Pavinee from MerryDay is on a Mission to Create Happy Art

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Creative Fabrica

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Pavinee Sripaisal is a freelance illustrator based in Bangkok, Thailand. She designed book covers and children’s book illustrations. During the past few years she has been focusing more on her own brand, MerryDay, selling clip arts and design through online marketplace and print on demand sites.

We interviewed Pavinee to discuss how she overcomes creative blocks, keeps her skills up-to-date as an illustrator.

How did your creative journey begin?

I had always enjoyed drawing since I was a child but never took it seriously until much later when I was at university studying English language and literature. I read a lot of books and collected the ones with beautiful covers. The book cover art inspired me to think about earning a living by drawing for books. I love reading. I love drawing. It’s a good combination.

After taking another degree in graphic design, I worked as a book designer and started my MerryDay at Etsy to earn some extra money selling stationery designs. During this time my interest expanded from general books to children’s picture books. I practiced drawing more kids and cute illustrations and finally switched from graphic design work to illustration.

How would you describe your illustration style?

Cute, cheerful and whimsical. I enjoy drawing cute little things that make myself smile and happy. Viewers often tell me that they feel refreshed when seeing my work. It becomes my work mission to create happy art.

Could you please describe your creative process? When do you feel most inspired?

I usually start projects with keyword brainstorming and pencil sketches. Then I choose the most favorite drawing or composition and develop a complete illustration from there. I find that I feel most inspired when I have already done some work and got into the flow. I feel energized with lines and colors and get more ideas during the process. The hardest part of the art process is getting started. So I try not to think too much, just pick up a pencil and do some work. Inspirations always come after the first couple of lines.

Do you have any tips for overcoming creative blocks?

Get back to things that drive you to do what you do now in the first place. Things that can make you be yourself, feel relaxed and energized at the same time. It can be going to bookshops, browsing art in museums, talking to people who support your art or just sitting back and imagining how happy you would feel when you complete this or that project. Constantly cheering yourself up is most important because no one understands what you do best as you, yourself.

As for me , It’s fortunate that my hobby of collecting picture books helps support my career of illustration. So it’s not that hard to overcome creative blocks. When I feel stuck, I will look for inspiration from children’s picture books. Picture books do not only make me feel fun and relaxed, they can also give me ideas for storytelling, character study, composition and color selection.

I’m an introvert and enjoy being by myself reading and drawing but it’s great to find different inspiration from talking with other people from time to time too. It’s not necessary to talk with people who are like minded or to discuss art-related topics. Sometimes different topics, different opinions or even ordinary things can help destroy your blocks, just pay attention to what you see and hear.

How do you keep your skills up-to-date as an illustrator?

I first developed my style by doing a 365-day drawing project. Although I only got to day 147 of 365, my skill of drawing and telling stories through pictures got much better. I can draw children and animals with more confidence. Then I did another long project of drawing everyday for 100 days. This time I could make it through and now have a good collection of drawings that I use for other product development.

Apart from drawing everyday, I always look for online classes for either inspiration or technical learning. I learned watercolor painting, digital technique and hand-lettering from online classes both free and paid.

What was your most recent favorite design you made?

Flowery cuteness is what I call my recent favorite design. It’s a combination of flower drawing and cute characters put into composition in a whimsical, hide-and-seek style. I love drawing details and letting people find if there are more things hiding. My aim is to get people to spend more time looking at details and enjoy my illustration as a game.