FK chats to artist Alana with a talent for turning her hand drawn happiness into something special with her label, She Eats Paper. Debuting at the upcoming Melbourne Markets!
Tell us a bit about She Eats Paper and what we can expect to discover?
she eats paper gives people a bit of hand drawn happiness. I have turned my simple hand drawn pencil and watercolour illustrations into cards and wrapping paper. The cards, envelopes and wrapping paper are 100% recycled paper. My hope is for you to re use the card and put in a frame for some wall art so you don’t throw it away. The wrapping paper is also not just for wrapping but for creating.
What is your creative background and how did it lead you to where you are today?
Art runs in my family. My mum’s a painter and my brother is a graphic designer and I love to draw. I’ve always loved art and any spare chance I get, I love to sit and try new things. I never had the desire to head to university, but have done a variety of art courses and just practiced works of art at my own leisure. I’ve always loved unique cards to top a gift and I want to use my art to make people smile too. It’s like giving someone a hug without even touching them. So finally, here it is!
What inspires your work and what keeps you motivated creatively?
God’s beauty in nature, the elegance in simple things, my love of creativity, and wanting to make people smile. Being a mum of two, I’m so busy showing them all my love during the day so it’s nice to have something I can work on at night that’s something for me, my second favourite job.
What materials and mediums do you enjoy working with and exploring and what other areas would you like to explore or expand into?
Pencil and water colour are my favourite to work with. I have been experimenting with copic markers of late which is quite fun. I have done print making in the past which was great but I still prefer what I’m doing now. I’d like to expand my wrapping paper range and I’m currently working on larger than normal Christmas tags using my pencil and water colour illustrations.
Describe your workspace and surroundings and what is your creative process?
Being in a rental, it’s been hard to have the space I’d ideally like to work but even though we are in a small house, we are surrounded by lush rainforest, so I love looking out the louvers at my table and creating with the valley breeze and sunlight flowing in on my paper.
I’m quite a minimalist too, so no clutter is the key so there’s room to imagine and create. This follows in my art I guess, I start with led and end with splashes of colour here and there. I then get them professionally scanned and my brother, Kenton Gribble who is a graphic designer does the layout design and then they are sent to the printer for printing.
What challenges have you faced starting your own label, and what are some things you love about it?
I’ve been wanting to do this for years but finding the time and space, as a mum with two kids, has been challenging. It did take me quite a few months sitting down in their nap times and at night drawing away, slowly getting a collection of art together. I love seeing which cards are more popular than others which helps me get an idea of what people are after. I have also loved working with my brother, Kenton Gribble and stitch press to create some new exciting cards with touches of gold added to my hand drawn illustrations.
What has been your favourite project/collaboration to work on?
I really enjoyed working with stitch press on the gold foil cards. I’m currently working on a card collaboration with ‘Hope & May’ exclusive to their store. It was a real joy collaborating with Bryan from Sawdust Bureau. He came up with the great idea of having cardboard legs underneath beautiful recycled natural messmate wood which goes with my ‘she eats paper’ ethos. Check him out at www.sawdustbureau.com.au
What can we expect to see from She Eats Paper at the upcoming Melbourne Markets?
You can expect to see many of my cards sold individually or as box sets of 8 (cards of your choice). You will also see my designs as double sided wrapping paper all printed on 100% recycled paper. I’m looking forward to meeting you at Melbourne Finders Keepers!
Image credits: By Glenn Saggers from www.threadlessfilms.com.au