Little Woodland Friend Inspiration Den: Wesley Bird - Illustration - Design

Happy Friday everyone! Get happy, today we're showcasing Wesley Bird: artist, illustrator & designer! Friday is already a great day because it's the end of the work week, but when you can top that off with some inspiration like this it makes it a whole lot better!

I first stumbled up Wesley Bird after seeing her prints at the online shop, society6. The "Not All Who Wonder Are Lost" design particularly appealed to me. After this discovery, I needed to see more, so I dug a little further, and was totally inspired!

I'm thrilled to introduce Wesley Bird to my Inspiration Den readers. Not only is her art beautiful and inspiring, but her words of encouragement for aspiring artists is brilliant!

P.S. Keep an eye out for Wesley Bird designs, which may be appearing on some tee's for a big clothing brand! Don't know who it is or where it will be sold... All we know is, once we see them, we'll be all over them!

Artist Interview with Wesley Bird:

LWF - Little Woodland Friend (Amber Dunstan)

WB - Wesley Bird

LWF: How did you get started in your art? Do you have any advice for other artists just honing their craft?

WB: I've always had that creative gene inside of me, but I really dove into art my senior year of high school. That's when I made the decision to study painting and printmaking in college. Although I have been creating art ever since I can remember, I didn't really start to develop a personal style until the end of my junior year in college. Even now my style keeps changing and evolving! It's funny, I look back on old art and I can see the phase I was in at the time. I'm sure a lot of people feel that way, it's like reading an old journal.

Let's see, advice for aspiring artists...When I was first starting to focus in on my art, I tried everything. I took so many different art classes in school to really find my niche. I think that is important, try everything! Once I discovered that I absolutely LOVED my life drawing classes, I made sure to take at least one every semester to learn as many techniques as I could. Now, if there is something that I want to create that I am not sure I can, I try until I make it work.

LWF: What and Who inspires you?

WB: Inspiration comes from everywhere for me! An amazing scenic view, an awesome textile print, novels, music, literally everything. It is important to me to spend time outside of my work really absorbing what is around me. I can't force myself to be creative, I have to allow myself to take that break and just be aware. Artists who really made a name for themselves are a big inspiration to me, Warhol, Koons, Pollock, O'Keefe. Not because they achieved fortune or fame, but because they can or could do something that nobody else at that time could do. It's all about innovation as an artist. Taking the ordinary to the next level.

LWF: Do you have a favorite piece of art you've created lately? Do you have anything new in the works?

WB: Hmm, I recently did just a little fun little personal piece called "Holla Back". It started because I ran out of little note cards to send to friends and family and I wanted to create something quirky and fun! Now everybody can have these little cards through my Society6 shop :)

As far as projects in the works go, I can't really talk about it until it launches, but I have been collaborating with one of my all time favorite clothing brands, big at Urban Outfitters, to create a bunch of tee graphics for them. I'm super busy outside of my day job working on that, but it's definitely going to be worth it, I'm pretty stoked on it right now!

LWF: How do you begin the creative process?

WB: I start my creative process by getting inspired by any of the things I mentioned above in question 2 and then I really just focus in on the project at hand. I spend time sketching out concepts and once I'm happy with one I move to pen and ink drawings. Unless the finished product is a drawing or painting, it gets scanned in and worked on in photo shop or illustrator! Basically it's a lot of stepping away from what I've been working on and coming back with a fresh perspective.