Sara Rutkowski is a senior at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois. A lover of drawing in all sorts of media and painting in watercolors, Sara also dabbles in graphic design and is pursuing a BFA in Illustration. She enjoys creating new characters and illustrating their personalities through her work and describes her style as simple, but bold and cute. Unafraid to play around with lines and colors, she takes the most satisfaction in being able to draw out a smile or a laugh from someone through her work.
(Created as a class assignment at American Academy of Art)
On entering the contest:
I entered the contest as a class assignment at the American Academy of Art, where FluevogCreative is popular among the students. I was introduced to Fluevog through a fellow student.
I am new to the Fluevoggin’ scene, but I sure am a fan after seeing the creative designs and quirky patterns! I have a tendency to like things like this! I am looking forward to getting myself a pair of Fluevogs very soon.
On her winning design, Hippie Chicks:
The inspiration for my artwork was basically the name of the shoe. “Rockstar Moonstone” made me think of the 1960’s, which is a nostalgic time for most. So for my piece I wanted something very dreamy and colorful. I also thought it sounded something like a hippie-esque name. I love creating art with bold colors and bold graphic lines, which 60s art basically is, so it all seemed to fit perfectly.
The creative aspect of this didn’t take very long as the idea popped into my head right away! Drawing out everything is fun and easy. The hardest part was placing those shoes in the right spot and making so many color adjustments!
How would you describe your style and your dream job?
I want to create children’s books and comics and share them with the world. I love to create characters and stories. That is a few of many dreams involving the art field. I am becoming increasingly interested in medical illustration, especially for animals, hand-writing type, and product design. I want to become the best at what I do and to just keep creating art until I’m too old too anymore! That is the main goal.
What do you like to do for fun?
For fun, I create art of course! I love to draw illustrations of cute, little characters that are imaginative and fantastical. Mainly cartoons! Speaking of which, I am a big cartoon fan and keep up with all kinds of shows. I also love to read and get my mind lost in a creative world. Also, visiting the zoo is pretty high up on my list as well.
Keep an eye out in Juxtapoz magazine for Sara Rutkowski design in print.