design approach

How do you approach the design process?

Crissie’s artwork comes from a place of playful curiosity. She sees things out in the world, in her garden, on a walk, in a magazine or online + it sparks an idea that she then takes to her sketch book or ipad + begins to draw + experiment.

How do you make your art?

In her sketchbook Crissie uses a combination of graphite pencil, gouache, ink + coloured pencils to sketch out her initial ideas - which can vary from an illustrative motif or hand lettered word, to creating a new colour palette. She then takes her favourite ideas over to her ipad + explores + refines her compositions + colour palettes further. She uses a similar organic + intuitive process when creating work for her clients.

How do you supply your final artwork to clients?

While her ideas will often start out on paper, Crissie always creates + delivers her final artwork in a digital format. Her preferred digital programmes include Procreate + Photoshop. She also works in vector programmes like Illustrator.

Have you always been an illustrator?

Crissie has been involved in visual arts since she was a little girl + has worked within the creative industry for most of her adult life. She has a degree in Media Arts + worked for over a decade in graphic design + photography before taking time out to start a family.

After the arrival of her third daughter, Crissie’s creative path shifted with the discovery of surface pattern design + illustration. Since making that move Crissie has received a national award in textile design + had her work featured in popular industry blogs + publications like The Paper Nerd + Uppercase magazine.