Your artwork is so bright, playful and so well crafted with different mediums. What made you want to step away from digital art and utilize different mediums to create your illustrations?
When I graduated from college about 3 years ago, I had to work office jobs to make ends meet. Since I was in front of a computer screen all day, I had no interest in looking at a screen for even more hours when I got home. I wasn’t ever really an amazing painter, but I started out using paint pens which made it feel more like drawing. Then I started practicing painting more and really fell in love with the process of working traditionally.
What inspired you to make your sassy ladies and how did you come up with your unique style?
I’m constantly inspired by folk art, vintage posters/illustration, contemporary illustration, textiles, and fashion. My style references all of those inspirations and mixes them together to come up with my own thing. I think it’s so important to have many references from different time periods.
What is your process like when thinking of your wonderful designs?
When I’m working in my sketchbook, I typically cover the whole spread in paint first. For me, it eliminates the pressure of messing up on a white page. From there, I typically pick out the rest of the paint colors I want to use and start loosely sketching out my ideas in my sketchbook. Then, I paint everything and go back in with colored pencil to add details.
We see you posting a lot of sketchbook flip through. How long does it take for you to finish one sketchbook? How often do you draw in your sketchbook?
It’s kind of hard to say! Right now, I’m working on so many different sketchbooks at once that I’m not really sure how long it will take me to complete them. I draw in my sketchbook every day during a good week, but sometimes I have other things going on and have to skip a day or days.
What is your favorite Pentalic product?
I love the Pentalic Traveler Pocket Journals. They are so tiny which makes working in them super convenient for me. If I’m rushing to have something to post on Instagram the next day, I always pull out this sketchbook for some fast, fun sketching.
In the beginning stages of trying to establish a style many of us artists may have some doubts about if people will like our style or be able to connect to it. What advice can you give to help other artist be brave to pursue their style?
This can definitely be tough, but no style is going to relate to everyone. I think it’s important to know where your work fits. Some styles work perfectly for children’s book where other styles are better suited for editorial where other styles are perfect for fine art. In my opinion, as long as a style looks modern, there’s almost always a place for it. You just have to work to find your audience!
Follow Molly Egan on Instagram @mollytheillustrator
