Hannah Pedley

Hannah Pedley is a vivacious individual with a terrific sense of humour, and a killer artistic and fashion style to boot! Her specialty includes celebrity portraits and mandala style illustrations! In the latest installment of COLLAGE’S Artist Spotlight series, she tells us of her love for M.C. Escher, and her fondness for the TV show MythBusters!

Q: Hello! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

A: I’m a 22 year old student currently completing my final year of a Bachelor of Languages majoring in French with a minor of Spanish. I wish to learn as many languages as possible, the next one being Icelandic. I love traveling and photography in addition to learning about anything history or science related and always aim to increase my pointless trivia knowledge. I also own a 19th century French piano on which I can play Ode to Joy by Beethoven at a beginners level. Oh, and also the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song.

Hannah’s portrait of David Bowie

Q: Who inspires you? What inspires your art?

A: I find myself inspired by art in general, especially artwork created with a great amount of precision that is somewhat unusual and interesting to look at. I usually aim to create something similar, perhaps something that someone could stare at for hours. Sometimes I’ll look at someone’s face or a portrait photo with good lighting or even a specific part of someone’s face and I’ll really want to draw it. Maybe that sounds creepy but artistic licence makes it ok and makes me not a creep at all.

Hannah created this to the soundtrack of the film, Interstellar,using various sharpies and felt tip pens

Q: Do you have a preferred medium?

A: I’ve always enjoyed experimenting with all sorts of mediums and styles- especially those that aren’t overly expensive to experiment with. Most recently it’s been really fun creating with fine liners and sharpies- but I’ve always been partial to graphite pencils.

‘Hands on Piano’, created in 2015

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would describe the style of my current artworks as “glorified doodling”. I draw a lot of mandala inspired patterns which I combine with my own abstract patterns in various random arrangements. So yeah, essentially just a fancy version of what people scribble when they’re bored during lectures or important meetings.

Hannah’s personalised cards

Q: Can you please describe your artistic and creative process i.e.: from lingering idea to putting it into practice?

A: With my fine liner artworks, I try not to think too hard about what I’ll draw and just begin “doodling” on an empty page. I draw patterns wherever I think they might fit or balance out the white or black space, and it usually evolves into a finished piece on its own. With that said I make a whole lot of mistakes and after I mutter a few profanities, I continue drawing in the change of direction that the error forced me into and nobody notices a thing. In fact, sometimes that unexpected turn can make an artwork actually look better and more impressive.

Hannah’s chameleon

Q: Where do you see your art practice taking you in the next five years?

A: I’m not one to think too far ahead into the future, but I do know that I don’t care for a career in art too much- it will always be a hobby for me so that it remains enjoyable, although I will continue participating in markets and such since they’re fun. For the moment, I’m enjoying exploring the art industry through arts markets and events similar to that. I like to dabble in different things, so perhaps I’ll be making t-shirts, coaster sets, pillows and things of that sort.

M.C. Escher’s ‘Relativity’, Hannah’s recommended artist

Q: If you could recommend one artist, who would it be?

A: I have always admired and loved the works of M.C. Escher– I’ve forever had a penchant for optical illusions and drawings that connect each element of the artwork together. Each of his artworks are endlessly intriguing and his impeccable attention to detail means his artwork could be looked at and admired for hours, which is something to aspire to.

The Louvre, Hannah’s favourite gallery

Q: What is your favourite gallery?

A: I couldn’t say I have a particular gallery to call my favourite, but I’ve always enjoyed those that celebrate traditional oil paintings and art of that style. In fact, let’s just say my favourite gallery is the Louvre in Paris since it is filled to the brim with art of that sort. I can’t be sorry for going with the obvious and uninteresting answer, it’s always going to be brilliant and one of the best.

Hannah’s Facebook page

Q: Where can we find more your work?

A: I’m really only just starting out in the industry, so at the moment you can see my Facebook page titled simply “Hannah Pedley Art”.

Q: What three items would you bring to a desert island?

A: I won’t do the uninteresting thing by saying a boat or a helicopter, so here goes: number #1 would be duct tape- obviously because the MythBusters proved its value for this exact situation, and I have blind trust in those guys. Also, duct tape is awesomely handy at fixing everything. Number #2 would be matches since fire is hard to come by and funnily enough I learnt nothing useful about survival skills during my girl scouts days, including how to make a fire. Although having a “look what I’ve created – I have made fire” moment like Tom Hanks in Castaway would be pretty satisfying. Number #3 has to be a luxury item and that would be music, since I would drive myself crazy and listening to some good tunes gives me a break from myself. Also being on a deserted island is a good chance for me to catch up on my karaoke without my neighbours thinking there’s a dying cat calling for help.

-Masya Zabidi