The Magic of Collaboration
Prepare to be amazed by an extraordinary doodlewear fusion artwork collaboration! Lesh Creates and Penny Royal Design, our exceptional Doodlewear collaborators, have teamed up for an inspiring venture. Experience the enchanting union of their collaborative efforts as they skillfully merge their illustrations, producing mesmerising artworks that will leave you in awe.
In this Creative Chats interview, you'll discover the story behind their doodlewear fusion artwork collaboration, learn about their creative process, and see how their unique styles come together to create stunning pieces. Join us as we dive into the inspirations, challenges, and joys of their collaboration, and find out what makes their Doodlewear Fusion collection truly special.
Meet the Artists
Penny Royal Design
Penny Royal is a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and surface pattern designer based in Nelson, New Zealand. With her two children by her side, she has always been a creative person but didn’t pursue it as a career until she did a Bachelor of Arts degree as an adult. Penny draws inspiration from all around her, but most of her art features animals and florals, especially New Zealand natives.
Meet Nelson Artist Penny Royal of Penny Royal Design
Lesh Creates
Lesh McNicholl, a mum of three living in Wellington, New Zealand, is an illustrative artist whose works are inspired by nature. Painting with acrylic and Indian ink, her illustrations capture the essence of nature with every brushstroke. From New Zealand native birds to exquisite flora, Lesh's artwork celebrates the extraordinary wonders that surround us.
Meet Wellington Artist Lesh McNichol of Lesh Creates
The Beginning of a Beautiful Partnership
Why Collaborate?
Penny explains, "I love Lesh’s artwork and our styles are quite similar, so our artwork looks great together. Plus, Lesh is such a lovely, positive, motivated, bubbly person, that she is a dream to work with!"
Lesh shares her excitement too: "I absolutely adore Penny's artwork, and I love that a lot of our artwork is similar in content to mine. She has a really good eye for colour and capturing personality in her work."
How Did It Start?
Penny says, "We met each other through Doodlewear and in 2023 we decided to collaborate on a calendar together. This led to us creating a whole bunch of artworks together and then putting them on a range of products including t-shirts, hoodies, tea towels, art prints, greeting cards, and bookmarks."
Lesh adds, "We both are individual artists at Doodlewear and I loved her calendar she made in 2022. I thought it would be cool to blend our artwork together and create something new and exciting we could both share."
The Doodlewear Fusion of Styles
Why Their Art Fuses Well
Penny believes their art fuses so well together because "We have very similar styles, both enjoying drawing and painting native New Zealand plants and animals in a realistic way."
Lesh agrees: "Our subject matter is often similar. We both love nature-inspired illustrating, especially New Zealand native flora and fauna. We both also enjoy outlining our painted artwork with ink pen to get fine details."
The Creative Process
Penny outlines their process: "We brainstorm ideas of what we want to create and what artworks may work together. Then Lesh sends her artwork to me, and I digitally arrange the artwork together, with lots of back-and-forth collab conversations for edits and tweaks."
Lesh describes it as a seamless process: "I give all my scanned artworks to Penny, which have been clear-cut so she can use her graphic design skills to arrange these little illustrations into a new image, fusing both our artworks seamlessly together."
The Joy of Collaboration
What They Love About It
Penny says, "When you are a self-employed creative working at home on your own, it can be very isolating. It is sooo nice having someone to bounce ideas off and Lesh is so enthusiastic and encouraging."
Lesh appreciates Penny’s drive and motivation: "I love how Penny has drive, is motivated to get stuck in, and that she is consistently showing up for her art business every day! Penny is funny, hardworking, with the entrepreneurial spirit I'm drawn to."
Favourite Artwork
Penny’s favourite from the Doodlewear Fusion collection is "Bumble Bee + Hector’s Daisy," which she loves on the mustard yellow maple tee. "It’s so bright and happy and goes so well with the artwork," she says.
Lesh’s favourite is "Ruru and Rautini." She says, "I love owls and those eyes! The yellow Rautini flowers Penny illustrated are the perfect backdrop against the doodlewear petrol blue T-shirts, the artwork has a retro vibe about it."
The Collaborative Calendars
About Their Calendars
Penny shares, "Our calendars are what started our collab! They make fantastic gifts and showcase a huge selection of our artwork."
Lesh adds, "Calendars were the start of our collaboration, and what I love about them is you can enjoy many artworks at an affordable price and each month a new artwork adorns your walls."
They both emphasise the practicality and beauty of their calendars, designed with large squares for writing and printed in high quality by a local New Zealand printer.
Penny Royal pictured with the Penny + Lesh Collab Art Calendars 2024
Conclusion
The artwork collaboration between Lesh Creates and Penny Royal Design is a testament to the magic that happens when two creative minds come together. Their unique styles blend seamlessly, resulting in stunning pieces that capture the beauty of New Zealand’s flora and fauna.
Are you ready to experience the magic of their collaboration? Check out the Doodlewear Fusion collection and bring a piece of their artistry into your wardrobe and home today! What’s your favourite piece from their collection? Let us know in the comments below!Explore Lesh Creates and Penny Royal Design Artist Collaboration Collection »
WHAT'S POPULAR
