By playing with contrast in a range of different ways, Ellie Andrews has created a unique voice for her illustration work. We take a look at some of the colours, textures and compositions she uses in her images to achieve this.
The dynamics in Ellie’s work come from many different elements, which is how it is so impactful. Strong, bold colours are placed against pastel shades of deep blacks, while flat spaces are set along areas of scanned-in found textures.
She moves from being intricately detailed with her patterns to being more minimal, and plays with varying shapes and forms. Below, she goes into a bit more detail about this process in her work.
I construct my pieces using hand rendered surfaces, dominated by areas of bold colours, harnessed into geometric form. Central to my work is the balance between intricate detail and solid shapes. I create these sections using a selection of media, predominantly acrylic and pastels. This allows for a heightened contrast of textures.
Acquiring the right visual balance of selected colours is an essential element of my practice. I aim to combine crisp clean structures with considered spaciousness, when designing my work.
Through illustration, I am able to present my own brand of image making. On a daily basis I am submersed in visual culture where I can articulate ideas with imagery, by curating and collecting from a vast array of sources. My blog and Instagram are reflective of the subject matter my current projects focus on.
© Ellie Andrews, 2014
