Aquariann is another fairly new member to Team SquidEtsy, and she's taken off with a bang. She has a number of lenses on Squidoo already, including one about her art. She creates fantastical drawings of fairies and other magical creatures and turns them into everything from prints and cards to bookmarks and magnets. She's taken a few minutes to answer some questions about her work and interests: read on.
Tell us about your art? I never did very well in formal drawing classes. I didn't enjoy standing up and trying to draw on a vertical surface, nor did I like any of the messy mediums I was instructed to use. Squinting at still lives and being graded on art wasn't fun. It wasn't until I started drawing what, where and how I wanted, without worrying about anyone else's opinion, that I started considering myself an "artist." By using ink and colored pencils, a 9x12 pad of smooth bristol paper, and my imagination, I'm free to let loose the fantastical world that dances within my mind.
What first inspired you to start drawing? In elementary school, my friends and I used to make up hordes of characters to write into a young adult series. However, I spent way more time drawing the characters and their situations than actually writing about them - a realization that occurred to me much later. It wasn't until college that it dawned on me to seriously try drawing - thanks to a new addiction to anime and comic books, the discovery of modern fantasy artists such as Amy Brown and Jessica Galbreth, and many art history classes where I got to drool over the beauty of 10,000 years of work.
What are you working on right now? In the past, I have used my magic to transform a few of my friends into fairies and my father into a pirate. Right now I am in the process of turning a childhood friend into a mermaid. She is an amazing stock photographer, and when I saw her pose as a mermaid on deviantArt, I was very excited.
How would you like to develop your shop in the future? Besides all the ideas I have for new drawings that I hope to someday put to paper, I'd like to branch out on my products. I'm especially interested in temporary tattoos and shirts, as I've been asked about them a lot.
What's your favorite item in your shop? What a tough decision! For the moment, it would have to be my newest artwork. "Aware" (bottom right image) is a breast cancer awareness fairy inspired by my mom, a survivor of 14 years. The lump was discovered in her breast back in 1994, but was misdiagnosed as benign until six months later. I was in 7th grade at the time, and have never been more scared in my life. The most vivid memory I have of that time isn't waiting in the hospital or helping with the drainage tube - it was when she had to cut her hair because of the chemo. Her hair had flowed to her knees the entire 13 years I'd known her and seeing her without it was a big change. I can't even begin to imagine how tough it was for her to recover from cancer. She is an incredibly strong woman.
What's the most interesting item you've seen on etsy? NoosedKitty was one of the first etsyians I purchased from. Her art is just so unique! Who else would think to draw a narwhal in a bakery?
