Lorelei Ivory
@ivory_sketching
Printmaker, illustrator and artist
Favourite song to get down to
Lost in Japan – Shawn Mendes / Big Lie – Post Malone
How did you get your start as an artist?
I’ve always been doodling but I started to take art more seriously around Year 8 to help distract me from family problems. I played the card game Pokemon back then and would draw the images that would be on the cards. I'm sure that’s what started it for me.
I think in Year 9/10 is when I decided that I want to go to university to study art and make something out of what I was doing. I was really passionate about creating work I wanted people to see them. My art classes in high school were where I felt at home the most. Even now that I'm studying a Fine Arts degree, I still feel the same way.
Name some projects/ collaborations you’re are currently working on and how these came about.
I'm currently studying at the National Art School for printmaking in Sydney. A lot of the projects I'm working on are for assessments. For personal projects, I'm currently working on making a few zines around fashion and pigeons, along with figuring out character designs and background stories for a comic I want to produce. I've also pumped out a bunch of lino cuts for the open day at the NAS earlier this month.
Describe some of your favourite past works, and what made them meaningful.
For me, it’s always exciting to look back on my past works. Even if they aren’t the best, they helped shaped my work into what it is today. However, my favourite and most meaningful one would have to be the series of drawings I created for HSC. It helped me come to terms with a hardship that I experienced in my childhood while being able to throw my love for birds into it. It was a series consisting of about 15 drawings and I remember putting all my lunch times into it to get it done on time.
Tell us a little bit about your creative process.
It's a lot of thinking and sketching. I'm usually always observing people around me at cafes or on public transport. I also love to scroll through Pinterest! I always find something I want to draw on there. I'll usually pluck sketches out from my sketchbooks to make finished works. I'm a firm believer in drawing every day even if it is just doodles or studies. I'm always scared I'll stop drawing for a long period of time and won't be able to draw normally. I love that along the way my ideas usually change and I'll come out with a completely different work then I had planned. I like the unexpected adventure that comes with making artworks.
What themes do you explore in your work?
The everyday. Most things fascinate me or make me wonder for hours. I'm curious on how people think and interact with one another or how they interact with wild life/creatures. I like exploring the body as well, in terms of weight, shapes and the way it moves. Human anatomy has always been a big factor in my drawing. Birds and plants have recently become a second and third obsession that has moved into my work in the past two years.
Can you talk about your online presence?
I'm usually on Instagram, Twitter or Etsy. I love Instagram and I spend a lot of my time on it, which isn't the best thing when I think about it. But I love having it has an archive of my work to scroll down and look back on. I'm also really grateful for the connections and friendships I've made through posting work online. If I didn't post my work online I won't have made so many great friends. I also think it has helped me become more social and being more open about my drawings in real life. I worry less about drawing in public now.
How do you view the role of social media to artistic practice?
I think social media has strengthened artistic practice. Artists are able to be in contact more and make collaborations happen. People are able to see what artists are creating and are able to keep update with work. With social media, people are able to support artists and give feedback. It's also really good for critique. A lot of the feedback I get has helped me a lot. It also helps give ideas to artists as well on what they might want to create or want to sell.
What are some other artists you love?
Audra Auclair, James Jean, Sha'an d'Anthes, Neva Hosking, Lanajay_Art and Kim Jung Gyu to name a few.
What does the future hold for you? Which upcoming collaborations/projects are you most excited about and how do you see your practice developing?
At this point in time I'm not sure, I'm in my second year of printmaking and I'm currently working in an art store. A project for NAS that we are doing will be exhibited later on next year around a few of the universities, I'm excited for that. I'm hoping my practice will keep leaning towards practicing art or art that helps a cause, but I also would love to go into fashion design. The future has so many opportunities but I'm busy trying to catch the ones I can now. I'm hoping to find a style that people may notice as mine, but for now I'm just happy with what I'm currently doing. I'm hoping to bring more produces to my Esty store in the near future at etsy.com/au/shop/IvorySketching.
