Rachael Meckling

Story by Carmela Antonio

There is something to be said with letting fate unfold in front of you. Within a matter of a two-hour conversation with artist Rachael Meckling, I was taught a very valuable lesson — honesty of the heart opens doors to amazing possibilities.

Meckling, (who hails from Saskatoon) is wise beyond her years. She is well spoken and composed, and seems to know exactly where she is, and where she wants to be. “I’m really not worried. I know that sounds crazy, but I just have good feeling about it,” she says when speaking of her fledgling career. Artistically and technically untrained, she likens her work to fashion “doodles”. “Most of my work is literally this big…” She explains, as she makes a cupping gesture with her hands.

While she was working at Yorkville’s UPC Boutique, The Star’s Fashion Writer, Derrick Chetty, witnessed her fabulous ensemble. “Derrick kind of scouted me, he was like, ‘Your pants! Your pants! They’re amazing!’ This summer’s been crazy. Within the same week I was in Flare and [on] The Star. My family’s like, ‘Rachael what the hell are you doing?’” The opportunities weren’t sought out, nor were they researched.

A budding fashion illustrator, and barely through her Fashion Communications degree at Ryerson University, Rachael is making impressions in the classroom as well. During a photo shoot for her Art Direction assignment, she not only caught the eye of her teacher, Tanya Watt (who is also an Art Director for FLARE Magazine) but landed herself an illustrating gig! “I only had an hour to do this shoot…I ended up having this mural in the background with my drawings. She saw me quickly do it. It was just something basic—just some hearts and a couple of faces, nothing intricate. She fell in love with it! She was like, ‘Oh my gosh! You just did that! I just saw you do that! Can I have this?’ It’s framed in her bedroom! And I’m just like, ‘Really? You like me?!” Needless to say, she was repeatedly asked to do illustrations for the magazine, and has been doing so ever since. Her illustrations are whimsical, but striking; a little bit creepy, but strangely cute.

You seem to have an affinity with doll-like features—big eyes with long fluttery lashes, full lips? What’s up with that?

Ummm.. I don’t know.. I think that I’m really inspired by nature’s design. Like, butterflies, even ants! And wings… anything with lines. I like spiders, and I like eyelashes to be so full that they get caught. I definitely think fashion needs a face, always—I love faces, I love make-up. Edie Sedgwick is a really big inspiration. I think if you look at her and look at some of my drawings, just from my head it just comes out sometimes—the dark eyes.

When did you start really drawing?

Actually, it was just recently that I started making things that I really liked. Then I was comfortable to really put them up. I was never in art school, never had an art instructor. I was always really confused! I was like, “Wait, am I an artist?” It was only when I went into fashion, that’s what really propelled me to draw.

Do you have a process?

I do. I always draw with ink…pencil sometimes, if there’s something that I’m not very good at drawing, maybe like a pose or something that may be intricate, obviously, I would use a pencil first. But just for a lot of my girls, I just go straight into ink. I really like things just looking like how they came out. And I think that also comes from not being trained. I think it’s great to embrace that creativity. And I think it’s really important to draw from memory, and a lot of people don’t. And they use references. It just isn’t authentic, unless it really comes from your head. I also like to have a glass of wine. I like to sing as well, I like to sing as I do things and I like to be really secluded and have nobody around. Or I would do a little doodle at work! Doodling is a huge part of my process. I do a lot of doodles wherever I am…a lot of my work is really small. So I would just scan it after, and then I would digitally enhance it. I love Photoshop! That’s something I found that’s really, really enabled me to take my doodles to a professional, presentable way.

How would you define your style?

Well, organic lines. And like you said, raw. I’m really interested in sexuality and gender, why men like women, what features men are attracted to. I love femininity. A lot of people have described it as whimsical. I don’t really know… This sounds really lame, but I don’t really like to talk about it, because I don’t really know how to talk about it…That’s why I draw it!

Is there a particular artist/designer whose work you admire?

Rodarte makes really beautiful illustrations. Molly Grad is a great illustrator and designer, I really like her stuff. I really, really love Erin Featherston. If I could collaborate with someone, it would be her… Have you ever seen “Trembled Blossoms”, the Prada short by James Jean? He’s actually one of my favourite illustrators!

Where do you see yourself in five years? In 15 years?

In five years…I’d like to work in a magazine. I would love to be an Art Director. I think that I’m great with creating themes, and bringing things together. I’m an idea maker.

15 years… I don’t want to have kids. I want to be a workingwoman. I have three older sisters and they’re definitely going to have kids. So I’m going to be surrounded by adorable little girls, I’m sure. But I don’t want my own. I’m predominantly right-brained, I can barely take care of myself, like, to imagine even having a cat! I’ve killed all my goldfish… I can’t! I want no part of it.

Your Blog is called ‘Penelope’. Who is Penelope?

It’s my mum’s name. My mum was a seamstress, and she would make beautiful quilts, and wall hangings. She was amazing with colour and textiles. She would always be designing on napkins, then I would be like, ‘I want one!’, then I’d be doodling. She influenced me that way, just to draw! If she weren’t an artist, I wouldn’t have felt like I could have done that.

So tell us, what’s “the dream”?

Sketching for a fashion house. Specific ones? Honestly, CHANEL. I love Coco, just because she was self-made. You know, she came from nothing—I really like that. I really identify with her.

What other projects are on the horizon?

I’m really interested in animation. And this year, I’m doing my thesis paper on intuitive drawing and creativity—the flow of creativity and where it comes from and so I think to really communicate that in animation would be the best way. I want to have my pen drawing it the whole time. It should be really interesting.

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