Get me on a
tote bag.
Taken from the
What I Wore Today Journal.
Check out our latest edition of Through the Keyhole where we are delving into the lives and studios of some of our favourite creatives - this month we have picked the dreamy drawer that is Gemma Correll.
Gemma Correll is definitely one of Lazy Oaf's favourite illustrators. Located in the city of Norwich, Gemma spends her days drawing pictures of people and pets that get turned into hand printed cards, tote bags, T-shirts or stay looking pretty on paper. Alongside her
Etsy shop, Gemma has a whole list of exhibitions, collaborations and publications under her belt - we have recently loved her work with
Fred Flare. Her
FlickR is where you can catch all her latest doodles. Check out her own take on the Lookbook.nu generation;
What I Wore Today, where she has hand drawn all her outfits.
Lazy Oaf and Gemma Correll go way back, our very own Gemma Shiel once made her the grossest cup of tea, sorry! But we recently had the pleasure of working with Gemma again when she took part in our Drawing Club back in April - remember
this. We also stock her
Pugs Not Drugs Tote Bag and
Christmas cards which have quite literally flown off the shelves. We also have an exciting product for the new year but this is top secret so far!
Unfortunately we couldn't make it down to Norwich so instead Gemma kindly took some photos of her working space for us and answered some questions about it. Read below to find out about her pug plans, coffee cravings and suitcase collections.
Please introduce yourself
I'm Gemma Correll, I'm an Illustrator and at the moment I live in the "Fine City" of Norwich.
What is keeping you busy at the moment?
Christmas orders! This time of year is crazy. (I'm sure you know all about that over at Lazy Oaf towers). I've been busy making and packaging orders from my Etsy shop, and sending things to the shops that stock my products. I've also been busy designing T-shirts for a couple of US-based companies, which is quite exciting.
How would you describe the space that you work in?
Teeny tiny... you could also call it 'cramped'. I work from home at the moment, in what is really meant to be the spare room. My boyfriend is a designer too, and he works in the living room! I'm hoping to get myself a bigger studio soon, but I'm not sure if it will be at home or somewhere else. I definItely need to get myself some shelves and a bigger desk.
In what ways do you think your creative space effects your design process? Would you say it was more of a distraction or inspiration?
I feel quite cosy in my little studio because I'm surrounded by pretty things, like postcards from my favourite artists, Pug paraphernalia and my vintage suitcase collection, which serves as storage. It's nice that I don't have to go outside when it's freezing cold or raining. Working from home can be very distracting though, it's too easy to procrastinate by doing the washing up, or making seventeen cups of coffee. I'd like to move to a new studio soon, but it has to be warm and cosy and have some kind of hot drink making facility.
You LOVE pugs (us too!), when did this obsession begin and are you ever going to get your hands on a little one?
I'm not exactly sure when or why I became so obsessed with pugs. I used to be more of a cat person.
The plan is to purchase a little boy pug next spring. Not sure if he'll be a black or fawn pug. If I can't decide, I suppose I'll have to get one of each.
Is there one picture up on your wall at the moment that keeps catching your eye?
Apart from the life sized pug photo... I have a Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch drawing which I bought a year ago at Giant Robot in San Francisco. I blew most of my holiday budget on it because I wanted to buy it there and then before anyone else got their grubby little hands on it, but it was worth it... I love his work and I'm pretty sure he's going to be very famous very soon. So, it was more of an investment that an impulse buy, right?
What is your most treasured possession?
For practical reasons, I'd say my Macbook. For purely sentimental value, I have a little picture viewer thing in the shape of a house that I bought from a car boot sale for 20p. It's shaped like a Swiss chalet and made of plastic. It's perfectly kitsch and I love it.
What has inspired your designs recently?
I've been collecting vintage children's annuals for years and I've been looking through them a lot recently. I like the simplicity of the illustrations and the way the artists worked with limited colour palettes and halftones to create the illustrations. I also enjoy reading the stories, which are frequently hilarious, although sometimes borderline racist/very sexist.
Are you enjoying anyone elses work?
I've been experimenting with collage again recently, so I'm enjoying work by artists like Sandra Juto and Camilla Engman. Scandinavian illustrators tend to be really good at using beautiful, muted pastel tones in their work, which I really like. If the world looked like a Wes Anderson movie, I think it would be a much better place to live... or at least prettier. I've also just read Graham Rawle's "Women's World" graphic novel, which was amazing and very inspirational.
When you were younger what did you dream of being when you grew up?
I've always wanted to be an illustrator, although I also entertained thoughts of becoming a teacher, a translator or owning a sanctuary for kittens in need of cuddles. But really, I knew that I wanted to write and illustrate from an early age. I used to scour the house for old notebooks and then fill them with stories and drawings. I made my first comic at primary school. It was called The Chatterbox and I would sellotape a free penny sweet on the front and sell it at school for 20p.
Where is your favourite place to hangout?
I spend too much time working to really hang out anywhere. I'm more likely to spent time in a café or bar if I'm visiting friends in another city. If I'm in London, I like going to the All Star Lanes on Brick Lane for milkshakes, followed by a falafel wrap at Leon in Spitalfields. Yum. Once I have my pug, my new favourite hang out spot will probably be the park!
What snack/beverage is keep you going in your studio at the moment?
Lots and lots of coffee, with Jaffa cakes. Or sour cream and chive Pringles.
What is your dream holiday destination?
I really, really want to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina. And Japan, so that I can fill suitcases with stationary and sesame flavoured sweets.
Find out more at
www.gemmacorrell.com and keep your eye on the site as we have more Gemma Correll goodies on their way.
x
Get me on a tote bag.
Taken from the What I Wore Today Journal.
Check out our latest edition of Through the Keyhole where we are delving into the lives and studios of some of our favourite creatives - this month we have picked the dreamy drawer that is Gemma Correll.
Gemma Correll is definitely one of Lazy Oaf's favourite illustrators. Located in the city of Norwich, Gemma spends her days drawing pictures of people and pets that get turned into hand printed cards, tote bags, T-shirts or stay looking pretty on paper. Alongside her Etsy shop, Gemma has a whole list of exhibitions, collaborations and publications under her belt - we have recently loved her work with Fred Flare. Her FlickR is where you can catch all her latest doodles. Check out her own take on the Lookbook.nu generation; What I Wore Today, where she has hand drawn all her outfits.
Lazy Oaf and Gemma Correll go way back, our very own Gemma Shiel once made her the grossest cup of tea, sorry! But we recently had the pleasure of working with Gemma again when she took part in our Drawing Club back in April - remember this. We also stock her Pugs Not Drugs Tote Bag and Christmas cards which have quite literally flown off the shelves. We also have an exciting product for the new year but this is top secret so far!
Unfortunately we couldn't make it down to Norwich so instead Gemma kindly took some photos of her working space for us and answered some questions about it. Read below to find out about her pug plans, coffee cravings and suitcase collections.
Please introduce yourself
I'm Gemma Correll, I'm an Illustrator and at the moment I live in the "Fine City" of Norwich.
What is keeping you busy at the moment?
Christmas orders! This time of year is crazy. (I'm sure you know all about that over at Lazy Oaf towers). I've been busy making and packaging orders from my Etsy shop, and sending things to the shops that stock my products. I've also been busy designing T-shirts for a couple of US-based companies, which is quite exciting.
How would you describe the space that you work in?
Teeny tiny... you could also call it 'cramped'. I work from home at the moment, in what is really meant to be the spare room. My boyfriend is a designer too, and he works in the living room! I'm hoping to get myself a bigger studio soon, but I'm not sure if it will be at home or somewhere else. I definItely need to get myself some shelves and a bigger desk.
In what ways do you think your creative space effects your design process? Would you say it was more of a distraction or inspiration?
I feel quite cosy in my little studio because I'm surrounded by pretty things, like postcards from my favourite artists, Pug paraphernalia and my vintage suitcase collection, which serves as storage. It's nice that I don't have to go outside when it's freezing cold or raining. Working from home can be very distracting though, it's too easy to procrastinate by doing the washing up, or making seventeen cups of coffee. I'd like to move to a new studio soon, but it has to be warm and cosy and have some kind of hot drink making facility.
You LOVE pugs (us too!), when did this obsession begin and are you ever going to get your hands on a little one?
I'm not exactly sure when or why I became so obsessed with pugs. I used to be more of a cat person.
The plan is to purchase a little boy pug next spring. Not sure if he'll be a black or fawn pug. If I can't decide, I suppose I'll have to get one of each.
Is there one picture up on your wall at the moment that keeps catching your eye?
Apart from the life sized pug photo... I have a Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch drawing which I bought a year ago at Giant Robot in San Francisco. I blew most of my holiday budget on it because I wanted to buy it there and then before anyone else got their grubby little hands on it, but it was worth it... I love his work and I'm pretty sure he's going to be very famous very soon. So, it was more of an investment that an impulse buy, right?
What is your most treasured possession?
For practical reasons, I'd say my Macbook. For purely sentimental value, I have a little picture viewer thing in the shape of a house that I bought from a car boot sale for 20p. It's shaped like a Swiss chalet and made of plastic. It's perfectly kitsch and I love it.
What has inspired your designs recently?
I've been collecting vintage children's annuals for years and I've been looking through them a lot recently. I like the simplicity of the illustrations and the way the artists worked with limited colour palettes and halftones to create the illustrations. I also enjoy reading the stories, which are frequently hilarious, although sometimes borderline racist/very sexist.
Are you enjoying anyone elses work?
I've been experimenting with collage again recently, so I'm enjoying work by artists like Sandra Juto and Camilla Engman. Scandinavian illustrators tend to be really good at using beautiful, muted pastel tones in their work, which I really like. If the world looked like a Wes Anderson movie, I think it would be a much better place to live... or at least prettier. I've also just read Graham Rawle's "Women's World" graphic novel, which was amazing and very inspirational.
When you were younger what did you dream of being when you grew up?
I've always wanted to be an illustrator, although I also entertained thoughts of becoming a teacher, a translator or owning a sanctuary for kittens in need of cuddles. But really, I knew that I wanted to write and illustrate from an early age. I used to scour the house for old notebooks and then fill them with stories and drawings. I made my first comic at primary school. It was called The Chatterbox and I would sellotape a free penny sweet on the front and sell it at school for 20p.
Where is your favourite place to hangout?
I spend too much time working to really hang out anywhere. I'm more likely to spent time in a café or bar if I'm visiting friends in another city. If I'm in London, I like going to the All Star Lanes on Brick Lane for milkshakes, followed by a falafel wrap at Leon in Spitalfields. Yum. Once I have my pug, my new favourite hang out spot will probably be the park!
What snack/beverage is keep you going in your studio at the moment?
Lots and lots of coffee, with Jaffa cakes. Or sour cream and chive Pringles.
What is your dream holiday destination?
I really, really want to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina. And Japan, so that I can fill suitcases with stationary and sesame flavoured sweets.
Find out more at www.gemmacorrell.com and keep your eye on the site as we have more Gemma Correll goodies on their way.
x
