Priscilla Wilson Valor and Vellum
Priscilla Wilson
Asian folklore, myths, and kimono patterns with a big splash of color: the illustrator behind Valor & Vellum, who started by drawing Disney characters from memory.
When we first spoke, Priscilla Wilson was designing t-shirts after hours and dreaming of the day a band she loved might ask for her work.
She got there, and then some. The illustrator who once submitted designs to Threadless on nights and weekends now draws for Xbox, Jim Henson, Smokey Bear, and REAL Skateboards, shows at Gallery 1988 and Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles, and runs her own studio, Valor & Vellum, from the Central Coast of California.
What has never changed is the hand. Dense, patient linework, nature spiraling through everything, and that marriage of art and design she admired in Eyvind Earle long before the world caught up with her own version of it. These days the work draws on Asian folklore, myths, and kimono patterns, with a big splash of color. This is our early conversation, revisited, with the story brought up to now.
Leila
Priscilla Wilson has been drawing ever since she can remember, and got her start by portraying Disney characters from memory after going to the movies. Four years of community college earned her four Associates degrees in the arts before she transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for her BFA in Art & Design. When we first spoke she was working full time at a design firm, Kraftwerk Design, squeezing freelance and Threadless submissions into the margins, with appearances in Print Magazine, Lucky, and Computer Arts.
The margins won. Today her client list reads like the dream she described to us back then, fulfilled several times over:
Her pieces have hung in group shows at Gallery 1988 and Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles, her illustrated Spark Bird playing card deck of hand-drawn birds debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, and her folkloric menageries now ride through the world on REAL skateboard decks. The quiet illustrator from the rural Central Coast became exactly what she set out to be, on her own patient terms.
What are your inspirations?
Most of my inspiration comes from whatever I'm experiencing in life at the moment. I live in a slightly rural area, so nature plays a big role in the ideas that I get. I'm also influenced by the important people in my life. One of my designs, "My Father Was a Sailor & My Mother, a Quilter," was a sort of tribute to my parents. Music can inspire concepts as well: "Seven Swans" was a visual interpretation of Sufjan Stevens.
Two of my favorite artists are Edward Gorey and Eyvind Earle. I admire them both, and they each have such wonderful styles. Gorey has the textural details and strange sense of humor. Earle has a whimsical feel with saturated colors and seemed to perfectly marry art and design. If you've ever seen Sleeping Beauty, you've seen his work, as he did the backgrounds. I also admire many of the artists on Threadless, but really, there are too many to list!
Favorite designers?
To be honest, I do not follow designers as well as I probably should. I'm not very familiar with designers' names, and I think this is due in part to the fact that design is much more anonymous than art. Designers rarely get to sign their work. I'm more familiar with design firms, and one I really admire is Turner Duckworth. They consistently turn out package designs that are both functional and award-winning, and it's pretty difficult to achieve both. I also like going to The Dieline to keep up with package design. Every day there's new inspiration.
Favorite projects you have done so far?
Last year I got to work on some fun t-shirt projects. I worked on one for Maria Bamford, the comedian, and she was absolutely fabulous. I had the opportunity to work on a couple of band t-shirts: Dave Matthews Band and Hellogoodbye. What was great about those was that I actually got to go to a Dave Matthews Band concert with my sister and a friend. We got to see all the merchandise booths, and it was definitely a treat to see people buying my shirts! I also designed a shirt for Farm Aid, the fundraising concert for farmers. Each of those projects was wonderful because the client allowed me a lot of artistic freedom.
What would be a dream project for you?
It would be great if a band that I really like wanted me to do their shirt or album designs. I'd probably be super nervous the entire time, but I'd still love to do it!
Challenges of what you do?
I'd say my biggest challenge is finding the time to do all of my freelance projects since I also work full time. There's the challenge of self-discipline and keeping myself motivated. Finally, there's the challenge that every artist and designer faces: always trying to better yourself.
"There's the challenge that every artist and designer faces: always trying to better yourself."Priscilla Wilson
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