Welcome to my monthly interview feature! I’m so
excited to be interviewing all the fabulous artists, illustrators and designers
I’ve meet over the years (both personally and virtually!) and sharing their
artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets Worm. Look for a new interview on the
first Tuesday of every month (and I’ve got some goodies lined up for the new
year!!!).
To kick off the New Year, I’m chatting
up the adorable Illustrator/Designer, Flora Chang! I “met” Flora while
classmates in Lilla Roger’s inaugural Make Art That Sells class and simply
couldn’t get enough of her bright, happy and fun artwork—it just makes you feel
fabulous!!! Flora is a full-time designer at Hallmark Cards during the day and
an avid doodler at night. She is the designer behind her own brand, Happy
Doodle Land, and has also been a featured artist in books such as
"Craft-a-Doodle", "Creative Lettering", and "Playing with Sketches". She loves to draw and creates artwork that will put a
smile on your face. You can see more of Flora's works at
www.HappyDoodleLand.com
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| I want to live here, in happy doodle land! |
Q:
You have worked at Hallmark, which has a stellar reputation for being a
fabulous place to work, for a long time. What is the best thing about being an
in-house artist? What is the worst?
A: The best part is the people and the
resources. I get to work with many talented artists everyday. When you are a
freelance artist, you usually work from home by yourself and it can get lonely
at times. But for me, I get to bounce ideas and learn different techniques from
my fellow artists on daily basis. As for the resources, we have an art library
and art supply store at work, so when I feel like I need a creative refuel, I'd
go to the library and browse the latest magazines and books, and if I am low on
any art supplies, just go to the store at 9F—it's so convenient.
Of course, there are also disadvantages
of being an in-house artist. The biggest one for me is the limitation on what
kind of freelance projects I am allowed to take on. Since Hallmark produces
products in so many different categories, due to the non-compete policy, there
will be a lot of outside projects I am not allowed to work on. But, when I do
decide to take on any outside projects, I can afford to pick only the ones that
I truly love since freelance is not the main source of my income (because of
another advantage of being an in-house artist, a steady paycheck.)
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| Bright, Bright, Bright!!! |
Q:
Your artwork is so happy & playful. Who, what, where inspires you?
A: I love all kinds of handcrafts and
folk art; I love their organic shapes and forms, apparent hand-of-the-artist
qualities and modesty. I also love children's artworks and find a lot of
inspirations in them. Some of my all time favorite artists are Alexander
Girard, Paul Klee, and Gomi Taro (now you can see why).
Q:
Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: Any Sunday that allows me to sleep in
is a perfect Sunday! I like to go out and have a nice and slow lunch by myself
while reading books on my Kindle. After lunch, I'd go browse local antique
shops and see if I can find any one-of-a-kind treasures. In the evening I'd
have some simple dinner then curl up on my couch and doodle while watching TV.
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| I love these little guys! Don't you?! |
Q:
Talk to us about your artistic process—concept to sketches to final. How do you
begin a project? How do you decide which medium to use? All the details!
A: I am pretty much all digital
nowadays. If it's a work project, I dive right in since I can't spend a lot of
time dwelling on it due to the workload. I will do some really rough sketches
first (just for myself to have a quick idea of the layout and where the
lettering will go) and then I will start right away on the computer. I mostly
use Photoshop for the illustration and Illustrator for the letterings.
Sometimes I scan my hand-drawn linework into Photoshop and then add color,
sometimes I draw everything directly on my computer.
When it comes to personal projects,
since I keep a sketchbook with me and doodle in it all the time, I'd go to my
sketchbook and find some ideas in it that I can further develop, whenever I
want to do some personal pieces.
Q:
What advice would you give to illustrators looking to break into the greeting
card/gift market?
A: I would say it's important to develop
a style that's uniquely your own. I would also think either having a good agent
or displaying your works in trade shows will make it easier to sell your
artworks to greeting card companies. Also, try to refine your hand-lettering
skills if you can; it will be a big plus for you. Be a keen observer of trends.
Have a great sense of colors. And most importantly, create lots and lots of
great icons, seasonal or everyday that can be easily applied to cards or all
kinds of gift products. (Another tip, try to create your artworks digitally
with layers, it will make the card designers' jobs so much easier and they will
love you for that!)
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| Flora's adorable bowl would surely make any meal a joy! |
Q:
Describe your studio space, both at home and at work.
A: My space at work is much more
organized than my space at home. At work I have my own little cubicle and I
keep lots of toys around me. When I say cubicle, it's really more of an
open-sitting situation. We used to have walls but not anymore, but I am
starting to like the openness more and more because it's so much easier to
collaborate with other people this way, and you don't feel as cooped up in your
tiny space all day. At home I have a desk just for computer work and another
desk for more messy works like painting and other stuff. I also have a small
library room on the 2nd floor—sometimes I like to draw in there
while watching TV.
Thank
you so much, Flora, for chatting with us here on Bird Meets Worm! We simply can’t
wait to see what adorable doodle you create next!