Featured Artist: Lynn Bremner

Bursting with juicy hues and kinetic energy, the work of illustrator and muralist Lynn Bremner is a joyful experience that saturates the senses. Characterised by her bold use of offbeat colour combos, crunchy gradients, and a dynamic use of composition and perspective, her artworks exude a palpable sense of movement and vitality.

Inspired by new experiences, travel, and different cultures, Lynn's larger-than-life characters are shown living active and empowered lives, spreading a message of positive encouragement, inclusivity, and kindness.  Whether it be digital, in print, or splashed across a vibrant mural, her work transforms every day spaces and objects into a playful celebration of colour and movement.

Originally hailing from Scotland, Lynn took a giant leap of faith by moving halfway across the world to New Zealand, then to Melbourne, after completing her photography studies at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen.  Lynn then decided to expand her skillset by studying Illustration at Melbourne Polytechnic, which equipped her with the tools and skills for commercial illustration -  and has since worked full time as a freelance illustrator.

We loved seeing Lynn's work brighten up the studio last month, so we jumped at the chance to feature her stunning work.  Read on as we chat to Lynn about her creative journey, what's next for her art practise, and everything in between!

Moving halfway across the world from Scotland, to New Zealand, then to Melbourne is no small decision - what was the catalyst for this major life transformation?
I initially moved to Wellington, New Zealand with my partner at the time, it was his dream and I was following along for the ride. Long story short our relationship ended there (all on good terms!) and I was feeling a bit lost and in search of the next chapter in my life. Although I loved Welly, which is kind of a mini Melbourne in relation to its creativity and love for amazing food, I wanted something bigger and more exciting. 

Everyone was talking about Melbourne and how amazing it was, I had spent half a year living in Berlin a few years prior and it sounded like the perfect place to fill the Berlin shaped hole in my heart. I moved here on a working holiday visa not knowing a soul and hungry for a new adventure, almost a decade and a few visas later and I can’t see myself living anywhere else! I knew as soon as I took my first train ride, seeing all of the railside graffiti and street art, that I had made the right decision in moving here.

You initially began your creative journey as a photographer – what drew you to pursue illustration?  Does your experience as a photographer inform your illustration practise in any way?
I studied photography at art school and still love it and use it in my day to day to document my illustrations, but my full heart wasn’t in it enough to fight for a career in a really competitive space. My previous photography life definitely informs how I work now though, especially when it comes down to composition, colour and focal points. I have been playing with scale and different perspectives recently too to add a sense of movement and excitement to my static illos which feels like home after studying photography.

Your artworks are instantly recognizable for your fearless use of offbeat colour schemes and how they exude a sense of motion and vitality through your dynamic use of composition and perspective.  What experiences, people or artistic influences helped shape your unique visual style?
Thank you! That’s so amazing to hear! I have always been a colour fanatic and colouring is hands down my favourite part of the process, I love exploring new colour palettes and love to clash colours and break rules! I worked on a cookbook with Alice Zaslavsky a few years ago that really pushed my style to a new dimension, and a big part of the brief for this book was finding ways to make the illustrations move and dance off the page, as Alice’s words do! This recently pushed the movement aspect of my illustrations and now it’s something I strive for in each piece. 

Other than that I love to travel and soak up different cultures and experiences, I love experimenting with food and trying new things in all aspects of my life. On a broader level I am really inspired by women and the ways that women go against societal expectations, women are tough and resilient and strong and I love to portray that. Probably my favourite artist is Margaret Kilgallen, her work spanned across sign painting, street art and folk art, she is a huge inspiration.

What is your creative process when approaching an editorial brief from initial concept to final delivery? How do you approach telling a visual story that complements the written content?
Firstly I read through the article a few times and highlight words or sentences that sound intriguing to me, I gather a few of these and work from there so I can summarise the story in an illustration. I then scroll on Pinterest and google for inspiration for far too long! 

Then it’s getting down to it. I like to make a few rough pencil sketches in my sketchbook to get the good and the bad ideas out as quickly as possible, it’s easier for me to do this without the undo button of digital, editorial is usually in a time crunch so things need to move fast! From there I will pick a couple of rough ideas to work up on my iPad in Procreate. I like to keep the final as close to the sketch as possible so the rough sketches I pass to the client are usually pretty neat and tidy! 

From there I’ll work in any feedback the client has, usually for editorial these revisions will skip past another rough pencil stage and head straight to colour to save time. Now comes my favourite time, I colour in my sketches in Procreate and play with the colours until it feels right, I’ll then take things into Photoshop to tweak things a bit more. I like to present two colour palette options for the client and they choose their favourite, I always have a favourite though which I make clear when I deliver (I can’t help myself!). After that it’s a waiting game for it to be published, there’s nothing quite like seeing your work in print and it becoming real in the world!

Do you have any advice for handling client feedback that challenges your creative instincts?
In my early baby freelance days I would do whatever the client said, even if I didn’t agree with their decisions and it led to endless revisions, scope creep and lots of all-nighters to get things to their liking, they are the one paying after all. But after a few years of experience there have been times where I have politely pushed back and have managed to steer the project in a far better direction for the client, after all you are the commissioned artist doing what they can’t do, so they ultimately value your opinion too. 

As a chronic people pleaser this doesn’t come naturally to me, but hard conversations are occasionally part of the process. We all want a great outcome and something everyone is proud of at the end of the day. In terms of the immediate moment when you are reading that dreaded negative feedback email and you want the ground to swallow you whole, I think it’s important to step away for a moment and gather some perspective. 

This happened to me recently with a publisher and it did shake me, instead of answering immediately I made myself a huge coffee and took my dog for a walk to clear my head, when I got back I re-read their feedback I realised that it wasn’t all doom and gloom, their points were valid and ultimately the work was better for it.

Have you ever struggled with self-doubt in your career? If so, how did you push through it?
Yes, a lot! This career path takes a lot of self determination and it can be scary to know if you are always making the right choices. The last couple of years have been tough and alarmingly quiet for creatives out there with AI coming for a lot of our work. I definitely struggled with my style in this time and felt unsure if my work still had commercial viability, with budgets being slashed and clients opting for a safer style in many circumstances. 

I started to look outward and see many of my peers still thriving when I had no work on the horizon. In my personal experience, albeit after a period of moping, eating lots of ice cream and feeling incredibly uncertain about the future of my bank account, I decided to knuckle down and give it my all, level up and learn new skills and work on the ones I already have. 

In these uncertain times I find that reaching out to others for real feedback really helps. I am very lucky to have incredibly supportive illustration agents who want to see us grow and succeed as well as a small community of amazing illustrators who I can ask for feedback, celebrate and commiserate with!

What are some artists, books or media you’ve been hooked on recently?  Any recent obsessions that have sparked inspiration?
I recently finished Ben Shewy’s book ‘Uses for Obsession’. I've never been to Attica, although it’s on my bucket list, but I really admire Ben Shewry and this book was a knockout, I can’t stop banging on about it. It jumps through different timelines and periods of success, failure and experimentation and has been a huge source of inspiration and motivation to me this year. I thoroughly recommend it to any creative person, even if you’re not a huge foodie!

I love listening to podcasts and am a long time fan of Andy J Pizza’s (Andy Miller) Creative Pep Talk. His podcast will give you a good kick in the butt when you’re down and get you inspired with his boundless enthusiasm.

What has been your most surreal or “pinch me” moment in your career so far?
I’ve been lucky to have a few! But walking into a bookshop and seeing books on the shelf that I’ve illustrated is still insane to me, I get excited every time I see them as if it’s the first time! Seeing my first illustrated book, ‘Plantphabet’ with HarperCollins in a book shop for the first time was wild, I am still so proud of this book and the whole experience with the HarperCollins team was amazing.

You’ve worked on murals, book covers, product packaging and more –  is there a medium you haven’t tackled yet that you’d love to try?
I would LOVE to do illustration and branding for a music festival, it’s been on my list for a while! I love going to a festival and seeing all the merch, the tickets, the wrist bands, the flags, the everything! I’d love to do that!

What’s next on the horizon for your illustration practise? Are there any career milestones you’d like to achieve over the next few years?
I’m currently levelling up my animation skills, so hopefully more animation! I love to see my illustrations come to life and would just love to work on a big animation project, I would also love to do a 3D install!