Behind the Brushstrokes:
In Conversation with Phoebe Wayne
Phoebe Wayne is a local designer and is the talent behind our latest Resort '24 prints; Phoebe & Fleur. We spent some time with Phoebe to hear about her inspiration, the process of creating such beautiful illustrations, and her career so far in the industry.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a designer based on Sydney's Northern Beaches with a love for animals, art and nature. I studied botanical Illustration with the Society of Botanical Artists and have always had an interest in natural history art.
Where do you find your inspiration?
As a young girl I was fascinated with Beatrix Potter’s work and illustrations, alongside the nature that surrounded my home. Once I finished school I started studying botanical illustration, and ever since then, everything I have created has been inspired by the natural world. My family has always been passionate about creativity and understanding nature - I grew up spending a lot of time helping my dad in the garden, identifying plants and doing ceramics with my mum. A lot of my work pays homage to this and draws inspiration from these memories growing up.
How did you create the Phoebe print?
The illustrations behind the Phoebe and Fleur print were inspired by botanical plates from naturalists of the 18th Century. I spent a lot of time researching art from famous botanical artists at the time such as pierre-joseph redouté. I also referred back to many books in my reference library for colour and form.
The flowers are all drawn from scratch and painted using watercolour. Once this stage was completed, I scanned the paintings and developed the repeating patterns using Photoshop.
How did you then create the Fleur print?
The Fleur print uses the illustrations from the Phoebe print but in a different form. The trellis composition for the Fleur print was inspired by the symmetrical designs of William Morris which often featured curving vines framing central floral motifs.
“my art has constantly been inspired by the natural world”
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me always starts with my animals, ’Tully’ my border collie and my horse ‘Rocky’. Once they are exercised and settled for the morning, I go into creative mode, working on upcoming projects and freelance work.
From 9-5 you will always find me designing, whether it is illustrating or designing for freelance, or working part-time in graphic design. My days off always include hanging around with my animals, art-making, ceramics and cooking for my friends and family.
Do you have a favourite place or time of day that you like to create?
I work best in the early hours of the morning or late at night, on my big wooden dining room table which I have in my room. I find I come up with most of my ideas when I’m driving or walking my dog.
Available in 6 effortlessly feminine silhouettes perfect for that special occasion or casual wear.
