Simply stated, Now On View celebrates and showcases the artists of Society6 and their work. Get to know them—and then get lost in their gallery.
Who are you and what do you do? My name is Mali Fischer, and I am an artist and freelance illustrator. I also work a day job as an office manager and am studying project management and user experience design. You might say I’m having a bit of an identity crisis…
Current city: Portland, Oregon
Clients: Oh Comely Magazine, Makers Magazine, Tender Loving Empire, Society6, Barnacle Bags, Fireweed & Nettle. I mostly make logos for small companies, wedding invitations, pet portraits, things like that..
How did you make these? After a lot of iterating and trying out different techniques, I found what works best for me and have stuck with it for several years now. I draw all the lines by hand, using a fine-tipped black pen like Micron or Helix on simple drawing paper. Then I scan the images and remove the paper backgrounds, adding color in Photoshop. I will occasionally use markers to add color, such as Letraset Promarkers. I like that they blend so cleanly. If I’m working on something for a client I will always stick with digital color because it’s just the most flexible and provides the widest range of options.
Why did you make these? Originally my reason for drawing was to express the emotions that I wasn’t able to put into words. I’ve since gotten a bit better at explaining my emotions but I find drawing to be therapeutic and soothing to my anxious mind; calm in the storm of daily thoughts. In a way, it has functioned as a form of therapy for me. It’s important to me to make work that is genuine and accessible and I find the best way to do that is through authentic expression of feelings. I draw women because I am more interested in their stories and honestly find them to be aesthetically pleasing and comfortable in my hand. I am interested in exploring the relationship between plants and humans, the ways we depend on one another and the similarities between our habits and needs. I like the idea of us (plants and humans) being in this mutually beneficial relationship, in which we take care of each other and acknowledge our individual needs. So a lot of the drawings you see here are an exploration of that theme.
What do people typically say about your work? That it feels old fashioned, nostalgic, simple, emotional, delicate.
Social: @malifischer
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