Introducing Tea & Crayons: Rachel Lewis

Name/Location: 
Rachel Lewis - London

Describe your style and how you work: 
My style is very much a blend of the hand-rendered and digital - all of the components of my pieces are drawn, painted, found or scanned, I then assemble it all using Photoshop or Illustrator and tweak pieces that way. I find this way a lot quicker for commercial pieces and also gives the opportunity for endless experimenting. I love a bit of old fashioned messy collage though, and want to try and start working more analogue.

What/Who inspires you: 
Everyday strangeness and found things; from shopping lists to old postcards. Fashion, advertising, new trends, baking, the future and the past all inspire me. I love the old Bauhaus movements; futurism, vorticism and de stijl, anything graphic and typographic with a strong sense of identity.

Favourite type of illustration to work on: 
Editorial pieces are my favourite because of the often short time constraints and the immediacy of the content; I love commenting on current and social issues, and editorial illustrations will often be commissioned to be published the following week. I love the challenge and deadlines that go with that. I also love working on advertising and marketing campaigns; it's my ambition to be commissioned for a big brand's campaign!

Proudest moment of your career so far: 
There's been a few - being shortlisted for the 2009 Penguin Design Award, and more recently, having an interview and my work published in the Australian fashion & lifestyle magazine, Cleo.

Ambitions for the next 5 years: 
To gain enough commissions to be able to work full time as a freelance illustrator, as well as pursuing collaborations with creative agencies and other fulfilling stuff :)

Favourite Tea? 
Chai, or fruity/herbal - can't stand the normal stuff. I'd much prefer Coffee & Crayons ;)

Favourite Crayon Colour? 
Pink

Guilty Pleasure: 
X-Factor! And also M&S Percy Pigs. Nom nom.

If you were an animal you would be:
A cat... or a lion. Rawr.

Cake or Curtains? 
Cake. Always, always cake. Although, living without curtains wouldn't be nice. And curtains don't make you fat.

Dogs or Dancing? 
Hmmm. Dancing? I love my dog though. Dancing with dogs?

http://www.rachelsayshello.com
Twitter: @rachillustrates