Interview: Rachel Corcoran

Tell us about yourself:

I’m Rachel Corcoran and I’m a professional illustrator/graphic designer from Dublin, Ireland. I have an Etsy store under the name ‘Rachillustrates‘ where I sell my illustrations and hand lettered typographic quotes. I’ve exhibited my work in the UK and Ireland, and also taken part in exhibitions with TOMS Shoes and Ammo Magazine. I was also the illustrator for Kiss Magazine, Ireland’s only teenage girl magazine.

How did you get started as an illustrator?

I’ve always been creative, since I was a kid, but never pursued it professionally until after university when I finally had some free time on my hands. I had studied the History of Art, so I was still in touch with art and I think this helped fuel me to get back to creating things again. I just started drawing and developing my skills even more and I enrolled in a two-year graphic design course that had an illustration module as part of the course. I fell in love with illustration again and knew this was an area I wanted to explore even further. After college I decided then to set up my own website, take part in exhibitions, gain clients and basically just try every route possible to get my name out there.

How did you find your style?

Through lots and lots of drawings/paintings/commissions! It’s taken a while to finally see some kind of stylistic cohesion in my work, but that’s all part of the challenge of being an artist. To be honest, it’s still an ongoing process as although I do have similarities in my work that could be described as ‘my style’, I always want to try different things with my art. I don’t want to follow trends, I just get inspired by certain things, (such as music and fashion) and this is then reflected in my work stylistically.

Who/ what inspires you to start on a new piece?

Music and fashion would be the two biggest inspirations. A certain pose/outfit in a fashion magazine could instantly spark an idea, or a song may send me to a certain place in my head where I’ll find an idea to work on. Sometimes the idea takes a while to process, other times it’s quite instant. Other illustrators also inspire me, as I always like to know what other artists are doing and what their work can teach me about mine.

Best / most fun part of your job:

Being able to be creative everyday! I just love doing anything artistic – painting/drawing/crafting, it really is a fun ‘job’ (although it doesn’t really feel like a ‘job’!)

Most difficult part of your job:

I guess getting noticed/gaining new clients can be difficult, as there’s a lot of competition out there.

Do you have side projects you work on?

All the time. I’m quite the multi-tasker! I do prioritise my time well, and I like to work on personal projects while also working on client commissions. When I get an idea, I just kinda drop everything and either write/sketch it down or immediately start working on it. The items in my Etsy store are all products of this process!

Any tips or words of wisdom?

It may be a cliche, but don’t give up! It’s tough to be in this field, but if you’re truly passionate about it and have the talent for it, please don’t get disheartened by rejection/anonymity. It’s unfortunately all part of the journey and it will make you a better artist in the end. Also, don’t follow trends – stay true to what’s you.