Rhianna's shop ElloLovey is fun, cute, and up-lifting. Here is my interview with her.
Etsy Paper: Tell us a little about yourself.
Rhianna: Hello everyone! I'm Rhianna Wurman, the owner, designer and illustrator for Ello Lovey! My husband and I moved to the lovely mountain town of Asheville, NC all the way from Dallas, TX a couple of years ago and we are loving it so much. We have a super sweet and adorable Golden Retriever named Radley. We love being outdoors, so in our free time you will find us hiking in the mountains, camping and stargazing. The woodland environment that surrounds our home gives me endless inspiration for my design work.
 |
| Rhianna, ElloLovey Shop Owner |
Etsy Paper: When did you open your shop on Etsy?
Rhianna: I opened Ello Lovey in March of 2011 but it took me until June of 2011 to prepare and list my first products. I wanted to have at least a full page of products before I started selling.
Etsy Paper: Tell us about your shop.
Rhianna: Ello Lovey is full of whimsically illustrated prints and cards. My drawings are inspired by so many things- my British heritage, woodland creatures, my positive spirit and love for hand-lettering. I've experimented with illustrated earrings and brooches, ornaments and gift tags as well as prints and cards. I'm currently working to include t-shirts to my shop as well.
 |
| 8X10 Art Print |
Rhianna: When I was trying to think of a name for my shop, I wanted it to reflect who I was but I had a hard time finding something that was just right. I wrote names down on a sheet of paper and thought about it for at least a week. I came up with names that are so silly when I look back at them now. When I really started thinking about what inspired me to create, I kept being called back to my family. My Grandmother in particular was a huge inspiration to me. She was born in England and after meeting my Grandpa, who was a U.S. soldier in World War II at the time, married him and moved to the U.S. She endured so much through her life and was always so giving of herself to others. She inspired me with her passion for making things by hand, whether it was breads, pies, canned fruits and vegetables or sewing projects. I wanted to honor her and my British heritage. I played around with British sayings and the term "Ello Lovey" popped into my head. I wrote it down and said it out loud a few times and I loved the sound of it. It reminded me of her. This simple British greeting was speaking volumes to my spirit and so I went with it! I'm so happy I did because I still love it.
 |
| Blank Card |
Etsy Paper: Are you a clean or messy crafter?
Rhianna: My husband will tell you that I am a "hot mess" and he's probably right. I have a tendency to spread my pens, markers and sketchbooks all over the house. I have my own small studio space, but I like to work at the kitchen table from time to time and I will cover it with my supplies until it disappears. A stranger walking into our home could clearly tell that artists live in it. For the most part, I know right where everything is, but I always seem to lose my pens!
 |
| Blank Card |
Etsy Paper: How do you get the word out about your products?
Rhianna: I try to promote everywhere I can about new items in my shop. As soon as I list a new item, I head over to my Etsy teams and post it in the forums for new listings. I love seeing what everyone else is posting and it's a great way to share what I've been creating. I also promote on my Facebook Page, Pinterest and my favorite social media outlet, Instagram. Instagram has been such a huge factor in the success of my shop. It connects me directly to my customers and those that might become future customers.
Etsy Paper: What software do you use?
Rhianna: I use Photoshop and Illustrator. Most of the time I draw my illustrations by hand, then I scan them in digitally. Once I have them scanned in, I clean my drawings up in Photoshop. Sometimes I digitally color them in Photoshop and I'm done but when I need a really clean look, I take them in to Illustrator and use the image trace tool. I love the vector aspect of Illustrator. I can scale images without losing quality. Recently I've been using the Paper app by FiftyThree to create some of my drawings. Using the Pencil stylus on my iPad, I can make a digital drawing that can be sent straight to Photoshop or Illustrator to be cleaned up and made into prints or cards. I'm really enjoying creating with the program.
Etsy Paper: What equipment/ supplies do you use?
Rhianna: This is the most popular question I receive! For my drawing, I use a variety of pens and markers. My favorites are from Tombow, which can be found on jetpens.com. I use their Fudenosuke Brush Pens and Dual Brush Pen sets on a regular basis. I love the variation in line width you get from them. They are great for lettering and doodling. I use good old Crayola markers sometimes for lettering or filling in large shapes of color. Whatever marker, pen or pencil I have on hand, I make it work!
 |
| 5x7 Art Print |
Rhianna: I love to constantly create. It's in the fiber of my being. I make my prints and cards because I want to make people smile. I want to be able to lift someone's spirits with a whimsical illustration or inspirational quote. Most of the quotes I make into prints are rooted from an experience I've learned from or something I need to remind myself of. I want to share those lessons and reminders with everyone because I feel like we all need a little motivation, a little pick me up to get through our days.
 |
| 8x10 Art Print |
Thank you for letting me share a bit of my life as a maker with you! Cheers!
As you can see, Rhianna is one of the many talented members of our team. Browsing ElloLovey, I noticed each item gives a new feeling or inspiration. So many great finds!
Until next time,
Jenni
Etsy Paper
Team Captain