Check Out Ellie Reis’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Reis.

Hi Ellie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I like to say I was raised by a TV and a pack of Crayolas. Drawing was practically the only way to get me to sit still growing up, so eventually a habit became a skill and a skill became a passion. Although I am mostly self-taught, my Undergraduate showed me my strengths and interests to be most prominent when combining mediums – especially crossing traditional and digital practices. My work is mostly illustrative, and I love all forms of printmaking production.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I got my ADHD diagnosis very young, and it quickly reformatted the way I interacted with the world – learning, socializing, information processing, etc. It was a pretty quick discovery that if I kept my hands busy it would help clear up more mental space, and naturally doodling in class spread into everything I did. Art has always been an outlet, but since it’s so pervasive it can be difficult to separate the instances when it’s a tool versus when it’s pursuit of something greater. Ideally, it would be both, but art in itself is a process of failure. I tend to get overly frustrated with myself when working through the challenges all artists face. Of course, that’s natural, but it can get very consuming when your coping mechanism is what’s failing you in the first place.

That’s where the mixed media comes in! When everything you know is overwhelming, it’s time to practice something you don’t. The mental gear shifting and greater flexibility with different processes has been the key to both personal and production difficulties.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Overall, I must confess I’m very new to the industry. I’ve been drawing forever and picking up jobs here and there, but I only graduated in June! Although the last two years of my undergraduate were affected by COVID-19, the screen printing studio was practically deserted, giving me the unique opportunity of a studio space as an Art & Technology BA. I had a bit of a love affair with the printing process, and I found myself coming up with every possible way to combine my various interests.

I started with the usual t-shirts and prints but ended up branching out into more niche products like card decks, skateboards, and abandoned material monoprints. I always used my own illustrations and started experimenting with layering techniques according to the stylization. Eventually, my graphic design background caught up to me as well, and scanning techniques and vellum entered the party.

With all that in mind, I think I’m still carving out what I’m known for. Although it is still maturing with me, I do hope to be recognized for my illustrative style and overall aesthetic.

How do you define success?
Something that looks “good” will always change as your skills improve and your tastes become more refined.

Therefore, defining success by an infinitely growing and individualized ideal is doomed to burnout. However – It’s not impossible for you to make something that does eventually fit that definition – hell, every once in a while you may surprise yourself by performing over your skill level. That’s why I like to think of success not as an end goal, but as a batting average, like in baseball. Let’s say the average person has a 10% success rate in any creative pursuit, and maybe 0.5% of the time they’re making something beyond their skill level. With that established baseline, let’s assume every time you draw, paint, sketch, anything creative, you have a 0.01% increase in that percentage. Every week you go not doing that creative thing you lose 0.02%. If you really want improvement, change every week to every day.

Thinking of it that way, success is really just drops in a bucket with a leak. Casual artists are probably producing “good” work 30% of the time. Someone studying is going to be around 50%. An industry professional is maybe 70%, and a true legend is around 85%. 100 will never be possible – go ahead and remove that pressure immediately.
Since true name of the game is consistency, go out and suck!

Contact Info:

• Website: elliereis.com
• Instagram: @reis.psd
• Twitter: @reis.psd

Image Credits
Listing image names in order of appearance LOSS ANGELES OMENS (Digital Illustration/Mar2023) TEAL COLOR COLLAGE (Risograph/Nov2022) MiSPRiNT CHANDELiER (Screen printed playing cards, Sculpture/April2022) iNTRODUCiNG MYSELF (Scanned Graphics/Mar2023) TiMES SQUARE (Screen Printed Illustration/July2021) GOOD BONES (Digital Illustration, Paint Pens/Feb2022) REMiX COLLECTiON (Screen Print/July2021) GLOOMY VENiCE (Monoprint Relief Carving/Nov2022) Please contact me if any photos are blurry! [email protected]