Flora Waycott, an illustrator from New Zealand, made this colorful fruit bowl. In Flow Weekly #34 you’ll find a tutorial how to draw this and on our blog she tells more about her work and life in Wellington.
You can find the tutorial here.
Can you tell us something about yourself & your work?
‘I am a freelance illustrator currently based in Wellington, New Zealand. My father is English and my mother is Japanese and when I was six years old we moved to live in Japan for five years. This experience really cemented the fact that I wanted to be an artist and I am always curious to learn of new cultures and have new experiences. We moved back to England where I finished school and went to university, then seven years ago I came to live in New Zealand. I love to take inspiration from travel and my different backgrounds, as well as seeking things to draw close to where I live.’
How would you describe your work?
‘My work is delicate, charming and has a playful quality to it. I love playing with colour and choosing colour palettes – sometimes with unexpected results! I use a lot of elements of nature in my work and try to create work which is sophisticated but sweet at the same time.’
Which materials did you use for your illustrations in Flow Weekly?
‘For this fruit tutorial, I used gouache paints and black ink. I have a beautiful nib pen which a friend gave me when I was 18 when I started art school in England. I used it in this illustration of the bowls and the writing – I love the unexpected lines you get from a nib pen. I recently bought some new nibs which I have been experimenting with. The fruit is painted using gouache – I like how gouache gives a depth of colour – it still feels delicate but you can achieve really bold colours.’
What do you like most about your work? Or what do you like to draw mostly?
‘I mostly like to draw plants and flowers – I love the abundance of shapes and details that are out there and they often feature in my work. Secondly I love to draw anything kitchen related – teapots, bowls, cups, kitchen utensils… I love to spend a long time in kitchenware stores just looking at everything and also hunting for one-off, vintage finds. I like how my work has evolved over the years and learning what I like and don’t like in terms of subject matter or materials.’
Where do you work and how does your office/workspace look like?
‘I work from home in our spare room, but I also like to spread my work out on the living room table as there is good light in there. I have just bought a new desk and it is nice and long so I have lots of room for my computer, my favourite books and lots and lots of pens. I have some lovely paper items and stationery from Japan and on the wall in front of me are pictures of plants, some work by my favourite artists and family photos.’
How is life as an artist in New Zealand?
‘New Zealand is a great place to be for an artist; the population is very small so a lot of creatives know each other and support each other. I do miss being around lots of museums and galleries and a bustling city, but it is a different sort of pace here. I find I can escape in to my own thoughts a lot easier and do my own thing. I love to go for walks by the sea if I need to refresh – and then come home with lots of new ideas to start new pieces.’
Do you want to see more of Flora Waycott? Please take a look at her website or watch her tutorial in Flow Weekly #34 (Please note: Flow Weekly is currently only available in Dutch, but we hope that won’t deter you from getting one and enjoying all the lovely things inside!).
