Collaborating with Bianca Patricia
One thing that I always seriously underestimate with collaborations is…time.
When you’re doing something for the sake of creating (which is rad, btw, and such a privilege) it’s easy to forget that there are 10,000 other things going on for each participant at any given time.
But alas! We’ve made it! After months on the drawing board, I’m so pleased to share with you our collaboration with Bianca Patricia, a Melbourne-based digital illustrator who brought our Rust Uniform hashtag to life.
Read on to learn more about Bianca, the behind the scenes of our collab, and why she’s so darn wonderful.
Who’s That Girl?
Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Well firstly, hi! I’m … here’s four fun facts about me: I was once chased by an Emu, I’m lactose intolerant, I have a small and random hole in my face, and I have a Maltese shitzu named Missy!
How is 2019 going for you?
2019 has been a roller coaster. In 2018 I was very anxious and probably a little depressed (even though I hate to admit that), so this year has really been about getting over that and finding my feet again! I’m in a much better position now though and I think everything is slowly coming together!
What’s it like living in Melbourne?
Melbourne is different… I grew up in a country town where everyone knew everyone so for me Melbourne was a big culture shock. I almost have a love hate relationship with it; it’s got a great art and food scene but then some days I just want peace and quiet. Somedays I’d just like to be able to drive somewhere and have it only take 5 minutes to get there.
What is home to you?
Home is wherever my family is. I do miss the house I grew up in and originally called home though. Shepparton will always have a piece of my heart.
Making Magic
What was the path that led you to becoming a digital illustrator?
I always knew I wanted to do something creative… I just didn’t know what. Im a big lover of drawing portraits but I thought photography was going to be my chosen path because I could get the portrait in 1/4 of the time it took it draw it!
Photography was my top preference but I really wanted to go to Academy of Design (Lci Melbourne) because I liked their class structure. I then got accepted in the first round offers for a Bachelor of Design Arts there. So I kind of just fell into Graphic Design. After graduating I did struggle to choose a direction to head in within the graphic design umbrella and illustration/drawing was always my outlet for when life got chaotic. I noticed people were starting to love my illustrations and I just kept at it.
Is it your full time gig, side hustle, or a hobby that you’re ridiculously good at?
Just a side hustle! I work full time in admin and I also do work for social media management companies.
What made you decide to collaborate with Rust?
I’ve followed Rust for a little while now and I like everything about it as a brand. So when I saw the opportunity I thought it’d be super cool to share what I love on a platform that supports other creatives and small businesses — because I’m all about that!
Can you walk us through the collaboration – what was involved, what role you played (aside from being a total creative genius), etc?
Viv and I chatted about the style of photos we were going to use as inspo and she gave me complete creative rein to illustrate what I thought would love best! I then got to work to create some magic.
What was your process for designing the piece?
After I chose the four images that would inspire my illustrations I started to draw them out in illustrator with the pen tool and fill them in. I did start out with super detail, however cut it back as I felt that worked best in the look I wanted to achieve.
I did play around with the colour combos A LOT because I wanted to make it cohesive to Viv’s brand colours — which I love! — so once I was happy with that I went back to each and looked at them with a fine tooth comb to ensure all the edges and details were exactly how I wanted them, and voila!
How did you find collaborating on an artwork compared to doing it solo?
Viv is easy going and was such a pleasure to collaborate with, she cheered me on the whole time and it really helped settled all my nerves I had when it came to my self doubt 🤦🏼♀️. I also love being able to discuss and get feedback on my work, so in that sense it was great working with someone else opposed to going solo.
Do you have any advice for those wanting to get started in digital illustration?
Ohhhh, Where to begin… when it comes to giving out advice I could ramble all day, but I guess the main thing would be just go for it! Don’t listen to the little guy on your shoulder like I did and network, network, network!!! Support other creatives because you never know what opportunities it may bring. All the other stuff — if you want to get serious — like finances, getting clients, marketing yourself etc. that information and help is out there for free, yes FREE. You just need to know where to look!
What’s something that people don’t see/realise that you do (the nitty gritty, behind the scenes stuff)?
Invoices 🧾Long nights, early mornings, dry eyes 🤦🏼♀️and you also don’t usually get clarity, you’ve got to have the confidence to know your doing it right!
And of course: what inspires you?
It might sound weird but children’s imagination really inspires me! They have so many cool, random ideas! I also love reading and pulling quotes from text as inspiration 🙂
Quick Questions
How do you take your tea (or coffee)?
Tea!
Fave coffee shops/cafes at home
Leroy’s Cafe or Morris + Heath
Go to outfit
Black ponte pants and a mustard jumper from Glassons
Proudest Moment
Yr 11 & 12 Visual communication highest achiever (DUX)… three folios thick for each year anyone who did Vis Com would know the struggles! Hahaha
Ideal Sunday
Walk around the tan track (botanical gardens), breakfast at a cafe, then home to relax and do illustrations.
Fave podcasts/books
She’s on the Money AU (podcast)
Ultimate travel destination
Malta
Where can we find you online?
@biancapatricia.designs on Instagram — website coming soon!