Art & Life with Stephanie Wheatley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Wheatley.

Stephanie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve loved art since I could hold a crayon. Hailing from Kansas, I moved to the Chicago area when I was 19 to “escape” my small town life. While I was at Columbia College Chicago I started as an Illustration major and quickly realized I could achieve what I saw in my head through a computer much better than a brush. I was in school at a time when digital art and creative computer programs were still new and developing. I will always hold traditional art near and dear, but graphic design and digital art became my passion.

During college, I was also working part-time and began an internship at a publishing house. I learned the production side of graphic design as well as creating covers for books I could walk into the local big book chain and see on the shelf. It was eye opening for me, to think something I created was so easily accessible. After working in publishing for several years, I moved on to freelance where I gained experience in package design, mass marketing and more. Nearly every week I was at a different location working in a large corporate environment or with a small group of designers. I soaked up every second of this time, learning from each place and gaining experience I would never have received in a static job. One freelance position led to a full time job in furniture advertising where I spent the next several years, for 2 very different retail stores. I gained an appreciation for quality furniture but when I found an opportunity for freelance design closer to home, I took it.

At this time, I was working part time with 2 young children at home. With more time on my hands, I opened 2 Etsy shops with the encouragement of friends and started to sell greeting cards and posters featuring my designs at local pop up shops, farmers’ markets and festivals. Working these events are so full-filling and fun to me. Hearing someone belly laugh and exclaim “YOU GET ME” fills my heart. Working these local pop up shops, I started to connect with the local art scene and Aurora community leaders. I am now happy to say I work full time for a woman owned print shop in downtown Aurora, Aurora Fastprint, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve carved a spot in my corner of the world that keeps me busy but allows me to be creative and connect with the community I’ve fallen in love with.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
If you walk up to my booth at a festival you will most likely laugh out loud and that is exactly the sort of response I expect and love. I do consider graphic design an art, and like all art it can be communicated in many different facets. I take on the usual business card or invitation design projects, but what keeps me creative are funny, quirky and borderline inappropriate greeting cards and wall decor. Typography and vintage or retro designs as well as skulls and skeletons are very common in my work. I love taking vintage drawings and combining it with present-day humor. I’m inspired by my hilarious friends who find their way into my card’s messages and just about any type of retro advertising. I love looking at and incorporating old matchbooks and early century medical ephemera into my design. Many times I will be inspired to create digitally what someone years ago would create with an offset press. I have a collection of early 1900 postcards that I sort through on a regular basis.

I use Adobe Illustrator and a mouse (yes a mouse) to create 90% of my work. I may use a sketch of my own here or there, but I typically combine vintage drawings or typography with artwork I create in Photoshop and Illustrator through brushes, etc.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success is creating something you are passionate about, that fills your heart. Whether you share it with others or keep it to yourself, you have achieved something on your own, that made you happy and complete in that instant. 2 weeks later you may look at it and think what was I thinking, and that is okay too.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I would encourage people to follow my Instagram and Facebook accounts for new artwork, and info on festivals and events I’ll be selling at. You’ll most likely find me set up at a local shop in downtown Aurora during their First Friday events.

I also own 2 Etsy shops, 1 which contains most of the art you would see at my booth. The other is my original shop, selling unique and custom invitations for kid-related events.

Links
Wheatley Design Prints
Etsy: http://wdprints.shop/
Insta: @wheatleydesign
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatleydesign/

Miniwheats Digital Invitations
Etsy: http://miniwheats.shop/
Insta: @miniwheatsdesigns
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miniwheatsdigitaldesigns/

Web: http://wheatleydesign.info/

Contact Info:

• Address: Aurora, IL
• Website: http://wheatleydesign.info/
• Email: steph@wheatleydesign.info
• Instagram: @wheatleydesign
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatleydesign/
• Other: http://wdprints.shop/

Image Credit:
All images/artwork belong to Wheatley Design.

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.