Laura McKellar grew up surrounded by arts and crafts so it only made sense she’d follow suit. “I grew up in a very creative environment,” she relayed in an interview with Pikaland. “My aunt is a professional illustrator so from a very early age I learned with a lot of hard work and dedication that it is possible to make art your career. I also learned at school that I could make a living from being creative and have since pursued it!”
With a Bachelor in Design Arts, as well as a Diploma in Printing and Graphic Art, she pursued it indeed. Based in Melbourne, Australia McKellar, she dips her toes in anything creative, including (but not limited to) art direction, illustration, print, packaging, branding, and lettering.
To this she usually adds a handmade twist, making her designs feel a tad more personal. This handmade feel especially comes off through her unique hand-embroideries, which are sewed on digital prints on fabric. Like her other creative passions, she attributes her love of embroidery to her environment.
“I learned about sewing at a young age,” she shared. “My mum used to make all of our clothes and we were given hand-embroidered singlets for birthdays as children.” Over the many years of her work, McKellar has collected a fair share of second-hand sewing reference books. “You don’t have to be a master at it to make it look special,” she says. “I transferred my drawings onto fabrics and started embroidering small details and have continued working like this.”
