Sunday Spotlight - Illustrator: Erin Wengrovius

I'm kind of really excited to share this week's spotlight as it's showcasing one very talented lady that I've had the pleasure of working with at BUST Magazine. I was first in contact with Erin about two-and-one-half years ago as I was inquiring about an internship in the art department of BUST. It was my favorite magazine ever and I found Erin to be such a doll when we were exchanging emails for the first few months. In May 2009 I headed to NYC on my solo adventure of working under Erin and the other fabulous women at the magazine. I was even more elated when I was invited back in 2010 to do my second stint with the girls. Erin's design style has always inspired me and it was so cool to be able to work so closely with her; this past year especially. Not only is she an incredible designer and illustrator, but she is also such a sweet gal! She's a definite rockstar so when I received a packet of her adorable animal prints in the mail I knew I wanted to showcase her for all of you! Hopefully you'll love the following interview and love her work even more! Enjoy! xo

Hi Erin! We're so excited to have you on Little Chief Honeybee! Just to introduce you to everyone, how about you tell us some interesting tidbits about yourself!

♥ Hey Kaelah! Well, I’m a designer slash illustrator living in Brooklyn, NY (www.erinwengrovius.com). I‘m the Senior Designer at BUST Magazine, which is a woman’s pop-culture magazine. It’s a super fun, girlie environment, I get to meet and work with really rad people (like Kaelah Bee!). I also started my own business last year called Grovius where I sell paintings and prints; you can see them at www.grovius.etsy.com.

 

How long have you been into the whole illustration thing? Did it start by drawing doodles as a child or did you find your passion later in life?

♥ I was drawing ever since I can remember. It is really one of the few things I am good at so I invest a lot of my time working on it. I’ve always been a bit of a sales woman too. When I was a kid I would make little clay animals and sell them at my lemonade stands for a dollar each, I even employed the neighborhood kids to work for me. I guess it’s in my blood. Being able to make a living off my illustrations has always been my dream. It is a slow process but I am getting there. I basically want to be the next Jonathan Adler.

 

You pretty much draw the cutest little animals ever. You also choose a very eclectic mix of species... What is that all about?

♥ I have always loved animals, I remember studying animal atlases and learning all the different kinds of species. Their shapes and patterns fascinate me. The reason you see such an eclectic mix is because I pick animals that have the most interesting shapes and personality. Some animals have silhouettes that are especially unique; those are the animals I get really excited about, like the baboon or the kiwi. Another factor is all my designs are based on the square. If I can draw an animal to fit nicely in a square I will illustrate it. I am still trying to figure out how to fit a narwhale in a square.

 

Do you dabble in any other media of art such as canvas painting, woodworking or anything else equally as awesome?

♥ Yes, I experiment with everything. My favorite medium in acrylic paint which I love painting on wood panels. The fun thing about wood panels is you can use wood stains. It creates this great texture which kind of looks like animal fur so it is perfect for my designs. I also do a lot of digital art, I can’t say enough nice things about Photoshop and Illustrator they have made my life so much easier. Another medium I am exploring at the moment is embroidery. I am working on creating designs for pillows and tea towels.

 

Your style is also pretty refined and specific. Are there other illustrators or artists that you draw inspiration from for this kind of work?

♥ That is actually really nice to hear because I always thought my style was all over the place, there are so many styles I’m inspired by and I want to try them all. My earlier work was very realistic and labor intensive. But I learned over time the beauty of simplicity. I get my inspiration from all over the place. I think Charley Harper is a genius; he is a huge influence. I am a big fan of Orla Kiely’s patterns, Inuit art and Mid-Century modernism as well. Since I commission illustrators where I work I am constantly finding amazing illustrators, I am too shy to list them! It’s almost like telling everyone is school you have a crush on someone.

 

When you're not doodlin' up some darn cute doggies, what can you be found doing? How about a typical day in the life of Erin?

♥ I can’t be found doing much else. I am a total workaholic, as most illustrators I know are. When I am not working or drawing you can find me hanging out with my boyfriend, wandering around Brooklyn and eating! I also love movies and TV, which I watch while I illustrate. I don’t have an actual television set, I just watch everything on the Internet, currently I am obsessed with Peep Show, Trailer Park Boys and Freaks and Geeks. If you have not seen these shows I suggest you watch them right now!

 

Now for a more business-related question! If someone wanted to commission you for a portrait of their pooch or favorite animal, would this be something you'd be open to doing? Would you ever venture into the world of people portraits? I think a whole family photo could be pretty dang cute!

♥ Totally! I have created lots of custom paintings. I can paint anything; I’m not limited to animals. In fact, I love painting portraits. I had been considering doing a series of celebrities portraits on wood panels. I think portraits of James Franco would sell like hot cakes. Maybe I should get started on that. But if anyone out there needs a portrait of his or her aunt Edna, I’m your girl. Just give me an email at hello@erinwengrovius.com.

Any else you'd like to share with the little honeybees?

♥ Yes! If anyone has a cool idea for a project please send me an email, I love to collaborate. That is what’s so amazing about the blog world; it brings people together! 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Thanks to Erin for taking part in this little interview for LCH! I hope you guys love her work and take a chance to check out the rest of her stuff! 

What is your favorite piece in Erin's shop?

You're kind of in love with the Sloth, right?! I know I am! (And peep the little bulldog on the wall up there! I die!)

Street Art

I'll be the first to admit that I was never a huge Banksy fan. Sure, what he did seemed cool and all, but I never really looked into it much. Mike found "Exit Through The Gift Shop" on Netflix Instant Play a few weeks ago and I was compliant to watch it. While I may have always respected Banksy and other work of street artists, I finished the documentary with more of an appreciation for it. Of course then I reblogged the picture above and the following quote, and my adoration for him only grew. I know many may see Banksy and other prolific street artists as being cliche, overrated, and maybe even silly, but I'm glad I was able to see through my somewhat closed-off mind and find a new something to value.

 “The people who run our cities don’t understand graffiti because they think nothing has the right to exist unless it makes a profit. The people who truly deface our neighborhoods are the companies that scrawl giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff. Any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours, it belongs to you, it’s yours to take, rearrange and re-use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.” - Banksy

I think the reason the quote above really struck a chord with me is because it is exactly how I feel about the advertising industry. Even in college, I was hesitant and a little resistant to my advertising class simply because I didn't really agree with it. We were told in school to make a list of our core values and morals as far as jobs go. What we would and would not ever do. One of my values was to never work for a company that seemed misleading... to me, the entire advertising industry is misleading. Maybe that seems a little overdramatic but that's truly how I feel. While I may enjoy buying material goods, being told one side of the story in an incredibly overwhelming manner isn't really my cup of tea.

Have any of you seen "Exit Through the Gift Shop?" If so, what did you think of it?

Who are some of your favorite street artists or projects?