Brittany Holloway Brown

This interview is the second installment of our collaborative series with Fuck Yeah! Women Artists to highlight some of our favorite young illustrators and artists. Brittany Holloway Brown, currently a student at the Maryland College of Art, is an aspiring fashion illustrator and graphic artist.   Recently, Brittany has been working on personal series, 'Uzuri' ('Personal Beauty'), which is "is about the combination of non-Western ideals of beauty with Western costuming and shown in a fashion editorial light."  You can find more information about Brittany and her work on her website. 

How long have you been painting and drawing? And what type of things (artists, films, fashion, real life) inspire you?

I've been drawing since I was very young, I recently found a sketchbook of mine from Kindergarten and I have to commend 4 year old me for her choice of colors. However, I became serious about it in high school and I went on to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, where I am graduating from this year! I'm inspired by a wide range of things; my style is largely impressionistic so I am drawn to 'sensual' themes--love, loss, memory, interpersonal relationships, etc. I hate using this word but where I have 'eclectic' tastes and can find inspiration anywhere even if it doesn't always inform my work, such as non-Western belief systems, rituals, religious iconography and the grotesque. I'm also very interested in runway fashion.

Some of my favorite artists (as of this moment) are Stina Persson, Lorna Simpson, Banks Violette and Laura Laine.

Do you have a narrative in mind when you create a piece? Or do you draw what comes to mind?

It depends. Sometimes, I do but other times I just let the watercolor and ink run on the paper and I just pull things out of that instinctively.

What direction do you see your work going in the future? And do you have any upcoming projects planned?

Well, I really want to work at a magazine when I graduate and illustrate freelance on the side. I think my style and sensibilities are best suited to the fashion and beauty industry. I'm just looking forward to graduating and not having homework so I can be selfish and make all the art I want for me!

Any advice to anyone just getting into illustration and drawing on how to develop their own personal style?

Take in everything. Your own personal vocabulary informs your work so be receptive to everything. Take interest in other artists and their processes as well. It helps to save images you're drawn to, either on your hard drive or keep a Tumblr to consolidate your inspiration. Find pieces you're drawn to and ask yourself WHY you're drawn to it. Also, experiment with mediums a lot. I've JUST figured out that traditional means work best with my 'hand', so to speak.