First up, tell us a little bit about yourself:

Well...I’m 25 years old, I love green jelly, quirky underwear, pancakes with jam and cream, foreign accents, open mouth kissing, singing in the shower, clothes fresh from the dryer, drinking beer while sitting on my front fence and Korean grocery stores.

I don’t like cold mornings, reality t.v and people who knock into me in crowded places.







Where do you currently live and work?

I live on the south-eastern side of Melbourne and at the moment I work from home, I’d love to get some studio space as soon as possible.



What kind of work environment do you have?

I gave up the home office so that my sister has somewhere to live while she’s studying at TAFE, so now almost everything I own is crammed into my bedroom/work space!

Apart from the mess there’s two big pin boards on the wall above my desk for magazine clippings, bills (ergh), badges and photos, on the desk there is various bits and pieces such as my pirate skull bandaids and a half eaten box of pocky.

My work environment is pretty much an explosion of all my inspirations, people always like to come in and stop for a chat and a look through my books, I think that’s pretty cool and it’s good to have the company now and then.



What equipment do you use to produce your illustrations?

I almost exclusively use Adobe Illustrator but I have also been known to hand draw and paint.

Most of my computer illustrations start off with a loose sketch, something that looks nothing like the finished product, but gives me some markers to work with then as it starts to take shape I add the colours, put in the details and evolve the image until it looks finished.







When did you first develop an interest in illustration?

Like most Illustrators, I’ve been drawing since I was a child, but it wasn’t until I was in my final year of Multimedia that I decided I wanted to become a real Illustrator. Our class kept getting assigned group tasks and within those groups I would always find myself making images rather than multimedia, looking back, it was better that way!



Did you have any formal training?

I have a Bachelor of Multimedia Design and I’m currently working on a Grad dip in Graphic Design.

As for training in Illustration, I’m self taught.



How would you describe your style?

My style is sexy without being pornographic.



What do you think were the major influences that helped develop your style?

In the beginning I was greatly influenced by other illustrators who used digital techniques, such as Kirsten Ulve and Nathan J, then as I went along and became more familiar with Adobe Illustrator I started to develop my own techniques, such as the way I draw eyes and use gradient mesh for blush.

I hope that my style will never stop evolving.



Do you have a specific routine or technique to develop inspiration and motivation?

Not really, I find that I get the most motivation when I’m unable to draw, such as when I’m walking to the shops. It’s such a pain in the ass.

When I am able to draw I get inspiration from many different sources such as magazines, movies, conversations and looking at other peoples work.



What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do? The most frustrating?

The most rewarding part is being able to apply my illustrations in so many different ways, such as skateboards and bags.
I get a little kick out of seeing fashionable people wanting my work when I’m not a very fashionable person at all.

The most frustrating would be the printing process, there are so many things that can go wrong, I’m jinxed!

Who are your favourite artists?

I would have to say Rockin Jelly Bean is my all time favourite artist ever! His girls are just amazing.

I also have allot of respect for Andy Warhol and Robert Williams.



What do you think is the main commercial potential for your work? Where would you like to see it being used? 
 
I know that because I mainly draw sexy half naked women my work is limited to a more adult market, but I’d like to play on that idea, perhaps use my illustrations on some more risqué projects and push the boundaries a little bit.

I love it when my work is used on objects like my skateboards and I would definitely like to make and design more.



Your use of colour is a prominent feature in all your work. How do you go about choosing them?

Sometimes I use colours from previous Illustrations, but most of the time I draw out a grid of squares at the top of my page and plot out my colours that way.

As with inspiration for my ideas I also get colour inspiration, so if I see a candy packet or another illustration with colours I like I’ll try and match them on my computer.

I try and steer clear of colour choice based on trends and fashion, fellow illustrators can smell a bandwagon from a mile away.






Do you have any favourite TV shows that you just can’t do without?

I don’t really watch much TV as I’m currently studying at nights and get home just as all the good shows have finished.

As for shows in general, I can’t live without Samurai Champloo, it is seriously the best anime I have seen in a while and I have a huge crush on the two main characters, Mugen and Jin.



If your not in the middle of a new illustration, where would you most likely be?

I would be down the street having a cup of coffee and a late afternoon breakfast, thinking about my next illustration.



Do you have any new projects coming up that you can tell us about?

I’m working on a triptych for ‘gimmeshelter’ which is an exhibition that’s fundraising for the national coalition for the homeless.
The show will be exhibited in the U.S, U.K and Canada.

They’re also looking for galleries in Australia to help out with this worthy cause www.gimmeshelter.co.uk







Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hmmmm that’s a hard one!

I know that I’ll still be drawing and hopefully still loving it.
In 10 years time tho, I’d be happy with a house I can call my own and a nice big space for a studio.

Oh and I want to go to Japan!



Lastly, anything you’d like to share with the budding new artists out there?

Don’t get upset if someone doesn’t like your work.
Art is so subjective that you can’t please 100% of the people 100% of the time, you just have to find your niche and keep working hard to make the best work you can possibly do.

Also, don’t keep to yourself, If you admire another artists work e-mail them and tell them.

If you make friends with similar minded people and I can guarantee that when everything turns pear shaped there will be someone there to lend some advice or just let you know that things will be ok.