Australian Illustrator Jocelyn Proust on Daydream Shells, her Inspirations from Nature and Fabric in Spotlight
Jocelyn Proust is a revered Australian artist with a unique flair for pattern design. She draws her inspiration from nature, particularly her surroundings where she lives on the north coast of New South Wales. Her signature style of illustration uses bright, bold colours and clean lines. Jocelyn’s designs are perfectly balanced between complexity and simplicity, making them ideal for a wide range of applications including textile and ceramic products. Jocelyn's distinctive work can be seen at Spotlight, Hallmark, Annabel Trends, Australia Post, Urban Road… just to name a few.
Jocelyn’s career began as a graphic designer in advertising before she discovered her love for surface design. Her patterns often depict native flowers and birds but also fruits, animals, insects and our very special Daydream Shells design.
Here we ask Jocelyn a few questions as we get to know her even more:
Indie Boho - What was the inspiration and creative process used for Daydream Shells?
Jocelyn - I am lucky enough to live just a few minutes walk from the beach, and I walk every morning and again in the evening on the beach and around the headlands. I have always loved shells; looking at them, collecting them and drawing them! For the Daydream Shells design I started with lots of simple line drawings of shells I had collected. I then scan those drawings and import them into Adobe Illustrator where I have fun applying colour and creating a repeat pattern design.
What do you love about being an artist in Australia?
I love that we are so fortunate to have inspiration all around us in Australia. Our unique plants, animals and birdlife are a constant source of inspiration for me.
I think the colours of our landscapes and also the wonderful light really influences my choices of colour palettes and the boldness of my designs.
Do you do any other kind of work in the creative field?
At the moment most of my time is taken up with creating designs for companies and brands to use on their products, but I have certainly done lots of dabbling in different mediums. In the past, I have worked with ceramics, jewellery making, embroidery, knitting and sewing. I also love to cook.
Is there one design job are you best known for?
I guess I am probably best known for my textile designs for Spotlight.
And what projects are you the most proud of and why?
Oh that’s tricky! I am proud of them all. I love that I am able to work with a range of different businesses, on different products. They all provide a different creative challenge and I love to see the results out in the world being enjoyed by people.
Tell us about your moodle Alfie, what are some of the funny things he does?
Alfie is an adorable boy! He’s now ten years old and such an important part of our family. He loves his daily beach walks and is my constant companion in the studio while I’m working. He is a very friendly boy, although he prefers other humans to other dogs. He thinks everyone is his best friend!
