Olive Reekie

 

Q What do you do?

“I am a Freelance Illustrator and Designer driven by Stories I create work that will draw the viewer in.”

Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?

I began by studying Photojournalism at Brighton University, which gave me a deep understanding of composition, colour and how words work with an image. Later I worked at an Artist Studio as a Painter, which led me to strive to work on my own illustration. So, I got my MA in Illustration with Falmouth University and for 2 years have been working as a Freelance Illustrator!

Q How do you stand out in your field?

Every project presents a new challenge for me to sink my teeth into and develop my skills.
I have a vivid imagination and my background has given me great technical knowledge of how to create interesting and dynamic work.

Q What are you working on right now?

Currently working on an animation for a music video, Also crafting a Book Cover for a Mysterious Story.....

Q What’s your style?

I am heavily influenced by German Expressionism - using shape and structure to entice the viewer into the work.
My education in Photography and Film has been very constructive in learning how to tell a story through image. I'm not sure how to describe my style as I am inspired by so much.

Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?

I loovvveee my work with Book Covers but I would like to get more into Character design and Animation aswell?!

Q What is frustrating you right now?

Definitely my social media presence and promoting myself, I'm not great at it.

Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?

Be my Social Media Manager?!

 

Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?

I would have been more confident showing my work to other people, and told my younger self that everybody's work is so cool in its own way and there's no right or wrong way to be, and having your own approach, style and visual identity is very exciting, and something to hold onto !

 

Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?

I'm not brilliant at promoting myself, so I would love to gain more knowledge on that, orrr...NFT's I'm so curious? What are they?

Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?

I'm always looking for creating designs for Books, any type of Cover really. I also love coming up with Character Designs and ideas.

Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.

A client came to me with a broad idea but not much more than that, they couldn't really imagine the visual identity of their Cover, and was open to any ideas I had, I really enjoyed condensing their ideas down into a visual realisation, and in the end they were so excited about the work we created together and it was really fulfilling for me from start to finish.

Q What is your rate?

It varies depending on project, product, complexity and client, if you were to get in touch I would be happy to hear about a project idea and run through costs.

Q How should someone approach you about working together?

You can find me at olivereekie1000@gmail.com . I would love to hear about You, Your Project, Ideas, Timeline and Budget.
Ideas wise it doesn't all need to be figured out I am happy to work together and find your vision! Having any inspirational photos/ideas attached is a + and then I can start brainstorming and creating initial thumbnails and we can go from there!

 
 

Q Who is a creative you admire?

Can I say Tim Burton?

Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?

Read, read, walk, walk, run around, explore, cycle, movies can also be such a great source of inspiration !

This member profile was originally published in October 2022 / Updated May 2023.

EdinburghGina CovarrubiasIllustrator, Artist, Graphic Designer