Interview: Lize / @lizemeddings

Lize's use of bold colours and paintings of unconventional subject matter gives her works an edge. It has a tendency to stand out amidst the art we see today. And if you didn't know already, she is also the founder of The Sad Ghost Club, a comic series featuring quite literally, a sad ghost, who explores topics of mental health issues on a daily basis.

Read on to find out more about Lize and her working process.

What / who / where do you draw inspiration from the most? Do you have a muse of sorts?

I draw a lot of inspiration from my own life, like a lot of people, I'm sure. My go-to inspiration would be plants though, I find them super inspiring to look at and a good flower makes me want to paint it! And there's something so nice about nature and feeling connected to the world. It's inspiring in a bunch of different ways.

You use gouache as your main art medium, why is that? Also, have you tried or liked any other mediums?

I found gouache after a long battle with watercolours. Don't get me wrong, I love watercolours, but I found them to be a little limiting for what I wanted to create, same with pens and digital artwork, I think I was just always a painter, struggling in an illustrator's body.

I love the freedom you have with gouache: I can paint over bits I don't like, I don't need to plan too much, and it's easy to fix any mistakes. This has just become my favourite way to work, I am very very pleased that I found my favourite medium.

Snakes seem like a recurring character in many of your pieces, why is that?

Haha, yeah, I've definitely been on a snake kick lately. I think I really like to try and 'figure out' an animal I'm painting. I sort of got it down with mammals like bears and rabbits and wolves (my other go-to subjects) and I really wanted to include snakes.

They're a bit sinister and sneaky, they evoke a lot of cool themes, and also, they're great sketchbook fillers ha! I think every time I painted a snake I was like 'ok, I know what I did wrong, next time I won't make that mistake', so I did a lot of snakes for a while.

How would you describe the Mossery Sketchbook to others?

I call it my 'professional sketchbook' because it has my name on it haha. It's a sketchbook that makes me FEEL like a professional y’know? It's fancy, it's my friend, and I have it because I too am a professional (this is what I tell myself when I'm using it anyway).

What is your earliest memory of creating art?

Ohhhh that is tough! I remember getting a watercolour set for my birthday when I was a kid and trying to paint some pots we had outside.  All I remember is the sheer FRUSTRATION with painting, and that I wasn't instantaneously amazing at painting haha. I was a pretty stubborn kid.

Do you believe in talent? Why?

That's a great question. I tell people a lot that there's no such thing as talent. I think it's easy to use that as an excuse to not get started with something , saying things like 'ohh I'm just not as talented as them' or 'I'll never be that talented' etc. And I think that's rubbish. I think talent needs time to show itself.

But saying that, I think (in painting and illustration especially) talent can come across as the use of narrative, colour selection, subjects—the things that are harder to learn. But again, everything takes time.

People say art is subjective. How do you put a specific price on your art and justify it?

Pricing is tough! I think you have to set your own rules and regulations. A painting I was super proud of that had a lot of interest online with my audience, I sold for over £100 (I was very very pleased!),

So for example, if I had a painting another painting that I maybe didn't think was as good, or was smaller, or took me less time, I'd sell for less. I think you just have to be honest, think what you'd honestly be willing to pay, and start from there.

How do you handle criticism, and what are some of the toughest challenges you've encountered?

Criticism is TOUGH. My day job is running The Sad Ghost Club and I think that taught me a lot about not caring too much about other people’s thoughts, we've never received anything specifically bad at SGC, but there's been a few 'why is the ghost doing this' or whatever, which used to bother me at first, but you just get used to it.

I think with my paintings, I just don't open myself up to any negative comments, I don't ask what people think, I don't try and make anything shocking, my painting is my hobby and my passion, and I don't want it to be a place where I get called out. That may sound a little lazy but it definitely means I still love my work, so I'm ok with that.

What’s one of the best advice you’ve ever received in life?

I think just all the people who've told me not to stop, that's the best advice. Being told it's ok to take your time and figure out what you want to do was really validating when I was younger.

In return, what advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell myself to start all the things I wanted to, like animation, making videos, making zines, etc, and don't wait until you feel like they're 'good enough'. Just make them as soon as you can. I made so much stuff that I didn't want to show anyone back when I was starting out. I wish I had the confidence to have shown that work and made it into zines and other things.

Tell us a secret.

Ooooooh, erm, I can't use Adobe Illustrator? I've managed to go my whole job without letting on that I can't do it hahaha, I just get by with Photoshop and hope no one notices I can't make a vector.