P.S. I want to say a big huge welcome to all LA readers; I'm so glad you stopped by!
Tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
I grew up in Auckland - and after a bit of tripping around have ended up pretty much back in the same place I started (which is fine by me : )). I live in a house with my most excellent husband Josh, my sis-in-law, my cousin-in-law, my ragdoll cat Gussie, and a goldfish called Frank. I'm 28, and a was a little bit of a late-starter when it came to pursuing art. After leaving school I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with myself, so went to work, and only started studying animation at the beginning of last year. I don't regret a thing tho - what has been so awesome about my working 'career' so far is that it has taught me that if you are a creative, you can utilize your creativity in whatever context you are in; in my case - from window dressing and displays in a fancy kitchenware store - to wrapping 200 corporate gifts with big fancy bows when working at a law firm (true story)! Also, it just goes to show that you are never 'too old'. Age should never be a factor in stopping someone from giving a dream a go. I know I still have a really really long way to go with my art - but that's part of what I love about it - there is ALWAYS more to learn - and sooo many people to learn from and be inspired by! Awesome right? : )
Why did you choose to study animation?
I had never considered animation as a job - I really wish someone had told me about it earlier! I went into the course at Freelance because I wanted to pursue illustration and wanted a course that was really hands on and would massively hone my drawing skills. And boy have I got that! I never anticipated that I would develop such a love of animation itself. It's an amazing skill, and it gives you a whole new appreciation of the animated films that we grew up watching and taking for granted.
What is your dream job?
Wow this is a tough one. I do want to continue illustration - it had always been my dream job since primary school (and I never thought it would happen). After learning more about the animation process, and developing a real love for the art form, it would be amazingly awesome to work as a visual development artist - if only to be able to work with other amazing people and learn as much as I could off them!
What are your favourite art materials?
I used to work mostly with paint back in the day - and, although I haven't had heaps of time for it recently I would love to get back into mixed media and painting. Also want to dabble more in water colour. I've also been trying to learn to use digital media more and that has been fun. Probably the most influential materials in my life however have been colour pencils. I feel really comfortable with them. I had some really nice water colour pencils in high school that I used to use to paint pictures all over my friend's arms which was fun. If was introduced to my mate's mums they usually exclaimed, "Oh, so you're the one who sends my daughter home covered in artwork". Hehe yup.
Where do you get inspiration from?
I am loving the blogsphere - there are so many amazingly talented people out there, who are so willing to share their skills and knowledge. I am also quite a movie addict - so definitely refer a lot to movies for atmosphere, colour, perspective etc. My friends and family are also an excellent resource, I am blessed to be surrounded by very clever and creative people.
Do you do commissions? (and if yes, how can someone get hold of you?)
I sure do! The best way to get in touch would be just by popping me through an email - or contacting me via my blog...
Where can someone go to see more of your work?
... that's at http://handrawn2011.blogspot.com/
A massive thank you to Hannah for sharing an insight into her artistic world. Make sure you pop over to her blog and say hi.
Have a great Friday everyone!
Rhiannon xxx
