The intersectionality between feminism and illustration is something to be observed and noted. For London artist and illustrator Liz Clements, her work is centered on surreal imagery and muted pastels, featuring portraitures of women in tattooed chest pieces and floral crowns inspired by Pre-Raphaelite traditions, all with a modern twist. Chasseur caught up with the artist curious to find out more about her art.
What had been the driving force for you to pursue illustration?
I was only ever good at drawing so studying illustration seemed like the obvious choice. I studied at Falmouth College of Arts in Cornwall and there have been some really great artist’s to come out of that college so it was a very inspirational place to study.
Could you describe the typical creative process for one of your pieces?
The majority of work I produce is done in pencil which I then scan into Photoshop to add colour. I’ve experimented with other ways of adding colour but I always end up going back to it.
Many of your works feature portraits of very interesting and strong women. What is the inspiration behind this and how much of ‘you’ do you see in them?
There were always Pre-Raphaelite women on the walls at home when I was growing up. Those paintings are full or romanticism and symbolism and this has definitely had an effect on the work I produce now. Some of my pieces are definitely more personal than others and tend to reflect things that I admire or feel about certain things/people.
Almost all of your subjects have several tattoos, creating this sort of meta tattoo-within-an-illustration. What is the significance of tattoos in your work?
Tattoos can be used to communicate all sorts of things so the idea of using them within an illustration is a fun idea to play with. Some images are more serious than others, some are fairly tongue-in-cheek but I think each one has its own little message.
Many of these tattoos feature certain words and names. Is this your way of communicating with your audience or expressing deep personal thoughts?
I base each image around a word or phrase and work from there. Some are more personal than others and reflect things that are going on in my life. Sometimes it can just be a line from a song. The names are often nods to friends and family.
Seeing the popular nature of your work, have you considered taking it a step further and creating real-life tattoos yourself?
Yes I have, watch this space!
What are your favourite go-to places for visual inspiration?
Living in East London these is always somewhere to go to be inspired. I live close to Shoreditch which has a great art scene and there are always new exhibitions to see.
What’s next?
Just keep working! I’m a newcomer and my style is still developing so I just need to keep drawing and improving. I’m currently collaborating with some tattoo artists that I on met on a recent trip to Melbourne on a set of limited edition prints and I’m also in the early stages of planning a solo show over there so I have plenty to keep me busy over the coming months!