The Magic Of Whimsy

Illustrator and designer Lydia Nichols kindly spoke to me about some of the pieces in her shop, as well as the portrait that made me realize I wanted to interview her:



Q // House Sitter: the girl is far larger than the building, and she seems dismayed and forlorn. Does this illustration reflect a particular experience?

A // This illustration came a bit more out of mood than experience--that feeling of things not quite working or fitting, of being a bit exhausted.



Q // The objects in your home/kitchen prints are arranged to fill space meticulously, like an intuitive, orderly puzzle. Are organization and clarity important aspects of your own living areas?

A // It's funny--I used to be horribly disorganized as a kid. Somewhere along the line things changed and now a bit of order is essential to my productivity. That doesn't mean I don't have stacks of sketches about, but I try to tidy at the end of each day so that I have a workable space the next day. It makes it way easier to be productive!



Q // What's the story behind the "tea friends"? Is someone invisible holding the pot, or is it hovering through the magic of whimsy?

A // Haha, I suppose it's hovering through the magic of whimsy! A lot of my work has a whimsical quality and that's one of the great joys of being a illustrator--you can show things that can't really happen. You can create worlds and people and scenarios that you would never encounter in real life. It's a visual manifestation of the imagination.

// quote background: pencil pow-wow //