George Greaves’ Illustrations

WORDS Mary Garner

George Greaves, a British freelance illustrator based in Bristol, creates bold, graphic designs.

Along with Raphael Greaves, he co-founded Printed Goods, a online store that sells art prints, T-shirts, candles, tote bags and banners.

We chatted to George, who has done work for the Financial Times, Stella Artois and Bandcamp, about colour, architecture and his accessories collection.

How does living in Bristol inspire your work?

Bristol is a great place to be creative. The city is laid back, the pace is slow, which makes it an ideal place for ideas to be created and realised.

How do you go about selecting colour palettes for your pieces?

With colour I very much just play about with it until it looks right and there is balance. I am drawn to pastel and washed out shades – not too much prior thought goes into it.

How has architecture influenced your work?

Architecture has been a huge influence on my work. I have always been interested by the way our environment affects our inner state. In that way, I think it can reflect our inner states very effectively as everyone has experienced the “mood” of a place.

How did your accessories range come about?

The range of accessories came about partly as a solution to a problem (making a living as an artist) as well as being a vehicle for mine and my brother’s work and something I am passionate about. The idea behind Printed Goods is “Bringing Art to the Everyday.” We try to realise creative and unique products at an accessible price point. We believe art and design is for everyone.

What do you have planned for Printed Goods this year?

We have lots of exciting projects we are working on this year. In general, we our focusing on creating lots more original work and working on a variety of new lifestyle products. We plan to work on more collaborations, as the outcome is always a surprise – it is a great way to keep things fresh.

Shop at printedgoods.net. For more information, visit george-greaves.tumblr.com.