One observation you’ll make while browsing artist Rachael Sinclair’s gallery below is that her style can be quite varied. From logo design to lavish pop culture paintings, all her works of art are fresh and versatile.
Rachael Sinclair is a freelance designer and illustrator living in Kentucky. Her graphic design work ranges from basic design and layout to custom illustrations, lettering, and commission pieces. Though mostly a commercial artist, her digital paintings have been exhibited in several art galleries and have attracted the attention of collectors.
As I am a huge fan of the Hellboy movie franchise, as well as a long-time admirer of actor Ron Perlman, I was excited (and, okay, maybe a bit envious) to hear that the actor had acknowledged and shared one of Rachael’s digital paintings on his Facebook page. The painting titled I Call Him Son was a tribute piece to Rick Baker (award-winning make-up effects artist) and the Hellboy films. The portrait was exhibited in a show at Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles. The artist says, “It’s always nice to be recognized by ‘famous’ folks, especially when that recognition comes from the subject of the piece. If anyone would know the look and workings of this Hellboy incarnation, it’s the guy in the makeup.”
As a child, Rachael was always drawing. More than a childhood diversion, she found it to be a skill she wanted to work to refine. “I studied at it the way some practice a sport, building the basics of realism and portraiture,” she says. Rachael started college as a general art major, but later changed to graphic design. Having been intrigued by commercial art, she saw graphic design as a better fit for moving her career forward. She now creates her illustrations digitally with a graphic tablet, but says her foundation in traditional media has been indispensable.
When working on her commercial projects, Rachael’s client’s requirements and wishes are of chief importance. She researches her subject, mining for intention, feeling, and background. It’s evident from her beautiful graphic design portfolio that a great deal of careful planning and creative brainstorming are a part of her process.
Rachael says that when creating more personal pieces, the emotion expressed in each design is her most important motivator. She is inspired by history, and having grown up in a home full of antiques she is fascinated with items from the past. The artist explains that she keeps a mental store of era-specific designs, such as fabrics, fonts, and colors, that she can recall when needed.
When asked about a favorite work of art she has produced, Rachael tells me her piece titled The Challenger Seven is high on her list. The illustration was created for a show in 2015 at Hero Complex Gallery. “I felt strongly compelled to make this tribute,” she says, “as a lover of space and NASA and as a believer that we should remember not only the buzzwords of history, but all perspectives and people.” Rachael spent months creating the crew portraits, trying to accurately capture their personalities and hopefulness. A print of this piece hangs next to her computer and is special to her.
Rachael’s commercial work can be found through clients like Kentucky for Kentucky and Kentucky Brewed Tees. She is currently exploring editorial illustration and hopes to expand her work in that area. Her web site is rachaelsinclair.myportfolio.com. Some of her prints can be purchased at the Hero Complex Gallery web site as well as at Society6. You can also follow Rachael’s work on the following social media sites:
Twitter: @SinclairArt
Instagram: @SinclairArt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sinclairart
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