Today we welcome the very creative and talented Virginia of roddy & ginger to Creative Loves... I have long admired Virginia's work so it is a real pleasure to have her here... Virginia is a freelance designer and illustrator who also designs textiles and prints which she prints in her home studio and sells through her company roddy & ginger. She has also started to create manufactured products including wallpaper and is currently working on a number of products for the kitchen... Welcome Virginia!
>> Can you tell us about your studio space? I am based in leafy southeast London and
I work in the basement of our home, which is a tall skinny town house, built in
the 1960’s. Where I have an office, a print table and sewing area. Although it’s
in the basement it is very light and opens out into to our little garden, very
distracting in the summer! It is very me because I am the only one working
here, people get the impression that roddy&ginger is larger than it is, in
fact it is only me (and my daughter who helps me with PR which I am not good
at!)
>> Have you always been creatively driven? When I was a child I made things all the
time and I have been a designer all my working life, going freelance after my
twins were born. Starting to screen-print came from a need to get away from the
computer and get my hands messy again. Moving to this house with its light
filled basement gave me the space to set up my studio.
>> What inspires you, where do you go for ideas? I am inspired by my love of mid-century
design, by stuff I find in junk shops, my collections of fabrics, ceramics and
second hand children’s books.
Please tell us about your current Creative Loves...
Illustration >> Brian Wildsmith, David Weidman and Roger Duvoisin (creator of Petunia the Silly Goose)
Graphic Design >> Present and Correct
>> What is a typical workday for you? There is no typical day! I may be
working on a packaging brief, an illustration for a magazine, screen printing,
sewing, organizing production, wandering around Brixton looking for fabrics,
packing orders, updating my websites, photographing products, trying to think
of things to put on my blog, wasting time on the internet! I start at 9am and I
am not usually finished till 7pm and then there is always the temptation to
sneak off to the basement in the evening.
>> How do you approach each brief? I start with an Idea and I sketch and
sketch until it is starting to look right, then I turn to my computer and
create the design in Illustrator. I expose my screens at a local open access
workshop ready to print in my studio
>> What projects are you working on at the moment? At the moment I am working on a series
of 12 horoscope illustrations for Red magazine. And I have just finished a new design
based on a mid-century rocking horse that I found in a local flea market last
year. I am trying it out on textile and paper and I have just received samples of
birch wood trays and cutting mats which I hope to have ready in time for autumn.
>> What has been the most interesting or exciting
project you've worked on? It is always the one I a working on at
the moment, last year it was my Logpile wallpaper, I decided to have a go at
designing a wallcovering in May and we were selling it by September. This year it’s my rocking horse tray and
cutting mat, which I am also going to do in the Logpile design.
>> In terms of
your work what couldn't you live without? The Internet, it enables anyone to set
up a shop, build a brand, sell and market their products, its amazing!
>> What do you love most about what you do? I love creating new designs, (although sadly
I spent the least amount of time on this, wish I could spend more) I love being
in control of my own working world, I love it when a print comes out just
right, I love getting nice comments about my work,
>> What do you want to do in the future? Less of the freelance design and more commissioned
illustrations and new products, in other words give up the day job!
>> Where are you happiest? In our sleepy village in Spain where we share
a family house, I spend summer with my sisters, brother, kids and cousins.
Thanks Virginia!
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