Rachael Saunders New Direction

What inspired the new direction in your work?

My new direction of work was inspired by a need to reconnect with my true interests and passions. For a long time, I felt pigeonholed into a specific style of illustration. While I enjoyed this style, it wasn’t fully representative of my real interests. I have a deep love for mid-century design and illustration, but since graduating in 2014, I lost the ability to work in this way. Commissions often steered me in a different direction, and over time, this divergence got a bit out of control.

I decided to take some time away to re-evaluate what I truly enjoyed about my work and the reasons why I chose this career in the first place. Revisiting my old sketchbooks allowed me to reconnect with my original inspirations and aspirations. Over six months of exploration and introspection, I embarked on a journey to rediscover myself and my artistic style.

Through this journey, I have rediscovered my love for limited colour palettes and the use of simplicity and structure, as well as my passion for creating humorous characters and offering interesting perspectives on everyday life. I am now thrilled with the new direction I am heading in, which feels much more authentic and aligned with my passions. In the future, my hope is to be commissioned for new projects in this style, allowing the world to see what I now have to offer.

See more of Rachael’s new direction on her portfolio page.