populuxe

One of my new favorite artists is Eleanor Grosch from Pushmepullyou Design. She is a talented, young artist from Philadelphia, PA. who's style has that animal magnetism! Her fresh designs are popping up at hip stores and brands like Keds, Urban Outfitters and dELias.

photos via Eleanor Grosch

Eleanor was kind enough to answer a few questions for Retro Info.

How did you get into art/design?

I started from the womb, basically! I drew all my life whenever I had free time. All that practice really helped out when I studied fine art in college. From there, I started teaching Photoshop and Illustrator and freelancing in my spare time.

more after the jump

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Did you go to school or are you self-taught?

A bit of both, I would say. Going to college didn't teach me how to draw, but it did expose me to other media and techniques.

What was the first thing you remember making as a kid?

Pictures of Minnie Mouse were a favorite when I was small.

Were you always "crafty"?

Definitely. I was the class "artist!" it's funny to think of now.

Where do you get your inspiration for your creations?

I usually just let inspiration come to me. I find that forcing it is pointless. Going about my usual day is the best way to get inspiration. You never know when it might strike. For example, I was sitting on an airplane and noticed that the particular way one of the magazine covers in the seat back pocket was blocked by another one made an owl's face. There you go!

Your designs have a nature inspired/animal theme to them. Do you love animals?

I love animals!! they're so interesting.

Are you an outdoorsy kind of person?

Not necessarily, but I do like to be outside sometimes!

Please tell us about Pushmepullyou design.

Pushmepullyou design is my design company. I run it all myself, so it's a full time job . I make art prints, handle selling them and shipping through my site, and of course, I illustrate and design everything from shoes to websites. I love it all. (maybe except shipping...)

How did you come up with the name?

I loved Dr. Doolittle (the cartoon - not Eddie Murphy's version), and was particularly enamored with the cute pushmepullyou - a two-headed llama!

How did you land such great deals with popular brands such as Keds, dELiAs, and Urban Outfitters? Has it changed the way you do business or how you think about art?

It all happened because I was posting my band posters to gigposters.com. I got into Nylon magazine for being a female poster artist and the rest is history!

Do you have any advice for up and coming artists?

Post your work to gigposters.com or other online forums. You'd sometimes be surprised who's looking.

What current projects are you working on?

I'm working with Product Lounge to shop my work around for licensing on all kinds of stuff. Keep your eyes peeled...

Is there anything else you would like to tell our Retro Info readers?

Just keep at it if you're interested in art. Don't get discouraged in school; most times I find that peoples' styles develop properly after college. Mine did. I dealt with a lot of doubt in school, but it all worked out in the end.

Thank you Eleanor for the fab interview and best of luck with your upcoming projects. We hope to see more of your designs springing up everywhere.