CBC Radio and NPR podcasts keep Alanna Cavanagh company as she works away in her home studios in Cabbagetown. From her basement hideaway where she does her silk screening to her third floor alcove where she churns out her in-demand illustrations, the sounds of Jian Ghomeshi or Terry Gross are never far away.
Cavanagh started her art career early. The product of a large family, she was constantly supplied by crayons from her busy mom to keep her out of trouble. Later, she studied art history at UofT and printmaking at Open Studio but beyond those educational underpinnings she is essentially self-taught.
Her inspiration comes from all over the place including film posters and animation from the 1950s, textiles, stuff she finds at flea markets like Underwood typewriters, old Penguin book covers, bird cages and more. She's also a big fan of artists and designers like Saul Bass, Lester Beall, Miroslav Sasek, early Andy Warhol (before his Factory days) John Derian, Lotta Jansdotter, and Denyse Schmidt.
All Cavanagh's illustrations are done digitally. She draws her sketches by hand and then refines and adds colour in Photoshop. Her work can be found for sale at Canvas Gallery, her agency's web site and monthly in Elle Magazine. She also appears often in the Globe and Mail and Real Simple magazine.
Cavanagh started her art career early. The product of a large family, she was constantly supplied by crayons from her busy mom to keep her out of trouble. Later, she studied art history at UofT and printmaking at Open Studio but beyond those educational underpinnings she is essentially self-taught.
Her inspiration comes from all over the place including film posters and animation from the 1950s, textiles, stuff she finds at flea markets like Underwood typewriters, old Penguin book covers, bird cages and more. She's also a big fan of artists and designers like Saul Bass, Lester Beall, Miroslav Sasek, early Andy Warhol (before his Factory days) John Derian, Lotta Jansdotter, and Denyse Schmidt.
All Cavanagh's illustrations are done digitally. She draws her sketches by hand and then refines and adds colour in Photoshop. Her work can be found for sale at Canvas Gallery, her agency's web site and monthly in Elle Magazine. She also appears often in the Globe and Mail and Real Simple magazine.
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Alanna! Great to bump into you like this. I love your Penguin covers. Your silkscreens look so delicate and yummy...
so cool to see how you work! I always thought it was pure digital but wow actual silk screens! cool! Time consuming, but awesome