1. Why did you apply for the Y Design Competition?
I applied because it seemed like an awesome opportunity. I’ve always enjoyed art and loved the idea of designing something for a T-shirt. Plus, the experience of going through the whole process, from initial sketches to seeing my design on a T-shirt, was just too cool to pass up.
2. I hear you have strong opinions on the flavours of tea. Please tell us your favourite.
Lady Grey is by far the nicest tea flavour. Earl Grey fans can fight me on that.
3. Describe the idea behind your artwork and your creative process.
The idea behind my artwork is a lizard who is a wizard. A Wizard Lizard. I just think little guys deserve more representation. And the idea of a slightly anthropomorphised lizard in a cool wizard outfit is very cute to me. Thus, Wizard Lizard was born. He doesn’t look it, but I had geckos in mind when I was drawing him. When I was a kid living in Queensland, we had geckos all over the place. I remembered watching them on the rooves. They’re one of the cutest lizards in my opinion, so were an inspiration.
My initial sketches were all done with pencils in my sketchbook. One of those was nice enough that I used it as a base for the final piece. I used my digital art tablet (hooked up to my laptop) to create the final Wizard Lizard. I uploaded a photo of my favourite sketch then created line art over the top and went from there.
4. What does it mean to you to have your artwork on a T-shirt?
It’s incredibly validating as an artist to know that something I created will be worn by others. Art has always been a hobby for me, so having it recognized in this way is amazing.
5. Tell us about your connection to the Y and your favourite thing about it.
I’ve been volunteering at the Y in Ballarat for a while now. It's provided me with so many opportunities to hear from diverse perspectives and engage with the community.
Mark your calendars, because our Wizard Lizard T-Shirts will be launching on Monday, May 6th!
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