The Face Behind the Flyer #0723
This year we are introducing a new tradition, working with members of The Little Makers Market family, to design custom flyers to shout about the events. This benefits us with beautiful marketing but also, helps us celebrate the incredible talent within our community.
Artist flyers have quickly become one of my favourite parts of running The Little Makers Markets. It’s such an honour every month to be able to work with such talented individuals to create new marketing materials to share digitally & locally! Being able to see their processes unfold, and learning more about them as people, as well as creative, is truly inspiring.
This month’s flyer is up there for being one of my favourites to date! With a bold Sicilian lemon design, created by the marvellous Megan Bentley! Megan’s level of detail in each piece she creates always astounds me! From playful prints, cards and homeware, she has everything you need to bring Italy into the home! And I’m fortunate to be able to enjoy her designs each month with her 2023 calendar up on the kitchen wall (you could say I am a fan, of her work)! Anyway, enough of that!
Read more about Megan and her creative process below
What was your inspiration behind the design?
I was inspired by late summer evenings by the sea with bright lemons and gorgeous handmade tiles. I think lemons make things happy and colourful and I wanted some Italian-style tiles as a background. This summery theme is shown a lot in my artwork.
Approximately how long did it take you?
It took me a few days because I am still experimenting with using an ipad to draw digital illustrations. I also played around a lot with the layout of the flyer and what style of text worked best.
What’s your usual source of inspiration?
I draw inspiration from holidays (particularly to Italy), the colours of the houses and use of patterns in tiles always make me want to paint. I love looking at vintage items, spending time happily scrolling through Pinterest looking at vintage photos and products that are nostalgic and sweet. I feel that nature also plays an important part in my work, looking at leaves in detail and admiring the different colours and varieties of flowers is so inspiring.
How long have you been making?
I've been making ever since I was a child, I used to make my own birthday cards and I loved creating and experimenting. I studied Illustration at university and then opened up my Etsy shop in 2011 and have been selling my products ever since.
How did you do it?
I ended up doing a combination of original watercolour painting and digital drawing in procreate. I enjoyed moving the images around on procreate, trying different options of design and hand writing all of the text. The lemons are paintings and the tiles and handwriting are all digital drawings.
Describe your work?
My work is fun, colourful and playful. My aim is to create products that bring a little joy into people's lives and make them feel inspired. My products include prints, greeting cards and postcards. I have also, within the past 3 years, been making ceramic products like flowery mugs, lemon soap dishes and ceramic earrings.
What’s your goal for 2023?
My goal is to expand my product range, hopefully add stickers and more artwork. I also hope to start designing more wedding invitations.
If you enjoyed reading about Megan and her work, why not check out her Etsy shop here or via Instagram at @meganbentley