Deanne Cheuk

Deanne Cheuk is an illustrator and designer who lives in New York. Although she actually comes from Perth in Australia. She herself feels that she is influenced by "the impressionists, Art Nouveau and Art Deco among other things"; figures of girls and women often crop up in her graphic work, with ornaments she has woven around them. Elements of surreal collage provide a contrast, something she keeps going back to. She is also know for her plant images, which are reminiscent of plates in botanical textbooks.

She thinks it is now easier for free-lance designers to market their own work: "I love it that self-publishing has become so much more accessible through print and through the web, almost anything is possible at the moment."

When working she lets herself by guided by random ideas, for example by colours that just happen to come into her mind. But she always pics up a pencil or a paintbrush before every idea: "usually I'll just start working and the ideas come part way through."

Over the last year I have really got into using inks and paints and the idea of just using whatever colour comes into your mind has really help bring my images come to life as they feel like they have more texture and meaning to them. I hope to carry on experimenting with colour and trying new things as new project emerge.