'The Family', 2014, pen on paper by Sydney illustrator Adriana Picker.

'Les Enfants', 2014, mixed media on paper by Sydney illustrator Adriana Picker.

Adriana Picker in her studio space. Photo - Justin Ridler.

Adriana Picker. Photo - Justin Ridler.

We recently discovered the work of Sydney based illustrator Adriana Picker... what a talent.  We love Adriana's intricate drawings inspired by botanical references, which she admits are 'unashamedly pretty'!

Adriana's work is inspired, in part, by a nostalgic love for her late Grandmother's garden and the flowers she grew, which featured 'quite a lot of Cymbidium Orchids!' Adriana recalls. Her Grandmother's passion for the Japanese art of Ikebana has also influenced Adriana's work.

However, not all Adriana's work is inspired by nature. With formal training in graphic and textile design, Adriana has also always been drawn to working in film, and whilst studying at Sydney's COFA, she spent what she says was 'an unhealthy amount of time' avoiding University assignments to look for inroads into the film industry.  That opportunity eventually came with an internship on Baz Luhrmann's film Australia. 'I was so lucky to work with the incredible and inspiring Catherine Martin, and her senior designer Silvana Azzi Heras' says Adriana, who went on to work on various film projects - a career highlight was working as the costume illustrator for The Great Gatsby!  'Talk about some insane daily visual stimulation in the workplace!' says Adriana of this incredible assignment. 'Watching the party scenes come together with 300 extras decked out in CM's amazing designs was just mind blowing!'.  Adriana was also especially proud to see costume illustrations that she had worked on with Silvana and CM shown at the Academy awards this year when The Great Gatsby won two oscars!'.  Now that's what I call a CAREER HIGHLIGHT, alright!

In between her film work, Adriana works on a great variety of freelance illustration assignments, and also on her own personal work which she occasionally exhibits. 'As an illustrator, it is a great joy to be able to work on such a diverse range of projects for differing industries, and spend a bit of time on my personal practice' she says.

The start of this year has been a particularly for Adriana.  Earlier this year she worked on Alex Proyas's latest feature film 'Gods of Egypt' as a Costume illustrator, and she also held her first solo exhibition in March at Gaffa Gallery.  She also recently completed a very large scale commission for Absolut Oz (a hand drawn 4m x 5m mural!).

Adriana has a few projects in the works that she is extra excited about!  She is good pals with the talented team at The Fortynine Studio, and is currently working on a little  collaboration with them, to be launched later in the year. 'The challenge of applying my illustrations to objects is something that really excites me' she says. She's also starting another large mural commission this week, for Sydney based letterpress business D and D Letterpress. 'Doing large scale works I find really liberating, it's a nice contrast to my normal illustration work, which is generally very intricate and detailed' she says.  Adriana has also just finished a large body of work for a cook book to be released later this year for a top Australian Restaurant.

'The start of this year has been a particularly busy one, so I am hoping for a little bit of time off to soon to concentrate on my aperol spritz drinking skills' says Adriana.  Hmmm I wouldn't hold my breath... something tells me this one is destined for big things, and even busier times ahead!

'Cymbidium Clarisse', 2014, pen on paper by Adriana Picker.

'Urban Foraging', 2014, unique state print by Adriana Picker.

Adriana creating a wall mural. Photo - Carine Thevenau