Meet the Designer of our 2021 Merch: Orlie Kapitulnik!
We’re so excited for all of you to see our new merchandise as it arrives in the coming weeks. To celebrate the first launch, we’d like you to meet the person behind it all! This year we worked with Orlie Kapitulnik, printmaker, illustrator, and our neighbor in the Outer Sunset to bring lots of fun & color your way.
Corey: To start, can you introduce yourself & tell us a little bit about you?
Orlie: Hi! I'm Orlie, I'm an illustrator, printmaker, muralist and cheese lover based in San Francisco. I grew up in the South Bay and moved to SF in 2012 to jumpstart my creative career and totally fell in love with this city. Since then, I have discovered that the outer sunset is some kind of magic, the artist community is rad, racoons aren't as cute in packs, a foggy day will always be better than a windy sunny one, Gus's makes a great dip, and Andytown crushes at a cup of coffee.
How did you get into illustration/graphic design? What are some of your artistic influences?
I studied studio art in college because I've always been really creatively inclined. I focused on printmaking which was new to me at the time and quickly fell in love with how tactile the process was. Honestly, I ended up adding graphic design as a second major to ensure I was hirable out of college. I didn't know at the time that it was possible to be an artist professionally. What really brought me into the illustration and design world was working with the awesome folks at 3 Fish Studios. I spent 7.5 years with them learning the ropes and getting really excited about pursuing my own creative career.
As far as what influences my work, I find a lot of inspiration in artwork found in vintage cookbooks and animal guides, the stylized graphics are really charming and often encourage me to simplify my own work. I have also always loved artists such as Alice Neel and Alexander Calder for how they reimagined shapes and figures.
What does an average day look like for you?
My average day begins with a cozy morning with my partner, my dog and a hot cup of coffee before jumping into my work day. Most days I work on various illustration jobs and personal projects at Tight Quarters, a gallery/studio I co-run in the Inner Sunset. I also work part time making paints with the wonderful folks at Case For Making.
A self-portrait of Orlie!
How do you approach themes for different projects? For example, small businesses vs. larger organizations?
That's a tough question! Honestly each project has been so different that there aren't specific ways I tackle work with different sized clients. Usually once we figure out the vision and inspiration for the project, I'm able to begin researching themes and illustrating based on specific ideas or vibes discussed with the client. Sometimes single illustrations with smaller companies can feel like more of a puzzle to illustrate than larger companies needing multiple pieces. It's a total mixed bag that my mind gets to work through each time.
What's your favorite type of project/how do you decide which ones to say yes to?
I've loved pretty much every project I've worked on in the past few years which have ranged from various digital illustrations, to logos, murals and physical products. I do get really excited about projects where the clients are creating physical products - it's such a trip to be able to hold an item in my hands or wear an article of clothing with my illustrations on it.
Our photographer, Scott Lingner, in our Neighborhood Pullover!
How did you choose the imagery for this project?
I knew from the beginning that this was going to be a super colorful project which was a great launching point. After a few good chats with the folks at Andytown, it became clear that mischievous racoons and some of our favorite San Francisco views were also going to make their way into these designs. From there I really just let my mind play around with a few more animals, and snapshots of the city that I have grown to really love.
Can you tell us about Tight Quarters, and how folks can support your work directly?
Tight Quarters, formerly A Little Lodge, is an art collective and gallery space in the inner sunset that I co-run with, Michelle “Meng” Nguyen @allthingsmeng, Amanda Durbin @lonemountainstudio and Jeffrey Larrimore @okayjeffrey. Before the pandemic we hosted drawing nights, gallery shows and other events to bring folks together and support the creative community. While we aren't yet able to operate the way we used to, we are still hosting a variety of classes and pop up markets as a way to continue showcasing and supporting artists from around the bay and beyond. If you'd like to support this space and see what we're up to, follow the gallery on instagram @tight.quarters. To see what I'm up to folks can check out my instagram @orliegrams where I often post new work, online classes I'm teaching and upcoming events. You can also see more of my work or purchase prints online at www.orliek.com.