Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Allen.
Brooke, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My first studio, a kid-sized table loaded with art supplies, was set up by my mom when I was three years old. It was in a cozy corner of our three-season porch, overlooking the street in our quiet New Hampshire neighborhood. By the time I was five years old, it was part of my daily routine to spend an hour drawing and making up stories there, and the love in that sun-lit studio still shapes the spirit of my art.
I studied illustration at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. After college I did freelance illustration and painting projects in the form of murals, book covers, commissioned paintings, greeting cards, and hand lettered signs.
After my hand-painted baby onesies gained popularity, I opened Babbling Brooke Studio. Six years later, my business has grown to include both children and adult size clothing. To keep up with demand, I’ve streamlined my process to create more detailed line illustrations that could be silkscreened in unique color combinations.
As for the future, I’ve rediscovered my love for children’s stories and illustration thanks to my two-year old daughter. My style has always lent itself to children’s book illustration, and I see the world in new ways with her and am exploring what that voice and vision is. I would read a book with her and start to think, “How would I paint this?” It gave me a renewed motivation to create. Our daily family adventures and my daughter’s playful requests for crayon drawings by Mommy have sparked my imagination and I am falling back in love with painting.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I love being surrounded by art that makes me happy. My illustrations are whimsical in style and meant to be enjoyed by both kids and kids at heart. The characters I create are from a world that’s colorful, silly, and filled with adventure. I create scenes for clients and customers to add their own stories.
My main project right now for my Etsy shop, Babbling Brooke Studio, is creating line drawings of animals and using those drawings to create silkscreened baby and children’s clothing, adult shirts, tote bags, and small batch art prints.
Beyond my shop, I enjoy working with a broad range of both traditional and digital media. Watercolor and ink are my favorite mediums for creating new animal characters, and many of my line drawings are inspired by these pieces. I’ve also been experimenting more with interpreting these drawings into digital paintings.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I’ve learned the benefits of both tenacity and taking a break. Sometimes the exercise of making yourself put pencil on paper, knowing you’ll probably hate whatever you draw, gives you the freedom to make mistakes and move past being stuck. Other times, know when to get outside, go for a run, pet your cat, make a cup of coffee. Everything looks better in the morning and trying to force it isn’t always the answer. I could have wasted far fewer frustrating hours staring at intimidating, blank canvases if I had just listened to my instincts on this. Sometimes what feels like a step backwards is more of a step sideways, and that turns out to be the step forward.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My Etsy store, Babbling Brooke Studio (babblingbrookestudio.etsy.com) sells prints of my illustrations, cards, and clothing. Custom orders are welcome, and if you’re interested in a piece for your child’s wall (or your own!) please contact me through either my website or Etsy.
To view a more extensive portfolio of my paintings and illustrations visit www.brookeallenart.com. If you’re involved in publishing and looking to collaborate with an illustrator, I would be delighted to hear about freelance opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brookeallenart.com
- Email: brooke@brookeallenart.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/babblingbrookestudio
- Facebook: facebook.com/Babblingbrookestudio
- Twitter: twitter.com/bblngbrookeart
- Other: babblingbrookestudio.etsy.com
Image Credit:
Portrait photo credit to Erika Buckley.
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