We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hillary Sorrentino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hillary below.

Hillary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Taking a risk.

Even though I am now making my living as a freelance illustrator & print textile designer, it wasn’t how I started!
I received my degree in fashion design, and worked full time in the industry for 15 years. I had a well paying job at a very famous fashion brand. I was often meeting with print studios and purchasing artwork for the swim or accessory collections I was working on. But I wasn’t terribly fulfilled creatively. I missed painting or having a more hands on approach to my work.

I realized, there is a market for fashion houses to come to an artist for custom prints that suit their concepts. I should be freelancing and offering that to design teams!

After my first son was born I stayed home with him, and decided to not return after my maternity leave. Pretty soon I was missing my old world of fashion, color, print, all of it! I decided to start marketing myself as a freelancer. I relied on former coworkers and contacts to get started. Alot of word of mouth and networking. I wasn’t sure it was going to work. I took alot of gigs and hardly said no to anything. But after a few years, little by little, my client roster grew and so did my confidence.

I truly believe if I hadn’t spent the time on the inside track, working full time, working with other amazing creatives I would not have landed where I did. There are dues to be paid- no shortcuts! Because I knew so much about how the industry worked, I was able to tailor my services to their needs. I think I have found my niche, and I am beyond grateful!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been drawing and painting my whole life. I attended RISD (class of 2002!) and received a degree in fashion design.

I work as a freelance artist and work with many brands in the fashion, home and packaging spaces. I am often hired to create custom artwork for fabric, graphics for dinnerware or even artwork for boxes! I hand draw or paint all of my own artwork, and have been told I have a feminine yet playful hand. I also adore the illustration style of the 1960’s & 70’s. The flat graphic brush strokes with bold black linework. Think Mad Men era illustrated ads or Antonio Lopez fashion illustrations. I like to say I am drawing with a paintbrush!

I also rely heavily on research. I have a huge archive of books that are at the ready when a new project begins. Everything from books about Toile de Jouy, flowers or even astrology! I also love to scour etsy for vintage fabric swatches, holiday cards or wrapping paper.

My tools of choice are gouache, acrylic gouache and black micron pens. I am also always using my computer to scan and rework the art. I think I can use photoshop in my sleep!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My biggest test of resilience came 4 years into my freelance business, early 2020 when covid happened. Just like everyone, the world felt very uncertain and unpredictable. Since a great deal of my work is focused on prints and artwork for the fashion and home world, it just seemed like it all came to a stop. I think brands were afraid to spend money or invest in future collections. We were all in sweats hanging out at home!

I get a great deal of joy out of my work, and suddenly nothing was rolling in. The projects I was approached with were paying very little and it was discouraging.

I decided to go back to basics, and create art just for creating, not for sale. I started taking online figure drawing classes, painting classes, etc. These were things I just didnt have time for before lockdown. I found joy in the community of artists all working in their home studios, and even made some new friends. It brought me so much comfort to find a new group of people to connect with while being so alone. I also created some of my favorite drawings and portraits during that time. I still have that group and look at them often so fondly. It was such a scary time but creating really helped me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I would say I have a mission to remain relevant and educated about the newest digital tools. I often take computer software classes to stay up to date on the newest updates from Adobe, and textile design software. When you work alone and not part of a big company, its up to you to remain digitally skilled and purchase the tools you need to be competitive. As much as my true love is painting with a brush and paint, its important to give your clients clean and proper digital files.

Contact Info:

• Website: hillarybottsorrentino.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillary.b.sorrentino/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-sorrentino-8a99965/

Image Credits
Ashlee Burke