Filling our homes with pictures of loved ones is a much loved tradition by most, and Artist Rachel Leo of You and Me Prints, perfectly bridges the mediums of photography and art, to create bespoke artworks of the people we love.
Based in Melbourne Australia, Rachel has over 15 years experience as a motion graphics artist and designer. Over the years, Rachel found that creating artworks for friends and family brought her a lot of creative joy. And as so often happens, it was the birth of her daughter Lucia that inspired Rachel to launch You and Me Prints and share her artworks with the rest of the world.
Rachel’s artworks are personal and unique, digitally created specifically for each client to capture special moments.
Rachel is also a strong believer in paying it forward. With the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to be as safe, happy and as loved as the little ones captured in You and Me Prints portraits, she supports children the world over by donating $10 from every custom portrait sold to Save the Children Australia.
Save her website to your favourites for the next time you need the perfect gift for the ones you love & read on below for my interview with Rachel as we discuss her inspirations, process and dreams for the future of You and Me Prints.
Follow Rachel on Instagram at @youandmeprints
Can you tell us a little about yourself, your background and what led you to becoming an illustrator?
I’ve always been very creative. Growing up I loved illustration, photography and art. My favourite subjects were always people and I would often create portraits as gifts for friends and family.
My Dad has always loved computers and when I was little his influence would see me spending weekends at his place playing around with Corel Draw on his desktop. These two sides of art and computers combined perfectly when I went to university and completed one of the first ever Bachelors of Multimedia. I loved the potential to work with technical programs and utilise them into limitless creative directions.
This led to a 15 year career in Broadcast as a Motion Graphics artist working on some of the biggest shows on TV. Whilst I loved the job, it did burn me out and I knew it wasn’t the industry I wanted to raise a young family in.
Through this time my love of portraits never ended and they were still on high rotation on my gift list. I always had the intention of building it into a business, but it was the birth of my 1st child that made it a reality and You and Me Prints was born!
How would you describe your work?
Personalised custom portraits of those you love created from your everyday snaps.
Can you give us some insight into your
process?
Each piece starts with a selection of photos the client sends through. These could be a faded 50 year image from their Grandmothers album or a pic from their iPhone taken yesterday. The artwork may be a single subject or I could be creating a piece with 9 family members! The first step is refining the layout and then from there I will start the base linework – if this is wrong it won’t be an accurate likeness. I predominately work digitally, applying traditional painting techniques using Photoshop. I love this method as it allows the power of undo! I can also experiment with different combinations of patterns and colours to incorporate into the subjects clothing. I will work on one piece from start to end. I love seeing how each piece evolves and reveals its character. Occasionally I can end up struggling midway with a piece and end up feeling frustrated, but by pushing through, I’m always amazed that it somehow comes together perfectly. I love this about the creative process and always have faith in it!
What does a day in the office/studio look like for you?
I start with emails, completing any essential correspondence and then reviewing the schedule of which piece I am up to whilst also ensuring any urgent orders are squeezed on to it. I then get stuck into the artwork I am currently working on, usually with a podcast or audible book for company. My day is always broken up with a tea and hot cross bun and also exploring methods not to procrastinate! School pickup also comes around way to quickly most days. In the evening I always tell myself I will create an instagram post but rarely ever do!
What inspires your artworks?
The subjects! As corny as it sounds, I love how special and unique each person is and I want to create a piece that celebrates that. This is the motivation between each and every job.Those we love is what makes a life. Having an artwork of them on your walls capturing their essence reminds you each day of what is important while also making you smile. Plus I have the most rewarding job ever – getting great feedback from each of the recipients makes my day and inspires me to make each piece the best it can be!
Tell us about some of the people in the industry who inspire you and why?
I love Rachel Castle – she creates beautiful things with love and humour that bring joy to many people, but my favourite part is her desire to stay small and celebrate this fact. The predominant model out there for business is all about growth and what’s next, but I think this is unsustainable and looses connection with your audience and what really matters. Being authentic and having relationships with each customer is important to me.
What would your dream project/collaboration be?
It’s and old dream but I’ve always wanted to be featured on The Design Files!
Where is your favourite place to shop in Melbourne?
Hmmmm – does food count?! For Melbourne fashion I love Obus and Elk! I’m also getting deep into hiking so recently I’ve been frequenting the specialised outdoor stores like Bogong on Little Burke St.
What’s next for you? What exciting things are on the cards for the year ahead?
Enjoying each piece I create and celebrating I get to do a job I love every day!