Meet Rae West

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rae West.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have a rather unique story in that I stumbled into this career path very unexpectedly. I like to tell people that I’ve lived 4 or 5 different lives, since my story is anything but linear.

I have lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area my whole life, attending the University of North Texas to study music. Drawing (or “doodling” as I called it then) was merely a hobby that I would enjoy on weekends or when I had time, but my goal at that time in my life was to pursue a career in vocal music education.

After about a year and a half, I decided music ed wasn’t where I wanted to be, and after some deliberation switched to Advertising and Marketing. Here I used a bit more of my artistic skill in ad design, and went on to intern at a local Advertising Agency my senior year.

During my time there, I became close to my boss who mentioned her husband was writing some children’s books and needed an illustrator. It was a complete leap of faith as I had never done any project on that scale or size before, but my mantra is often, “if this scares me, it’s probably good for me.”

After one book, I was hooked! I loved working on a personal level with clients and bringing their vision to life. For a couple of years I worked in agencies full time, but used time in the evenings and on weekends to pursue illustration as a passion. Just recently I was able to transition to part-time office work to focus on art as a (hopefully) full time career in the future and couldn’t be happier!

Please tell us about your art.
I had a friend recently describe my work as “whimsical” and I think this would best encapsulate what I want my work to be.

I primarily work as a freelance children’s book (or “kidlit”) illustrator. My favorite medium is traditional watercolor, so I have found my niche there, Most of my work is done in ink, watercolor and gouache, and through that I’m able to create things that have that whimsical, nostalgic feeling.

Many of my inspiration also comes from my hobbies, which include a lot of fantasy. I play dungeons and dragons pretty religiously with friends (we even have a real-play podcast up on Soundcloud called “Talamat”) and that element of character creation and fantasy has been a big inspiration in my work. I love the details in things – small expressions, little trinkets here and there, the textures on clothing – I think all of these things help craft a well-rounded story of what you’re looking at and add depth.

Part of my reason for loving kidlit is that there’s a definite power in communicating with imagery for children. Kids notice all these things and details that sometimes adults pass over. There’s a sense of responsibility in being able to communicate powerful and important messages to children about acceptance and love, and I’m very honored to be able to help play a part in that.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
This is a great question! Freelance life can get a little lonely sometimes, and especially with artists a lot of us tend to be a little more introverted and keep to ourselves.

I am lucky enough to have a great community of creative friends that I met through hobbies, specifically going to local conventions. If you’re a nerd like me, comic book conventions or anime conventions are a great place to meet other artists selling their artwork.

There is also an amazing community of artists on Twitter, and social media makes it easier than ever to connect with these people. Sometimes even just seeing someone post or talk about an experience that’s similar to yours can help with that feeling of solidarity in what you’re doing.

My best piece of advice would be – just talk about what you do! If you meet someone new, mention that you’re an artist and be open with your passions. Being open to talking about it in the first place can lead to a lot of great connections you might miss otherwise.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The internet is an awesome place. You can find my work in a lot of different places, including:

www.rachelwest.org – My portfolio, which also contains contact info and links to my other social media presence. There’s also a store where you can grab originals or prints!

Instagram – @rwest_art

Twitter – @raewest_art

Commiss.io.com/raewest – Here you can commission me for smaller, individual pieces which make for good gifts.

Or, if these are out of reach for you monetarily, retweets, likes and mentions are always appreciated, or you can kindly donate a small amount over at my KoFi page to help with artistic expenses:

https://ko-fi.com/raebae

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rachelwest.org
• Phone: 8174547174
• Email: r.west023@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwest_art/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rwestillustration/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/raewest_art

Image Credit:
Rae West

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