UP CLOSE & PERSONAL: Alison Oliver Interview

Alison and her Sophia Costas collaboration scarf

From her sleek graphic design background to more recent illustration work, Alison Oliver is a doodler par excellence. The artist behind Sugar studio has elevated the sketchbook aesthetic to new levels with her swift hand and whimsical eye for color, finding inspiration in everything from farmers market produce to mid-century furniture. Her latest project, an eye-popping early childhood spin on literary classics, distills old school favorites down to create primers that are just as fun for babies as the adults who actually read them. And with more collaborations in the works (including a chic collection of scarves crafted with our favorite eco-friendly line Sophia Costas), it's safe to say she's a name you'll want to know. We sat down with Oliver for a brief tete-a-tete to learn more about her process and style. Check out the interview after the jump.

Child-friendly reincarnations of Mr. Darcy, Count Dracula, and the Mad Hatter

 
FLYING A: So when did you start illustrating and how did you start?

ALISON OLIVER: I've always been drawing and always been really interested in illustration, but I was doing graphic design professionally until about four years ago. I added in illustration a little at a time. I was getting hired to design a lot of books for publishers, and then they'd have me do spot illustrations. I was working with a publisher whom I was doing cookbooks for, and she approached me with this concept. They were doing children's books based on [literary] classics, and she asked me to do a trial illustration. That was for Pride and Prejudice, and I did it and got the job, and that's turned into this whole series.

FA: So what was your concept when you started this?

AO: Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet were the first two, and they're board books so they're for toddlers. They're primers — some of them are counting books with numbers and some are color primers. So I read the actual books and they gave me the manuscript, and I kind of tried to keep a little bit of the essence of the book and the time period the book is set in. I did some research on fashion and textile design in that time period so I could add little elements into it but still keep it simple with bold shapes and colors that babies would respond to. But they're also maybe interesting enough that parents don't mind reading them [laughs].

FA: I think they're so great, and I do really appreciate the clothing and the colors and everything. It's not what you normally associate with baby books, with like primary colors.

AO: That's what I was going for.

FA: So what has the response been like?
AO: The response has been amazing, I've been surprised. I knew that it was a great idea when they first told me because I know how people like the classics, but really the response we've gotten has been unbelievable. People love them — we're at eight and I'm working on three more now so the series keeps growing and growing. Now we're doing the dolls and prints and things, and they have plans to keep going. They already have plans lined up for Fall 2013.

FA: How exciting! So it's expanded into dolls and those are just characters from the books?

AO: Yup, we did dolls and tote bags and buttons and prints. We're talking about adding some new things in as we go.

FA: And that's secret…

AO: I'm not supposed to talk about it [laughs].

FA: Alright. What about the scarves that you did with Sophia Costa? What was your concept for that?

AO: Well that was fun. Mia's really easy to work with because she kind of just let me do whatever I want. She told me she wanted it to be maybe a random pages from a sketchbook kind of thing. So I went through all these old sketchbooks and pulled out a lot of different things and started to make patterns out of them, and they have kind of a tribal feel but I don't know really why that happened. But I guess that's what I had been doodling for a while.

FA: So that's the concept, like, random pages from a sketchbook?

AO: Yeah, that's what Mia was interested in. She wanted a kind of loose, artistic, sketchy feel on a scarf.

FA: I totally think that was achieved. What influences you or inspires you artistically?

AO: Everything really. I've always loved children's books. I don't think I've ever stopped buying them. I always love to look at old and especially vintage children's books. I really like textile design so I love coming into Flying A and looking at the stuff that Mia gets from all over the world. I like to go to the farmer's market and look at the colors of fruits and vegetables, so a lot of nature things. Nature is usually what I like to draw the most. Animals… and then a lot of the designers I like are mid-century designers. There's one named Alexander Girard, he worked with Eames. He worked with a lot of the mid-century streamline furniture, but he was influenced by folk art from all over the world so he has that kind of folky aesthetic and I really like that.

FA: Does that influence your style?

AO: Definitely. I think that my style is kind of folky. And Swedish… that's why I like Mia because she's Swedish [laughs]. Swedish design and illustration I think is some of the best.

FA: And they have such a rich culture for children's books.

AO: They do. They take it very seriously over there.

FA: Would you say that also influences your fashion and personal style?

AO: Yes. I usually pick from pattern and color when I'm looking at things.

FA: Is there anything else you'd like to share that you're coming out with?

AO: Spring line of scarves with Mia. More of these books — I've pitched a couple other children's books completely different from these but I don't have any deals yet.

FA: So hopefully that's in the works.

AO: Hopefully!