Katy Dockrill for LCBO 'Hello Spring' Campaign

Nothing symbolizes Spring quite like a cherry blossom. When you walk into any LCBO this month you will be greeted by the bright and simple beauty of this bloom. Brad MacIver, creative director at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, had worked with illustrator Katy Dockrill in the past and knew the wow-factor her lines could create.

The bold signage for the 'Hello Spring' campaign adorns the shelves and windows of the stores, beckoning you to pick up a bottle of something for those evenings on the porch.

See more of Katy's beautiful work. Represented by i2i Art Inc.

Katy Dockrill for Oregon Home

Illustrator Katy Dockrill is often inspired by the color, texture and lines found in her garden, so the "Tiny Gardens" article in Oregon Home magazine was a great opportunity to emulate nature's flora. Art directed by Snow Blackwood, Katy imagined four different tiny garden spaces and with a lot of attention to detail and her gorgeous hand lettering Katy educates us on the right tiny plants to fit each space.

Want to see more? Visit Katy Dockrill's portfolio. 

Katy Dockrill: Let's Celebrate!

What could be more fun than a soirée Parisian style? Katy Dockrill's whimsical illustration style will help you set the stage perfectly.  Designer Timothy Siciliano of Party Partners, asked Katy to create the Let's Celebrate mini cake decorating set to add to the already successful Make a Wish and Queen for a Day party kits.

Want to see more? Visit Katy Dockrill's portfolio. 

Katy Dockrill's Letterpress Print in The Canadianist: Issue 1

Katy Dockrill creates a masterpiece of true Canadian style for the first issue of The Canadianist. Katy's 'perfectly Canadiana' assemblage is one of five gorgeous letterpress prints found in this collection. Her wholly original image evokes the best that Canada has to offer: from rodeos to ice skating, from the first weekend up at the cottage to those crisp winter days when only a fur-lined parka will do.

The Canadianist: Issue 1 is available now. 5, 8" x 10" prints, in black, red 032 and silver foil.

This collection includes the equally charming and beautiful work of Tom Froese (Foodstuffs), Andrew Kolb (Inventions), Jeannie Phan (Flora and Fauna) and Ben Weeks (Colloquialisms).

Katy Dockrill for SHE magazine

Illustrator Katy Dockrill had the opportunity to contribute again recently to SHE Magazine, published by the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

For this poignant piece on the struggles women still face Katy used the symbol of the quilters.  The visual is perfectly paired with a quote by Rosemary Brown, pioneer of 20th century Canadian politics, who devoted her life to the cause of justice and equality for women and minorities.

See more of Katy’s inspired illustration. Represented by i2i Art Inc.

Katy Dockrill for ALTO

Creative director at Drive Agency, Mark Bulloch, chose Katy Dockrill for the ALTO marketing campaign because her illustration style suited the hip lifestyle drawings he envisioned for the brand.  ALTO is a gorgeous new rental condo development located in the heart of trendy Little Portugal, in Toronto.  The art needed to speak to the young urbanite seeking to live there.

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We spoke to Katy about her work on this campaign and she shared some interesting insights on her process:

i2i Art:  At the outset, this campaign looked like it would involve four major illustrations and hundred's of small icons.  What was your first response to this request?

Katy Dockrill:  Firstly, I saw the direction that Drive agency was working towards, because they gave me a preliminary visual concept, and I loved it. I loved the simplicity, the icons, the central figure idea.  I love drawing individual things, and because it was black and white, I could  simply focus on the line work.

i2i Art: Can you describe your process?

Katy Dockrill:  I felt completely at home, taking pictures of the hood, sitting and sketching. I drew from my pictures, once I got home. I also needed to figure out who was going to be in the middle of all these icons, which took more time because the client was looking for someone in a certain age range, and wanted them doing things that might be particular to them and the neighbourhood.

i2i Art: The art needed to be able to reproduce at any size--blown up huge for signage and small for brochures and Internet advertising.  Knowing that you sketch and draw by hand, how did you approach the final art to accommodate these specifications?

Katy Dockrill:  I knew that these were going to be reproduced at a large size, but I work quite small, with brush and ink. My process in these cases requires I scan all my art as bitmap tiffs and then vector my line work in illustrator so that it most closely resembles the original work.

i2i Art:  What's your impression of the finished campaign materials onsite?  If you were looking for a rental condo, do the marketing materials portray an appealing lifestyle choice?  In what way?

Katy Dockrill:  I'm biased in that I really love how the work onsite turned out. I'm hoping with the icons that surround these figures (who are of a certain age range), that they appeal to the bookworm, the foodie, the nester, the cat lover, the musician, the pal, the mother.  Since most of what I drew came from life, the sidewalks and the stores in that neighbourhood I also hope that perhaps someone sees a bit of their story in there too.

A montage of photos Katy took while researching the neighbourhood.

One of the panels with Katy's art mounted on construction hoarding onsite.

ALTO advertising with two of Katy's illustrations.

The art I call 'Lunching', up close.

This hipster musician would fit right in at Alto.

A day in the life of a mom.

To see more of Katy Dockrill's delightful illustrations visit her profile here.

Katy Dockrill illustrates for Diabetic Living

Katy Dockrill created these illustrations for the article: What's Your Exercise Personality, for the Fall 2014 issue of Diabetic Living magazine.  I'm a playful dolphin, what are you? For more of Katy's delightful illustrations check out her portfolio.

Katy Dockrill for SHE Magazine

Katy Dockrill contributed this illustration to SHE Magazine published by the Canadian Women's Foundation.  We think this illustration tells a remarkable story of strength and optimism with Katy's confident line and hand lettering over the brilliantly optimistic yellow background. When we asked Katy about her inspiration she said: "I felt it was important to illustrate this list of women's accomplishments:  Being a woman in 2014 is very different from being a woman 150 years ago and I have all the women before me to thank. I take all these hard won freedoms for granted because I grew up knowing no different. I think that's where we need to get to in order to check off the others on this list, keep voicing opinions and share the dialogue with our children."

To see more of Katy's hand lettering and illustration, check out her updated portfolio here.

It's October!

As we begin the wonderful (and sometimes whacky) month of October, we'd like to know what scares you most!  Illustrator (and sometimes seamstress) Katy Dockrill, shares a little story about what she's up to this month as she preps for her young daughter's Halloween experience below.  Can you relate to this narrative?  Check out more of Katy's fun illustrations and hand lettering here.