We caught up with Eoin to find out how he created a striking mix of contrasting colours and texture.
DA: How did you come to work for Wallpaper*?
ER: "I sent them my work after graduating and they liked it and gave me my first big commission a couple of years ago, I've done a few jobs for them since then, this was the most recent."
DA: What was your concept and how did you develop this?
ER: "I started looking through lots of Indian wedding images and I noticed the henna tattoos on the bride's hands. They had quite beautiful patterns so I thought i could use these somehow. [For one illustration (bottom),] that developed into using the hands themselves and I ended up showing a blingy, dolled-up hand with a huge ring contrasted with a simpler, unadorned one and a smaller ring. I used the same idea for the [illustration of] two bride's heads (below) and incorporated some of the henna patterns in the background."
DA: For the illustration above, what did you want to evoke by the contrast of colours and organic textures/textile patterns?
ER: "I used the purple and beige to contrast the lush and simple styles of wedding, purple being the kind of colour that signifies luxury and biege for a simpler feel. The contrasting patterns were also meant to signify a more ornate looking style with the simpler folded fabric."
DA: How did you create your illustrations?
ER: "I sketched out a line drawing then scanned that in. I layered up and cut out textures I made using scanned ink washes and found old paper Then I colorized and shaded them using Photoshop."DA: Your work has a beautiful mix of pattern and texture. What tips do you have for our readers about how they can use pattern and texture better in their artworks?
ER: "I usually find the more time I spend on textures before I scan them in, the better they look in the end. Photoshop and Illustrator are invaluable tools but I try balance that with doing things by hand as much as possible beforehand."
DA: What are you working on now?
ER: "I'm working on some designs for a new clothing label called Citizen-Ink to be launched in September."