| I create art because there’s nothing else I’ve ever really wanted to do. As far back as I can remember, art has always been my passion. I love getting to the end of an illustration in order to take in how it looks as a complete piece. To see it completed is an achievement, and one uses this feeling of achievement as a drive to create more. I am a perfectionist, and every piece of art has to be better than the last. This can be a very frustrating rule to live by because it doesn’t always work that way. My inspiration comes from observation. More often it’s observation of others, but sometimes it’s of myself. |  |
Lydia Bradbury
I create art because there’s nothing else I’ve ever really wanted to do. As far back as I can remember, art has always been my passion. I love getting to the end of an illustration in order to take in how it looks as a complete piece. To see it completed is an achievement, and one uses this feeling of achievement as a drive to create more. I am a perfectionist, and every piece of art has to be better than the last. This can be a very frustrating rule to live by because it doesn’t always work that way.
My inspiration comes from observation. More often it’s observation of others, but sometimes it’s of myself. It can be an expression on a face, a movement or something more complicated, like emotions. I draw from intuition. If this doesn’t work, then it just wasn’t meant to be. If I am under pressure, this is when my best work is made. I will always start by knowing exactly how I want the piece to look, and it will always look different than what I planned out beforehand.
Process is very much a part of how I draw. I keep small notes of ideas scribbled down everywhere. When ideas come to me, it doesn’t matter where I am, I have to write it down. I can’t seem to contain one set place for them, they sprawl out all over.
There’s a sense of comfort for me in being at home, around my own things, and in a place where I can just be me. I would often prefer to stay at home and draw than go out for a social occasion. I’m happiest in my own space.
Music is a companion to how I make my art. While it may not be the lyrics, the music that I enjoy resonates in me, providing strong motivation, but silence also has its place.
My work is typically made with pencil or black ink. Sometimes I think about using watercolor or acrylic, and often I will decide to just leave it in the state of being a pencil drawing. I find pencils raw and beautiful. If I do use color, it’s used in a subtle manner, and I will only use two or three colors that harmonize. Flowing lines and patterns are prominent in my work, as is the use of negative space.
I am very interested in contemporary female illustrators, which I have found through the internet. Being from New Zealand, it’s amazing to be able to follow the international arts scene through the internet. Illustrators that have particularly influenced my work are Fumi Nakamura, Milano Chow and Jessica Williams. I find them all to be incredibly inspirational; they are all so young and have achieved so much.
Currently, I am starting on a number of submissions for exhibitions, and I am looking towards updating my website. I am also about to start on some collaborations, each of which I am looking forward to since I haven’t done many before.
