As advocates and supporters of young and emerging designers we are finally releasing our first collection of prints, working in collaboration with designers that have worked with us in the past. We welcome Lydia Morgan back into our studio (for an albeit short stint) to collaborate with us and we are now happily offering three of her illustrations (to you) as prints. Lydia was a part of our issue eight team and we took this opportunity to sit down with her and talk about the goings-on since finishing up at Ligature Journal.

It’s so nice to have you collaborating with us again! 2020 has been weird to say the least, how are you coping?

It's so nice to be back! 2020 has been super weird and overwhelming but for the most part I've been okay which makes it really hit home how incredibly lucky I've been and how much privilege I have.

Could you tell us a bit about your childhood, yourself and your design journey?

I grew up in Dubai and moved to Sydney for uni in 2014. I was one of those students who loved art but didn't know where to go with it so when I came to Australia I started a degree in design and media and along the way realised that illustration is the thing that I find fun all the time, which is the dream!

We’ve noticed that you’re quite heavily based in illustration now, how did you get started and how did you find your illustration style?


Ever since I can remember, drawing has been my favourite form of creativity. I loved a lot about my design degree but in every project I was always most excited when I got to draw, so I naturally gravitated towards illustration. I think that my style is still at a stage where it changes quite frequently but I would say that my style is formed mostly by following the shapes and visual dynamics that I think would be fun to draw and trying to capture them in a unique way.

What are you most influenced or inspired by in your work? 
In day to day life I'm most inspired by people, their outfits, flowers, buildings and food. I love artists like Egon Schiele, Alphonse Mucha and Hokusai who combine painterly techniques with sharp drawing and every artist I follow on Instagram - there are so many!

Could you tell us a bit about the three illustrations you’ve chosen to have printed with us? 
I'm so excited to have these illustrations printed - all of them were made purely because I had an image that I had in my head that I wanted to bring to life which is the most fun kind of project so it's great that Tiliqua Press is going print and (hopefully) get them into people's homes! The illustrations featuring the hand, flowers and woman play around with textures, visuals and colours that I'm drawn to, whereas the lemon drawing was inspired by the layouts and storytelling of graphic novels, which I love.

This is my flower now

What’s been happening since finishing up at Ligature Journal? 
2020 happened! It's been a bit of a blur but I've been lucky enough to keep working and playing around with digital illustration, painting and screen printing in my spare time.

Have there been any challenges you’ve faced and how did you overcome them? 
I think the eternal struggle for artists when you're not full time is using your time wisely by putting it into the projects and ideas that will be most worthwhile and avoid burning out completely. I've learned just to not stress too much about what I think I should be doing and focus on goals that I really care about.

What would you say to a new designer or illustrator that’s struggling to find their own style? 
I really would say just make the kind of images you want to make over and over again instead of trying to emulate established illustrative styles. Of course they're a great source of inspiration but I think making the images that are in your head only is what results in something that is strong and unique to you. It's a journey that I'm still on for sure!

And finally thoughts or plans for the future?
 For now, I'd like to keep making, keep collaborating, painting more murals and seeking new exciting projects!

To purchase one of Lydia's illustrations visit tiliquapress.com.

You can find Lydia at @squid_morgan, or get in touch with her at squidmorganenquiries@gmail.com