When we first saw Lyndsey Green's work, we thought it was ace. Her detailed line-pencil drawings and vibrant colours really set her work apart. It's fair to say we've practically been stalking her at all her Christmas markets as her stall is so colourful and unique. Partially because we're also amazed at how quickly Lyndsey has grown her portfolio since graduating - from prints to tshirts, cards to notebooks.
With the Christmas shenanigans out of the way, we finally caught up with Lyndsey to find out about her year ahead, and what advice she can give recent illustrator graduates.
1) Woo! It's 2014! Big year for Lyndsey Green? Well in the last year or so since graduating I’ve been experimenting with things really, trying to get my name out there and working out what sells best. Now that I’ve had more practice and I’m starting to take on a few more commissions I’d like to reassess my current range; retire some of the older pieces and get new ones done and printed more professionally. I also want to get my work into more shops across the country. I’d also like to get my portfolio freshened up so that I can hopefully take on more commissions this year, and just continue to push myself in general!
2) What are you working on at the moment? I’ve had a couple of commissions to design some wedding invitations which I’m really enjoying, it’s the sort of thing I’d like to do more of. I’m also trying something a bit different with a bigger piece for the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition to really challenge myself.
3) How do you motivate yourself during the gloomy winter months we've had? The run up to Christmas is actually the best time of year – this is when I’m at my busiest and when I do most of my craft fairs. Plus I love doing festive designs! It’s a bit disheartening in January when you come out the other side, but it’s nice to have some time to yourself to recover after the madness. I also get to rediscover drawing as I don’t have a chance to do much over Christmas!
4) What's been your proudest arty moment so far? Probably when my Native American Bear illustration got shortlisted for the Unleashed: Best In The North competition - my ‘Scoresby’s Balloon’ piece was also in the exhibition. That or doing the Winter Arts Market this Christmas, as it was a roaring success, I had a fantastic day and received lovely feedback from visitors.
5) Foxes, badgers, Philip Pulman novels - you seem to get your inspiration from all over the place... Obviously animals and nature are my biggest inspirations, but I’m also a massive geek so fantasy and sci-fi inspire me too. Basically anything that sparks my interest or that I find beautiful! I particularly love mythological creatures and strange folklore from various cultures which I’ve been interested in since I was young when I was obsessed with dragons and griffins! These are something I would really like to draw more of. I also feel very inspired when I discover a new or really unusual animal!
6) Who's caught your eye in the art and design world lately? I’m always coming across new illustrators online or from little scraps I collect from magazines and bits. Some of my favourites I’ve found lately are Peter Carrington who does stunning animal illustrations using a similar repeated line style to my own. I found Steve Larder and Holly Exley through beautifully illustrated pages in Pets At Home magazine. Work by Robert Farkas also caught my eye when I was looking through last years Wildlife Artist of the Year entries, with his fabulous ‘Rorschach’ piece which is well worth a look! At first it just looks like a wolf face but if you look closer you can see other animals within the pattern such as fish and a stag. I love images like this were the closer you look the more hidden surprises you can find.
7) What advice would you give to Illustrators looking to sell their work? At the risk of sounding cliché just don’t give up! Get on Etsy as it’s a great place to start selling your work, and do anything that gets your name out there such as attending art fairs and entering competitions. Also having an online presence is absolutely vital so make sure you’re on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest… etc. and that you’re posting about what you’re doing regularly! Just keep drawing cause the more you do the better you’ll get!
8) Obviously we can't ignore the vibrant blue hair! Is blue your favourite colour? Haha yes teal blue is my favourite, that’s probably quite obvious. I had wanted to try having blue hair for years so it was great to finally live the dream!! I love changing my hair though, so it might be time for a change…
9) And finally, what 3 things can't you live without?! That’s a tough question! I would have to say some form of animal in my life, which is currently my two lovely bunnies! They keep me smiling. Then some form of geeky fix which is currently the latest Pokemon X! Lastly I would probably have to say my laptop as it has everything from my artwork to my life photos on it, and I don’t think I could live without the internet!!
Lyndsey's work is available in our shop, by visiting her profile page. To see more of Lyndsey's work pop over to her website lyndseygreen.co.uk
