Sarah Andreacchio’s illustrations are bold, pretty and enchanting. Cute and simple, they are the epitome of heart-warming eye-goodness. Based in France, this illustrator brings a sprinkling of ’50s retro to her designs. Sarah has a penchant for patterns and an interest in ceramics and collage too, and her work shows an impressive range. Whether it’s a stork or a kitten, she really puts the (more than) able into adorable .
We stock a whole bunch of products by Sarah in our shop including her Well Done Greeting Card, New Home Greeting Card and Good Luck Greeting Card.
We spoke to Sarah about collage, colour, and how Etsy has changed the world.
Can you tell me about your background as an artist?
I’m autodidact. I’ve always been attracted by drawing but I started to draw more seriously four years ago when I met my husband, who is an illustrator too.
You use lots of bright colours and simple shapes, what inspires your designs?
Well, I would say that the starting point is the ’50s, and from there, I turned the clock back! As I didn’t go to art school and I haven’t learned ‘classical drawing’, I’m unable to draw things realistically. At first, I was very confused by this, but I started to schematise what I wanted to draw, and I create some shapes that are now very recurrent in my drawings. One day, my husband told me: ‘drawing is like a language, the more words you have, the more you can talk, so the more shapes you will have, the more you could create the drawings you want to’ , and he was right! I’m inspired by absolutely all styles: Naive, Folk, Abstract. There are good things in all periods, even the Middle Ages’ tapestries are very interesting! Otherwise, as you may have noticed, I prefer to draw animals.
Patterns are a big feature of your work, what about them appeals to you?
I really like patterns because it’s very difficult for me to lead my work towards something narrative, and besides, I do a lot of decorative images. I love patterns because it’s a different way to draw, and colour choices are very important. You have to choose what you want to bring out using bright colours, and what you want to fade. I often do at least 3 or 4 colour ranges for all my drawings and I generally opt for the more flashy and contrasted result!
How did you make your Wolf Original Papercut Mask?
I made this mask very simply using a cutter and I painted it with black gouache. It’s not difficult to do but to tell you the truth, it was quite boring and after a while, your hands hurt a lot! It’s not a coincidence that I didn’t do another one after!
You also use collage and ceramics in your art, what kind of materials and techniques interest you?
Collage and gouache are my favourite techniques because I like manual things. Ceramics were very fun too, even if it took me 6 month to make my fox box! I work a lot with Photoshop but I always have a hand drawing base.
Do you think Etsy has changed the handmade industry?
Yes, I think Etsy is a good way to promote your work and it makes you realise how many talented people there are.
What advice would you give to someone looking to promote their illustration work?
Draw, draw, draw! Share your work on your blog and have an Etsy shop.
To see more of Sarah‘s work check out her portfolio at www.cargocollective.com/sarahandreacchio.