Hello Elise! Could you please introduce yourself and give us a glimpse into what keeps you busy day to day?
Hello! I’m Elise, a freelance illustrator and designer based in Melbourne. My days are usually a mix of different projects. Sometimes there’s more design, sometimes there’s more illustration but my favourite days are when I get to bring both sets of skills to a project.
Could you share the story behind your wonderful Tsuno artwork on our Regular Tampons?
I wanted to explore the idea of the spiritual energy of women in relationship to our cycle and how it allows us to connect to a deeper part of ourselves. I also wanted to explore the importance of embracing the changes in our energy and mood so that we learn to work with our bodies, rather than against them. As I've gotten older, I've found that understanding my cycle more has given me a better understanding and connection to myself which I find interesting.
Would you mind sharing a few of your favourite projects or pieces you've worked on?
I’ve been really lucky to work on some great projects. One of my favourites are the wine labels for Fringe Société. The brief was to create quirky characters from the flavour notes on the wines. It’s a bit of a different style from my usual work but I like how they came out.
Another more recent set of wine labels for Neleman Wines were also really fun to work on. This one I named after Oolong tea so I created an image of a woman drinking tea on the vine leaves.
Working on The Alby with Studio Payne was really fun. The Alby is a restaurant & bar in Canberra with a games room in the basement. It was cool to see my illustrations used on across many different applications from t-shirts to a light fitting. I was able to build on my animation skills and I even got to design my first mural for the staircase.
I also love exploring the female form in my personal work!
Some artists find that their menstrual cycle brings about a different perspective. Have you experienced this in your own work?
I can definitely relate to my cycle affecting my work. When I was younger I didn’t see the connection between my mood and creative levels with my cycle but in the last few years I’ve learnt a lot more about it and how if affects me at different times of the month. Having that understanding has allowed me to be a bit more forgiving on those days when I’m not feeling very creative. In the past, I would've worried about it but now that I understand why, I know that I will feel more energised and creative another time.
What's been inspiring you this week?
This week I’ve been inspired by black and terracotta Ancient Greek vases. I love the style of the style of the figures, the graphic nature of them and the way they tell a story.