Maddie Christian is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Colorado State University with a focus on graphic design. Read on to find out more about this FluevogCreative winning artist in her own words!
Can you tell us a bit about your background as an artist?
I am a junior at Colorado State University pursuing BFA with a concentration of Graphic Design. I have always had an interest in art and design and am part of a very creative family! In addition to design, I love drawing, film photography, sculpture, and more. I am really interested in using multimedia processes along with both digital and traditional practices in my work. When I graduate, I would like to work in publication design.
How did you hear about FluevogCreative?
My dad told me about FluevogCreative a couple months ago. There wasn’t a design brief at the time, so I have been keeping an eye out ever since.
How long have you been Fluevogin’ for?
I’ve known about Fluevog for a couple years – I have been to both the Denver and Dallas store locations multiple times – but I officially got my first pair (Derby Swirls) as a gift this past Christmas!
What was the inspiration behind your piece, “Peculiar Petunias”?
My main inspiration for this design was the name of the shoe, as well as its shape. When I saw that they were called the Petunia, I immediately knew I wanted to experiment with incorporating flowers into the ad illustration. The hand drawn type of the word “embrace” is inspired by the unique shapes of the Petunia – exaggerated height, sharp angles, and wavy lines, such as those on the bottom of the shoe.
Tell us a bit about your creative process.
I always begin with research to help me get inspired! For “Peculiar Petunias”, I reviewed the design brief and photos of the shoe, as well as pictures of petunia flowers. Then I sketch different compositions and decide on one to move forward with, as well as what medium to use. I usually play around with some different mediums before choosing one. In this case, I considered using some painting and collage elements, but ultimately decided that a fully digital illustration would be best. I used a mix of Procreate and Illustrator for “Peculiar Petunias”. I finally move on to putting the whole piece together, and then I often try to get feedback on it. For this illustration, I think I asked my family what they thought about a couple different color schemes that I had come up with. After any edits, the piece is done!
Apart from art and design, what do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy visiting art museums because they are always very inspiring and helpful when I experience art block. I also like going on walks around campus, baking pies, and playing Minecraft!
Check out Maddie’s work on her portfolio site and Instagram!