We hope you’re loving the art cards as your issue 121 subscriber bonus. This time around, we enlisted graphic designer and illustrator Aleisha Earp (@aleisha.earp). Fun fact: her artwork was inspired by one of David Bowie’s earliest songs, “Rubber Band”. We sat down for a chat with Aleisha about her style and what she’s got coming up next.

Tell us a little about your creative style. I’m a graphic designer and illustrator so I flit between digital vector styled designs and a more painterly, sketchy style. The overall vibe is very colourful, cute, quirky and playful. I love to draw food, still lifes, lettering and create quirky merch.

When did you begin making art? I think I was drawing from the moment I could pick up a pencil and never stopped. I went through a gingerbread man phase (as all people do) in early high school so my poor mum has all of these weird paintings and textiles of gingerbread men in her house. I never felt that I was very good at art or drawing but I just loved doing it so much. Things really unlocked for me when I got an iPad and started making digital drawings. It felt freeing to be able to ‘undo’ and change colours so easily if I didn’t get things right the first time round.

How did your artwork (now featured as a frankie card!) come to be? This artwork was created for a David Bowie-themed exhibition curated by Tegan Iversen. I wanted to draw something that spoke to his creativity and other-worldliness and merge it with my own style. The words reference one of his earliest songs and it was really just a fun, silly thing to make while I listened to his whole discography.

Where do you find inspiration and creative motivation? I find that my motivation comes from being so obsessed with an idea or object that I want to capture it and keep it for myself. I am a big film and literature nerd so most of my inspiration comes from creative uses of visuals, colour and music that I see and hear on screen, the stories I read (I’m obsessed with ghost stories and fairy tales), video games and conversations with friends. Also, food – I love exploring the sense of nostalgia and comfort that we attach to it.

What’s next on your ‘to-create’ list? I am illustrating a beautiful children’s book written by Susan Lee Mason (watch this space!) and I’m working on making more cute wearables and prints for my online shop. I’m always open to new ideas or commissions so get in touch!

Where can we see more of your work? You can follow me on instagram @aleisha.earp or visit my website aleishaearp.com