Growing up with both of her parents being artists, and encouraged to be creative — Emily Isabella describes her childhood as “pretty idyllic.” So it makes sense she followed suit, having grown up to be a celebrated illustrator herself. “I met my husband in art school and from the beginning, we’ve dreamed of building a place to house our creative endeavors,” she goes on to say in an interview with Ballpitmag. “We now live in the Hudson Valley on 15 acres and are building that studio! I guess my adult life mimics my childhood.”
With clients that include Kate Spade, Anthropologie, and Flow Magazine, on top of more than 35k followers on Instagram, Isabella has clearly carved a niche for herself. Having trained as a textile designer, her illustrations rely heavily on her background in textile, using mainly gouache colors that mimic screen painting.
“When I started working as an illustrator, gouache was what I had in my toolbox,” she explains, adding that “it wasn’t a deliberate choice.” But it turned out for the best, allowing her to further explore the relationship between line and flat color (“gouache is the perfect medium for this,” she explains). “Also, it dries almost immediately so it’s great when you’re working on deadline!”
Surrounded by nature, inspiration comes easy for Isabella. But she’s also drawn to her childhood memories, as she expands her search for charm in the everyday. “I feel very connected to my memories of childhood and I’m always interested in bridging the gap between childhood and adulthood,” she says.
