Illustrator Interview:  Estelle Morris

Illustrator Estelle Morris

Illustrator Estelle Morris

Estelle Morris has made the cover art for Dutch Barn’s “About Time” EP on EardrumsPop, and this is our illustrator interview with her. So, who are you, Estelle?

I’m a twenty-five year old freelance illustrator and moved to  London very recently, so I’m still exploring the city and taking
in as much as I can
. My work usually involves people, objects and moments – I find everyday things very fascinating and like to re-
imagine them within my illustrations and designs.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on an illustrated visual ‘map’ of creative writing prompts for an online company, as well as a commission for some
educational worksheets and books. I’m really looking forward to working on some personal projects I’ve had in mind for a while, I
want to make some promotional bits to send out to clients and work on a zine!

"Myths of the near future" by Estelle Morris.

“Myths of the near future” by Estelle Morris.

What are your favourite tools?

Pencils, Indian ink and dip pens, scanner, illustrator, Photoshop, collected paper and textures.

What’s your favorite color?

I like very muted colours; taupe, soft greys and whites
.

How  did you get started in the illustration/art-field?

I knew from an early age that I wanted to be an artist and always
adored drawing and making things. I went on to study fashion
design at College and then illustration at University, so having
that creative variety has pushed my work in various directions and
styles
.

I also work with graphic design and clothing, as well as working
on film sets as an art department assistant. I love the variety
and doing something different every day.

Lu Flux AW11 (Amelias Magazine) - by Estelle Morris

Lu Flux AW11 (Amelias Magazine) – by Estelle Morris

How did you develop your style? Is it different now than when you
started?

I still feel as though my visual style is developing and it will
probably always continue to do so. It has actually changed the
most since graduating, from teaching myself how to use Photoshop
and Illustrator which allowed me to be far more experimentational
with my work and not worry about ruining originals.

I’ve become far more interested in graphic design and type
recently too, which has influenced my style a lot and allows me to
design layouts as well as create individual illustrations.

 

Cover art for Dutch Barn's EP on EardrumsPop, by Estelle Morris.

Cover art for Dutch Barn’s EP on EardrumsPop, by Estelle Morris.


Please tell us about the process of making the EardrumsPop-cover! Is this the way you usually work?

I started by listening to Dutch Barn’s music (which I like a lot)
noting down lyrics and doodling ideas. The references to cherry
pie in one of the songs really stuck out to me and I loved the
simple visual of a pie slice. From there I created the main image
from scanned painted paper and then hand drew all the figures. It
was fun rotating and resizing them to fit inside the pie!

I wanted to create something simple, striking and yet quite odd,
which are the qualities I always strive for in my illustrations.
Every project is different but I always start by collecting visual
references and experiment. I have a loose final image in mind but
this often changes.

Who / what are your greatest Visual Inspirations?

I sketch people out and about whenever I get the chance; I like
interesting faces and imperfections. Artists such as Egon Schiele
and Gustav Klimt are great inspiration to me, as well as
contemporary illustrators like David Hughes.

Bombay Bicycle Club - by Estelle Morris.

Entry for Secret 7 Competition – Bombay Bicycle Club, ‘Words have gone’ – by Estelle Morris.

Is music or other forms of art an inspiration?

Yes, I always have music playing when I working and like quite an
eclectic mix from post-hardcore to rap
. I find background music
very calming and it allows me to fully escape in the creative
process

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.

Describe an average working day.

I like to start the day with a black coffee and pancakes, then
answer any emails and read my favourite blogs. I prioritise
commissions/personal projects and usually work all day and into
the evening. At the moment I work from home but would love to have
a studio space in London at some point.

"The Controller", by Estelle Morris.

“The Controller”, by Estelle Morris.

What are your future plans? Any exciting things you are looking forward to?

Being a freelance illustrator was my biggest ambition and I feel
very lucky and excited to be doing that at the moment. I am in a
very early stage though and it’s both scary and exhilarating to be
on this path!

I look forward to living in London for a few years to come, and
hope to travel a lot more
. The fact I can work from anywhere in
the world is wonderful and I hope to be able to do just that. As
for future plans, I’m going to just take everything that comes and
be the best I can.

What question and answer would you like to end this interview with?

Am I taking on commissions? – Yes!

"Where the styled things are", by Estelle Morris

“Where the styled things are”, by Estelle Morris

See more from Estelle Morris on her websites:

http://www.estellemorris.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/morrisdancerillustration