staple paper into books and fill them with dinosaurs, cool vehicles that for some reason resembled PacMen, and not-so-funny Sunday comics. I’ve kinda done all sorts of non-related stuff as an adult, despite going to art school to study illustration. I finally decided sometime in 2005 that I’d be happier making a living doing the things I enjoyed as a little kid and haven’t looked back since.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I’d like to think there’s a sense of adventure in the work I do, inspired by places I’ve been to, locally, abroad, or even in my head. I have a pretty healthy imagination that fuels my artwork, but the results would get stale rather quickly if it weren’t supported by the desire to get out in the real world and see what it has to offer.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

I mostly use traditional materials. I’m a big fan of anything that involves brushes. Like ink, gouache, watercolor, and oils. Photoshop brushes are okay too.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

Encaustics. I’ve had a brick of bees wax and a slow cooker sitting under my studio table for over a year now. I keep telling myself I’ll play with it someday, but for some reason I’ve yet to commit. I’d also like to learn screen printing.

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

It Was Time for Chuck to Learn. It’s actually a little different from the bulk of my work. My work tends to be light and whimsical, but once in a while I get in this mood to paint something that more closely resembles what I do in my journals, such as the piece you chose. I still think that sense of adventure applies though, even if the mood is slightly more somber. The main figure, who is supposed to be Charlie Brown as an adult, has that bit of a wandering mind. He’s in his own little world as he prepares to confront his inability to fly kites away from kite-eating-trees.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

I’m an open book, so you’d be hard pressed to find anything too surprising. Hmm, maybe not so surprising as perhaps just plain stupid, but in the first year I took up rockclimbing, I scaled a 165 foot wall without a rope. I think I had myself a cliche little Zen moment at the top, but nowadays I can’t think about it without getting sweaty hands!

CONTACT INFO MIKE DUTTON SHOP http://www.DuttonArt.etsy.com SITE http://www.duttonart.net/ This page: Kings Crossin Opposite page: It Was Time for Chuck to Learn

INTERVIEW WITH DUTTON ART 157

BRANDI STRICKLAND

158 INTERVIEW WITH BRANDI STRICKLAND

Tell us a little about you and what you do besides Etsy.

I make lots of art, take lots of pictures, listen to lots of music, work in an office part time, swim when I can, cook, look at everyone els´s artwork online.

When did art/illustration become part of your life?

I´ve been making art since I was really little. My parents encouraged it, and it was one of my favorite classes in school.

I got more serious about it in high school and declared it as my major when I got to college.

What is the inspiration behind your work?

I´m inspired by life I guess. Trying to understand it, figure it out. I suspect that all my work is autobiographical, even when it seems really abstract.

Which technique do you use the most in your work?

Collage, hands down.

Which technique would you like to learn or that you already know but just haven ́t had the opportunity to apply to your work?

I took a little bit of printmaking in college. I wish I could learn everything about screen printing.

CONTACT INFO BRANDI STRICKALND SHOP http://brandistrickland.etsy.com SITE http://www.brandistrickland.com FLICKR http://flickr.com/photos/brandistrickland/

Why do you think the piece you chose is so representative of your work?

I make lots of these “simple” collages. I really do enjoy nearly all methods of art making, but these collages are my favorite. I think they´re my strongest works, and definitely my personal favorites.

Please tell us something we would be surprised to know about you.

That office I work in--it´s at a plumbing company. I know more about water systems than your average artist. :)

This page: Twins Opposite page: 33 Collage

INTERVIEW WITHBRANDI STRICKLAND 159

ETSY TREASURES In this Etsy Series you will enjoy illustrators whose work reects human emotions. Portray beautiful and strong women. Invite you to drink a cup of coffee while you walk around a city you live in or you Ě ve never been before. Meet new unexpected friends. See the innocence in little girls eyes. Monkeys in peculiar situations. Birds singing. Remembering that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This is just a glimpse of the work of these etsy artists. Make sure to visit their shops to see more of their creativity.

The C http: amera //roa dside .et

sy.co

160 ETSY TREASURES

m

human feelings om

sy.c Boy co.et t n i e u m n D /laure http:/

l

ww.u

w htt://

y Day p p a H om tsy.c e . r e m

ETSY TREASURES 161

love is un the air

m ad .etsy.co Red He ic s u m osie http://r

Romantic Lo ve ndogominola .etsy.com

htt://www.mu 162 ETSY TREASURES

modern women

Origin a http:/ l Abstract /shua Mode no.et sy.co rn POP m

Sun /mag day Morn icjelly i .etsy. ng com

http:/

ETSY TREASURES 163

coffee time

Nostalgic Tea Party http://katrinek.etsy.com

164 ETSY TREASURES

Cafe Cup heeley.etsy.c om

http://teresas

a day in the city

Brooklyn http://nateduval.etsy.com

co San Francis ers.etsy.com p://labpartn

htt

ETSY TREASURES 165

all kinds of friends

Runaways http://keliedrawspictures.etsy.com

Frederick com wntree.etsy. http://falldo

166 ETSY TREASURES

little girls

Robin http://ca r

ambatac

k.etsy.co

m

Lost for Wo rds http://gorju ss.etsy.com

ETSY TREASURES 167

a little birdy told me..

Golden Isicles http://yumiyumi.etsy.com

Out of the Book http://valentinadesign.etsy.com

168 ETSY TREASURES

vintage style

Warmbloods Horse and Woman http://www.artbyshano.etsy.com

Imogene http://alphabets.etsy.com

ETSY TREASURES 169

defiant

monkeys

ation World Domin .etsy.com http://srharris

Formal Anima ls http://orangew illow.etsy.com

170 ETSY TREASURES

beaty is in...

e Marylin Monro usolf.etsy.com a http://angiem

http://

Am ther.e I Blue tsy.co m

redhe a

ETSY TREASURES 171

BOOKMARK THIS WEBSITE

http://www.illustrationfriday.com Founded by illustrator Penelope Dullaghan, Illustration Friday is great site for everyone who is interested in challenging their creativity and skills as a professional or beginner illustrator.

Weekly a different subject is selected from the list of topics submitted by the participants. Every contributor has one week to make an illustration with the interpretion of the subject. Sounds great!, right?

If you want to participate all you need is a blog, ickr account or website to upload you work, a 50 x50 pixels thumbnail of your illustration and you are ready to submit it to Illustration Friday. You can only submit one illustration per theme.

172 BOOKMARK THIS WEBSITE

There is plenty of styles and mediums to apply to your work: Mediums: digital, collage,mixed media, paint, pen & ink, pastel, silkscreen, watercolor, other, color pencil, pencil/graphite, woodblock, intaglio, monotype Styles: cartoon, figurative. abstract. children’s art. collage/assemblage. conceptual, painterly, realistic, traditional, naive, graphic, comic book, other.

Once you upload the link to your site and your thumbnail, it can be seen in the Illustration Friday website. And randomly a illustration from the previous week will be picked to be exhibited in the front page.

Illustration Friday is a constant source of inspration and has other good things to offer like: ART FORUM In here you will find advice, info about books, websites, competitions, galleries, projects, you can even showcase your products with your illustrations.

ARTISTS INTERVIEWS Illustrators share their personal view about important subjects for any one who wants to make a living as an illustrator, such as marketing and promoting their work, having or not an agent, inspirations, goals, how they got started in the illustration discipline, what they do when they feel creatively blocked.

Some of the illustrators interviewed are: Jenny Kostecki-Shaw http://www.dancingelephantstudio.com/visualart/ Marcos Chin http://www.marcoschin.com Yuko Shimizu http://www.yukoart.com Andy Hayes http://www.hucklebuckdesign.com Fernanda Cohen http://www.fernandacohen.com RESOURCES Links to Business Services, Webistes, Books and Art Mgazines that will help you in your creative journey.

BLOG News from the illustration world, the Illustration Friday bloggers are: Penelope Dullaghan http://penelopeillustration.com/ Camilla Engman http://www.camillaengman.com/ Kate Hamilton http://penguinart.com/journal.html Rama Hughes http://ramahughes.com/ Steve Mack http://spotillustration.com/ Brianna Privett http://brianna.org/mmvi/ Josh Sears http://papertelevision.com/wp/ Melanie Ford Wilson http://melaniefordwilson.com/blog/ Amanda Woodward http://amandawoodward.com/ What are you waiting for? Go on! and visit http://www.illustrationfriday.com BOOKMARK THIS WEBSITE 173

BOOK COLLECTING

PHOTO CREDIT: Myopia Pix / Andre http://flickr.com/people/myopiapix/

174 BOOK COLLECTING

Lawnrence Zeegen is a internationally renonwed Illustrator, Academic Programme Leader for Communication and Media Arts at the University of Brighton, UK, cotributor to many publications, and partner of the ZeeegenRush, a global agency that represent contemporary illustrators.

He has written several magazine articles and 5 books.

The Fundamentals of Illustration is a great source of information for illustration students, professionals and people who usually commissions illustrations.

In 6 chapters, this book takes you inside of the job of an illustrator. From the first concepts, the brief, mediums options, types of illustrations, planning and promoting, production of an image, every single page has invaluable information.

The Fundamentals of Illustration includes interviews with illustrators working in different illustration fields: fashion, editorial, books, publicity, musical industry, etc.

Lots of full color images showcasing the work of illustrators, like: Jason Ford, Richard May, Luke Best, Mihico Tachimoto, Adrian Johnson. Jody Barton, Jon Burgerman. Autumn Whitehurst, Sara Fanelli, among others.

This why, my friends, you must be Book Collecting The Fundamentals of Illustration .

Lawrence Zeegen http://www.zeegen.com Zeegen Rush http://www.agencyrush.com/

THANK YOU 175

DESIGN THIS DESIGN THAT