Who is Liz Pepper?
Earlier in the year, I held a t-shirt design competition encouraging submissions from local artists. I was blown away by the amount of talent that came forward. The winning design was by young local artist Liz Pepper, and I fell in love with the simplicity of the design and how she managed to capture the pinup culture in just one image.
But who is the person behind the art? Let's get to know Liz Pepper from Colour of October a little better:
Tell me a little about yourself – age, location, hobbies
Hey I’m Liz Pepper. I’m a 19 year old artist based on the Sunshine Coast, I’m (obviously) art obsessed but I also have a keen interest in photography, video editing and design.
How long have you been an artist and what do you love most about art?
I grew up drawing and creating from a young age but it wasn’t until I turned 13 that I seriously started to challenge myself and wonder whether there was truly something I could make of this. I think what I love most about art is the ability it gives us to express ourselves in whatever way we desire. There are no rules… actually, I should say, there aren’t MANY rules.
How did you find out about the T-shirt design competition and what about it appealed to you to enter?
I found out about the competition through good old Facebook after a friend of mine tagged me in your post. I thought it was a massive opportunity for exposure and I’d be crazy to not give it my best shot!
Tell me a little more about your design concept, your research/inspiration behind it and your execution of the design.
Once I decided I was going to enter the competition, I committed and went all in. I harnessed the powers of social media and searched google, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for inspiration. I really wanted to understand Pin-Up Culture and I didn’t have all that much to start off with.
A really good friend of mine is a bit of a Pin Up queen so of course I had to run my ideas past her.
Once I had a bit more of an understanding, I honed in on 70s advertising which I decided to draw inspiration from.
Your design was a clear front runner instantly within the final public voting round, how did this make you feel knowing so many people were voting for your design?
I was honestly so shocked! I was so impressed by the other designs, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
What has been your experience from winning this competition, do you think it shall be an annual event to support more local artists?
It’s great! Absolutely! I think everything we can do to support local artists in their creative endeavours should be enacted upon!
What other projects are you working on/ what’s next?
Let’s just say there are some pretty exciting projects that are already in the works that will see my art displayed for the Sunshine Coast locals on a more permanent basis. Keep up to date by following all things @ColourofOctober
You can view all of Liz's creative works via her website Colour of October, titled after her birth month and representing her colourful world of art.
Follow her artistic journey living with chronic illness through her #PainPunsPencils Instagram hashtag and personal blog.
As part of winning the t-shirt design competition, Liz also receives a percentage of the profits from every t-shirt sold featuring her artwork, now and forever in the future.
The exclusive Liz Pepper t-shirts are available to purchase here in both mens and womens sizes.
Thank you for supporting local artists.
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