Interview with illustrator Carla McRae
The very talented illustrator and designer, Carla McRae graduated from Sunshine Coast University with a Bachelor of Design and Communication. She recently moved to Melbourne for a change of scenery, but also to immerse herself in the city’s creativity and culture.
Carla’s illustrations are quirky and fun, with a mixture of strong lines, pen, and pencil. She’s highly influenced by the comics and cartoons of her childhood in the 90’s.
How does she work? Preferring to develop solid line work first, she then jumps into Photoshop to colour digitally. On the other hand, sometimes she’ll draw straight into Photoshop with her Wacom.
You might have seen her work as it’s been published in Desktop and The Walkley Magazines as well as the 2012 Semi-Permanent Book.
More recently, Carla completed the album artwork for the local Byron Bay band, Wilde Child; was a daily designer for Made In The Now, and created a series of works for a little exhibition in Sol Breads, West End.
For more of Carla’s illustrations, visit her portfolio website or purchase her art.
How have you got to where you are today?
Well, I have been drawing for as long as I can remember and was always the ‘art kid’ throughout school. Always really attracted to the visual aspects of things growing up – video game booklets, album artwork, comics, and cartoons – and would constantly be sitting at the coffee table with my pencils emulating them.
When I finished high school, I dove straight into a graphic design and communication degree which I completed at the end of last year. Right now I’m getting my network on, emailing, pestering and getting out trying to meet people who are into the same stuff as me in hope of grabbing more of those illustration projects!
In a few words, describe yourself…
I am a slightly kooky, print-obsessed girl with a penchant for pastels and textas.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
Creating a few new works for a little exhibition I’ve got at Sol Breads for the whole of September. I’m also looking into the whole textiles deal and getting some fabric printed for some one-off tee’s. Also exploring the art scene in Melbourne is a lot of fun right now!
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
Usually, I’ll sit down with a hot beverage of some kind and pop my headphones on. I listen to music with the kind of vibe I’m looking for in the work… I find it helps me get into a good head-space and focus, and also gets me into a bit of a rhythm. Sometimes I’ll dive straight into a piece if I have visualised it in my head fully beforehand and finish it up real quick, and other times it takes a bit of doodling, sketching, dummy-spitting, and re-working to come to a result I’m happy with.
What or who inspires you?
A pretty broad range of things can inspire me. It could be a film, photograph, music, reading about or meeting with other creatives… That gets me pretty pumped. Getting outside, taking a walk, and seeing people in the streets, on public transport, overheard conversations.
I am also totally inspired by young Australian artists who are doing well right now like Ghostpatrol and Mel Stringer. Also, overseas guys such as McBess, Milkbbi, Ines Estrada of Cafe Con Leche, Michael Deforge. And, of course, the classic Hayao Miyazaki. He is all-time.
What are you most proud of?
I guess at the moment, I am most proud of my work being published in Australian media. It’s exciting seeing your work in print.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I think for some time I wanted to be a dinosaur. Which was obviously an entirely realistic career option.
