Studio Space: Marc Martin

July 27, 2016

The latest instalment of Studio Space features Marc Martin, a Melbourne-based Illustrator. Marc's light-filled studio is located above a store in the outskirts of the city. He shares the open-plan space with a group of other creatives, some indoor plants & occasionally, a dog. His space is bright and well equipped, with a workbench, a collection of books and magazines (for reference and inspiration), lots of art supplies and of course, a computer and scanner. One of the best things about the setup is it allows him to stand up while working, which he does about 50% of the time.

His background is in graphic design and in the past Marc ran a design studio with a friend, before deciding to become a full-time illustrator about four years ago. He works mainly in watercolour and his work is evocative, rich in detail and colour. And one of the biggest breakthroughs he discovered a little while back - a hairdryer! It now plays an integral part in the process of producing his work (hope I'm not giving away your trade secrets, Marc!) - no more smudges.

Marc has written numerous books, published through Penguin in English and other languages, including A River, A Forest, Max and The Curious Explorer's Illustrated Guide To Exotic Animals. He's just finished his latest book, details of which are yet to be revealed. He's also interested in the creative freedom self-publishing offers and is looking to self-release a book next year.

Marc also works as a freelance illustrator and is represented by the Jacky Winter Group. Some of his freelance clients include Monocle magazine, Wired magazine, The Financial Review, Virgin Atlantic, Assemble Papers and ACMI. He's also designed and illustrated material for various festivals. He says a good balance for him is 50% client illustration work and 50% self-directed book work.

MARC MARTIN: Q&A

How long have you been in the space and where did you work from previously? I’ve been here for about 5 or 6 years. Every now and then I get tempted to move, but this space is just so central and full of great people, so there’s really no reason to look anywhere else.

Yours is a shared space. How many other people work in the space? About 15 people. It’s a mix of photographers, designers, artists, writers, people studying and other creative pursuits. It’s a good bunch of people.

Do you prefer working alone or with others? In terms of a working space, I definitely prefer working with others around. It’s nice to be able to go to a space where you can get some work done, but also have the ability to chat to people and be social if you need to be. I worked form home for while, and that just made me feel very isolated.

How many hours a week do you spend there? A full working week, so pretty much 9-5, Monday to Friday. I think it’s important to treat being an artist like any other job, especially if you want to be successful at it.

How, if at all, has the space influenced the way you work? I’ve been here so long that it’s hard to say if the space has influenced my work. I know I’ve changed the way I use the space - initially I was just doing all computer based work, and slowly I’ve migrated to pretty much all hand drawn things these days. So less sitting and staring at the screen and more active, gestural work with paint and paper.

What does your dream space look like? It probably looks something like a log cabin in the woods somewhere, with a big window overlooking a lake where I can sit and make art.

What inspires you, personally or professionally? Friends, nature, travel, film, books, art, photography. I’m just about to head off on a long-deserved holiday to Ningaloo reef, so I’m pretty sure some time snorkelling, swimming with whale sharks and driving through national parks will get me inspired too!

MARC MARTIN: LINKS

Website: www.marcmartin.com

Shop: marcmartin.bigcartel.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcmartinart

Instagram: @marcmartinillo

Snapchat: marcmartinart

And don't forget to follow Studio Space on Instagram: @hellostudio_ #hellostudiospace

Marc holding one of his books, A River. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Marc working at his computer. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

One of Marc's studio mates and her dog. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Marc's workspace including standing desk. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Studio windows from the road. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

All photos copyright Susan Fitzgerald 2016.

Studio Space: Esther Sandler/Togetherness Design

April 1, 2016

Esther Sandler in her studio, wearing gorgeous ceramic earrings she made.

This shelf, which Esther made herself, sits above her desk. I really want to make a shelf like this now! Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

STUDIO SPACE: ESTHER SANDLER OF TOGETHERNESS DESIGN

Esther Sandler is a Melbourne-based illustrator and textile designer. She currently splits her time between freelance work (for brands including Megan Park, Mecca, Limedrop), working on her own label Togetherness Design (which she established in 2011, when she was still a student) and teaching (she'll soon be lecturing part-time in the course she studied, Textile Design at RMIT). Esther works from the home studio she shares with her boyfriend and was kind enough to let me come along and photograph it.

Esther's work features rich, multilayered and colourful patterns, often with plants, animals, imagined worlds and naive and folk-inspired motifs. She often starts out creating a watercolour or gouache painting and then brings it to life using traditional and more recent craft and textile traditions including digital fabric printing, embroidery, sewing and screen printing. The Togetherness Design product range features textiles, paper-based work and hand-formed ceramics.

Esther's other passions include gardening, collecting trinkets, watching true crime documentaries and crafting - check out some of the many ace projects she's created for Frankie Magazine's blog: a decorated umbrella, a shaggy seat covering, a sweet treat doormat, a sleeping kitten wheat pack and resin jewellery.

I hope you enjoy getting a sneak-peek into Esther's workspace. Following are more snaps and a little interview.

Pinboard inspiration. Scroll down for a pinboard close-up. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Very happy monstera. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Close-up of Esther's inspiration pinboard. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Esther's inspiration shelf. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Esther's desk is to the left of the window and her sewing machine is the the right, next to the bolts of fabric. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

ESTHER SANDLER: Q&A

How long have you been in the space and where did you work previous to this?

For the past two years I’ve been working in a spare room in my house that has been set up as a sewing room and creative space. Before this I was working out of my tiny bedroom on a desk that was snuggle fit between my bed and the door - it was such a relief to move to a larger space!

How many hours a week do you spend in your workspace?

I do a mix of working in-house and working from my studio, so this can change week to week. Leading up to busy markets times or while I am working on a large personal project I can be in the space every day, but on average I would guess around 20 hours per week.

Original paintings by Esther Sandler. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Hand-formed and painted ceramic necklaces. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

How, if at all, has the space influenced your work?

Working in a space with plenty of room to store materials, product and knick-knacks is a dream come true and makes it a lot easier for me to become inspired and create. The trick to this however, is keeping things tidy and I am often guilty of making a huge mess on every surface, although I am trying to rein this in a bit!

A bag featuring Esther's digitised painting. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Some cushions stacked up. Available to buy here. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

What would your dream workspace look like?

The main downside to my studio is the lack of natural light, so it can get a bit dark and is particularly bad when it comes to taking photos. Our whole house is quite dark so I often resort to taking photos outside, which is a bit of a pain! My dream space would have large windows with natural light, a bright white wall for taking photos against and a heap of cupboards and drawers for me to store all of my things!

Clutches being sewn up. Available to buy here. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Purses waiting to be sewn up. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Do you prefer working alone or with others?

I enjoy a mix of working by myself and with others. Being alone is best when I have a heap of things to get done but it can also be a bit lonely. In the future I would love to share a studio space with a few of my creative pals and will hopefully get around to doing something about this soon!

Another original artwork. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

Which other creatives inspire you (personally or professionally)?

I am constantly amazed and inspired by the work of my friends and other up-and-coming designers from Melbourne and the rest of the country – people like Min Pin, Tara Whalley, Edith Rewa, Cassie Byrnes, Caitlin She and many more. I also find a tremendous amount of inspiration in the work of my favourite textile design heroines from the past and present including Maija Isola, Gunta Stölzl, Jenny Kee, Tsumori Chisato and Collier & Campbell. I could go on and on!

Tools of the trade - so many cotton reels! Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

More tools of the trade, for ceramics. Photo by Susan Fitzgerald.

ESTHER SANDLER: LINKS

Website: www.esthersandler.com

Shop: www.togethernessdesign.com

Etsy shop: esthersandler.etsy.com

Tumblr: esthersandler.tumblr.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/togethernessdesign

And don't forget to follow Studio Space on Instagram @studiospace_ #hellostudiospace

Thanks so much Esther!

What a green thumb! Esther's garden has so many succulents and other plants, many of which she's propagated herself.

Madeleine and Hug, her cat (if you look closely!)

Studio Space: Madeleine Stamer

February 29, 2016

Madeleine Stamer's studio, complete with custom-built, huge window

Madeleine Stamer, of Little Circus Design, is a Melbourne-based artist, illustrator, visual art teacher and all-round clever, super lovely person. When I stumbled across an Instagram photo of her brand new, custom-built studio early this year, I was blown away. It looked like the perfect little place to work, a stand-alone building in the backyard of the amazing house she shares with her husband Karl and two daughters, Wilhelmina and Ada. I'm so glad she was happy to let me loose in the space and snap away, so I can share it here!

Chatting to Madeleine, I discovered she began her creative life as a ceramicist, producing large-scale sculptural pieces, but 10 years ago she picked up paint brushes and started illustrating and hasn't looked back. She now splits her work time between her new studio and teaching art part-time 2 days a week to primary school children.

Madeleine's illustration work features strong, decorative line work, bold, folk-inspired patterns, Mexican-inspired motifs and quirky Australiana themes. She works on large-scale paper and often starts with a rough sketch, then uses traditional brush and ink work and finally, watercolours, to bring her ideas to life. She then produces small print runs of her work, along with other limited edition pieces, which you can buy from her shop. I asked Madeleine some questions about her work and workspace, here they are.

The view of Madeleine's workspace, standing in the doorway

MADELEINE STAMER: Q&A

How long have you been in the space and where did you work previous to this?

Our builder began transforming our old shed mid-2015 and completed work around September the same year. It took me a few months to properly transition into the studio. A large chunk of my materials and furniture remained in the house where I worked prior. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to share studio spaces with some really amazing creatives but I’ve come to realize that I work best from home, which involves less chatting and procrastination.

How great does this Bride & Wolfe shelf look, and that cactus...

How many hours a week do you spend there?

Not as much as I’d like at the moment but once the kids resume school I’ll knuckle down into a few new projects. It would do my head in if I had to clock on and off but if I have an urgent deadline, you’ll find me in there around the clock. Otherwise, I’m in and out processing orders or bunkering down for a few solid hours here and there, creating new work.

How, if at all, has the space influenced your work?

I’ve only recently moved in but I’m sure the coziness, solitude and sweet tunes will reveal its magic within my work over the coming months. I’m looking forward to working through the seasons, daydreaming and staring out of the big window, taking in the garden - it will all play its part.

What would your dream workspace look like?

I truly have my dream workspace, lucky me!!! It’s been nearly 20 years in the making but I can finally say I’ve hit the jackpot! My husband and I bit the bullet mid 2015 and decided to transform our old tin garage into a studio. We kept the existing concrete slab and internal framework of the old garage. The original garage was longer than necessary, so we chopped off a third to gain more garden. Our excellent builder, Mr. Radbuild, re-clad the exterior, re-roofed it and he custom built a massive square window inspired by a cute little barn style home that I spotted on Pinterest. I rely on natural light during the day and the cool concrete floor is a blessing on super hot days. We’re pleased that we were able to salvage a large portion of the existing structure and introduced a whirlybird for air circulation, keeping the studio as environmentally sustainable as possible. Our liquidambar tree acts as a humongous umbrella in summer, keeping the temp relatively cool.

Which other creatives inspire you (personally or professionally)?

I feel very blessed to be a part of two amazing Melbourne creative families, The Jacky Winter Group and Greenhouse Interiors. The camaraderie amongst the artists is pretty goddamn special and I love seeing what everyone’s getting up to across their respective social platforms. My husband runs Lantern Printing. I am often bumping into his clients, some whom have become good friends. We often plot and plan art swaps, collaborations and future projects, which gets the creative juices flowing! I rely heavily on Instagram to peek into the world of other creative folk. If you take a look at who I follow, you’ll get a good idea of who floats my boat ;o)