MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR – ASHLEY HUSTON
We met Ashley when she was a quirky, creative, intelligent young 10 year old. Today she is even more creative, quirky, and intelligent since she just got accepted to law school for the fall of 2021. Ashely was the perfect person to co-illustrate our latest title ColoeMe Graduated. It is not only a workbook to help students with the next chapter of their school lives, it is a tool to help them relax and create. If the student is really lucky the coloring book will be filled with lots of gift cards (or cash) throughout as a congratulations for graduating.
1. How do you sign your artwork? With your full name or initials?
I like to sign my artwork with my initials in a way that matches the theme or design of the art I am signing. Since I view my art as a part of myself, and myself as a part of my art, I like my initials to feel like part of the piece, and I usually sign my initials in a color that works with the colors in the piece without standing out too much.
2. Where can we view your latest portfolio of work?
I’m going to be posting more of my artwork on instagram (@ashleyhuston), but I also sell art, jewelry, clothes and shoes that I’ve made on etsy (@chaosartden)
3. What inspires your creativity?
Everything inspires my creativity. It could be a stranger on the street, something a professor said in a lecture, the emotions that songs elicit, the colors of buildings and sunsets.
There are stories inside everyone and everything at any given moment. What inspires me to create is the possibility to share someone’s story (even if anonymously), create a new story, or create a new interpretation of a timeless story.
4. Who inspires you?
I am inspired by so many people, it’s impossible to pick just one. I am inspired by my Grandma, who has encouraged me to draw and make art since I was a child, I am inspired by my Sister, Ellise, who is always testing artistic boundaries and conquering new mediums, and I am inspired by my Mom and Dad, who are artists of their own veins, always giving me new ideas, words of encouragement, and support every new kind of art I make.
5. What style of illustration do you prefer?
I have always been in love with abstract art, especially the kind that makes use of intricate lines and bright colors.
6. Who are the top three illustration accounts you learn from on Instagram?
- 1. Jane Koluga (@jko_art)
- 2. Allison June (@aallisonjunee)
- 3. Miles Johnson (@miles_art)
7. On YouTube?
- The Procreate Tutorials pages lol
8. What apps do you use in order of most used to least used?
- Procreate, Adobe Capture, Pinterest and Instagram (for inspiration when I’ve hit a lull)
9. What is your favorite color?
I love every color so much, but to pick one, I would have to say my favorite is dark forest green.
10. What object or character did you use to draw when you were younger?
When I was younger, my favorite things to draw were series of lines and shapes to make an intricate pattern, though my favorite objects to draw were eyes and lips.
11. Do you prefer digital or drawing on canvas/paper?
It depends on my mood and what I am trying to create. I love the permanence of paper and canvas, and feeling the different materials in my hands, but I also love the flexibility and options that come with digital art, and its help in making perfect lines and circles.
12. Describe your process from concept to creation?
When I am struck with inspiration, if I cannot bring it to life then and there, I write the concept down in my notes so that I don’t forget it. Usually there is a concept and image in my head of how I want the piece to look, and I follow the idea until or unless I come to find other elements that better fit. Most often I will start with a concept I’ve written down, then I make a very rough sketch, and then I add to it until my vision is realized.
13. Describe your style?
I would describe my style as a combination of abstract and patterns that almost form an optical illusion, with vivid colors. Everything I draw or paint is intentional, every line has a meaning, every color is intentional and symbolic, and everything either connects or there are spaces left, either way, there is a reason.
14. What is your favorite animated movie? Or series?
My favorite animated show is Rick and Morty. I love all the zany characters, the colors, and the creativity that goes into creating new worlds and adventures.
15. Have you animated your artwork? What program/app do you use?
I have not animated my artwork yet, but I plan to do so soon.
16. What is the most challenging part of illustrating for others?
Aside from deadlines, the most challenging part of illustrating for others is creating something that they would like, rather than just something that I like. Art tastes vary, and depending on what I have been asked to create and how much artistic freedom I am allowed, it is sometimes difficult to keep in mind that my vision is not always exactly what has been asked of me. Nonetheless, I love illustrating for others, and I love the challenges it poses.
17. Do you envision a career as an illustrator, graphic designer, animator?
Absolutely. I always wanted to be an illustrator or graphic designer, but I held myself back with doubt when I was younger, opting to pursue a career in Law instead. It is hard to get to a point where you feel confident enough to step outside of the doodles in your notebooks and into an environment where your art has to meet other peoples’ standards. It took me a very long time to believe that I was capable of pursuing a career in art, but now that I have gotten there, I plan to continue to pursue a law career in the entertainment and intellectual property fields while also putting energy into my art to be successful in both.
18. Have you designed logos?
I have designed logos for dental offices, and plan to design more logos.
19. What technique do you use to illustrate people?
When illustrating people that exist outside my imagination, I keep a photo of them close by for reference. I start with simple markers of their features with respect to their face and head, and then I start filling those spots in slowly. It takes me a long time, I am far from mastering portraits, but I have learned to just keep adding shading and details, working with the foundation I have laid rather than giving up or starting over. One thing I have learned is that you can always fix a mistake without erasing.
20. What is your favorite feature in procreate?
I think my favorite feature on procreate is the selector feature. That feature has saved me so many times, and has so many options in itself to isolate, move, copy and paste, and change specific parts of the piece you’re working on without starting over or deleting anything you’ve made.
21. Have your illustrations been shown in any books, artwork?
My illustrations have been shown in Color Me Graduated! A coloring book for graduates of all ages. Aside from that, my illustrations have resided on my walls, sketchbooks, my iPad, and a few other peoples’ walls who have commissioned me for illustrations or other art.
22. Have you storyboarded any scripts?
I have not, but I am very interested in doing so.
23. How do you feel when you create? draw? Animate?
When I create, I feel as though there is a story, feeling, or an idea that has been locked inside of me without the proper words to articulate it that has finally come to life. It is an incredibly freeing feeling, and the art that comes out of it is like a token to hold that story, feeling, or idea, that I can always look back to and understand. Without art, I am sure I would have completely lost my mind by now.
24. Do you prefer to create new worlds or draw existing worlds?
If I draw an existing world, it is never a simple representation of what the eye can see, which means it turns into a new world I have created. I love to create new worlds that could not possibly exist on earth as we know it, but I also love taking everyday scenes of the world and interpreting them to make something new.
25. Do you prefer to draw people or design new characters?
I love both, though my mood usually dictates which I choose to draw. If I draw people, I want the drawing to be accurate for that person, which means I need to pay a lot of attention to their details. If I create new characters, there is no correct or incorrect way to draw them, I have full artistic freedom to make a character however I choose, making it less about accuracy and more about developing skills and using my imagination.
26. What is the most challenging aspect of your designs?
I’d say the most challenging aspect of my designs is making a perfectly straight line or “perfect” circle. Since many of my designs incorporate both and they are usually very small, it is difficult to get it right while also making it small enough to recognize.
27. What is the environment in which you draw? Outside, inside, in a chair? Desk? With music? Quiet?
I draw in every environment. When I was in college, I brought a little sketchbook with me to campus everyday and I would sit under different trees or beside buildings and draw in my free time between classes. Sometimes I listen to music and just draw what the song makes me feel, or what kind of an image the song creates in my head. If I already have a plan for a drawing, I sometimes create a queue of songs that have the same kind of feeling as whatever I have planned. Sometimes I draw inside while listening to podcasts or with television on in the background as a sort of mock white noise. I sometimes draw at a desk, but if I am inside, I usually draw on my bed.
28. How do you continue to improve?
Experimenting and allowing “mistakes”. I have been a perfectionist my whole life, but when it comes to art, and trying to improve, every piece is a step in the right direction. When I was first starting out, I drew in pencil a lot so that I could erase mistakes and I used to get so frustrated. But then someone told me, “there is no such thing as a mistake” and suggested I start drawing in pen so that any time I thought I had made a mistake I had to leave it and continue, I had to find a way to fix it or make it work. That was the best piece of advice I have ever been given. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a mistake, only experiments and challenges for creativity to overcome. Allowing myself to take a step back from my perfectionist agenda and just create, I continue to try new things and improve without debilitating frustration or fear of failure
29. What advice can you share about not giving up or getting discouraged when creativity is at a standstill?
Everyone has creative blocks. It happens. Instead of viewing it as a setback, look at it as an opportunity for your creativity to recharge. Taking a creative break can actually be really beneficial, you may come out the other end with a surge of creativity that brings about your best work yet. If you have a creative mind and creative heart, it will always come back to you. Be open to it, and be ready for inspiration to strike anywhere, at any time.
30. How can we follow your work and see your latest projects?
As of now, the best places to follow my work will be my instagram (@ashleyhuston) and etsy shop (@chaosartden).
