Nicole DeCaria

Story by Odessa Paloma Parker

Oakville-based designer and fine artist Nicole DeCaria merges technique with tradition in her varied body of work. Utilizing the digital medium of Illustrator and the age-old artistry of watercolour to create her colourful pieces, DeCaria’s work draws inspiration from the landscapes of fashion, textiles and Japanese culture. Plaid spoke with the Drawing Influence artist to learn more about the collision of new and old in her practice.

When do you remember first being interested in creating art?

Ever since I can remember, really. [From the time] I could pick up a pencil, I’ve been drawing and crafting with construction paper and glue and markers and the like, anything, really, I can make something with. My family always encouraged my creativity, buying me the Crayola Art Kits every birthday or Christmas (the ones filled with markers, pencil crayons, pastels, et cetera) and getting me anything “artsy” that I may like.

Do you remember what the first artistic piece you created was?

I vaguely remember making a girl out of construction paper with a pretty dress that was red. She had brown curly hair like me, and a really big head. When I showed it to my mom, she commented on her proportions but I shrugged it off and hung it up in my playroom. I was so proud of it – then I think I hated it the next day. This pretty much was the beginning trait of how I would see my work in the future, even to this day.

Your work is both “traditional” (watercolour) and digital. What is it about both of these mediums that appeal to you?

Well, I’m a huge fan of using Illustrator to create my work because of the clean sharp lines you get with the vectors. When I first discovered the program in my first year of school, I fell in love because after using Photoshop for so many years, it gave me that look I was really going for.

I love watercolour because of the loose, soft, flowing effects it can give you if used in the right way. I love doing pieces where you can let the watercolour drip down the page from some aspect of the hair, or dropping colour into a pool of water to create a pattern of clothing; it just adds so much more character you just can’t get in digital mediums. It’s raw and you can’t really control where its going to go, or what will happen – you just have to go with it.

If you combine the two mediums, you can have both aspects come together in one piece beautifully.

Do these mediums inspire you differently when approaching a piece?

Well, yes. If, for example, I’m creating a piece of a women with long flowing hair, or something soft and pretty, I would lean more towards watercolour for that look. If I wanted to create something more graphic, like an advertisement piece or something simple with a 3-colour palette, I would lean towards digital. It just usually depends on my mood and what I wanted to work in at that time. I could do digital for months and then want to go back to traditional for a change.

Is there ever a time when you first think to create a piece in a particular style, and then switch?

Yes, there has been a few times I’ve done this. I normally would start with an idea or sketch and attempt to take the image and colour it digitally, but find that I can’t get a certain aspect right that way, so I would try it traditionally and discover it works much better.

What is your process for creating your work?

Well, the beginnings of most of my drawings are from looking through magazines or art sites, and can even be something from everyday life. I get an idea and think “Oh! I can do something cool like this…” or “I wanna draw that really pretty dress on a model doing this…”. I occasionally start with just a quick pen sketch, then scan that in to get the base for the gesture and pose and take it from there.

The image grows within itself as I’m working traditionally. For example, I could have a certain idea about what it would look like, then as I’m adding colour or some sort of element, a mistake or fluke could spawn into something else, and I keep adding and adding to create the final piece. Over the years I’ve learned to just work with mistakes that might happen along the way because it’s not worth getting stressed out for several minutes over. You’ll grow as an artist if you just accept it.

What inspires your work? Are there particular themes you try to explore?

My inspirations come from the world around me: Fashion, culture, music, et cetera. I’ve always been a fan of the Japanese culture and style, from Geishas to the street style called Gothic/Sweet Lolita, and it shows in a lot of my work. The intricate and beautiful designs of the kimonos and patterns I try to incorporate in some pieces, trying different styles and techniques to achieve that factor.

As for Lolitas, they inspire me to draw cute, pretty things like girls with lace and bows and floral patterns, as well as dark, edgy and different images that are something completely opposite and what the world deems “different”. It kind of explains the way I am seeing, as I’m a Gemini, two-sided and all.

How does fashion factor into your work? Are there particular designers whose work inspires you?

Well, fashion is all around us, and I currently work at a salon so I see a lot of different styles through clothing and hair. We have tons of fashion magazines so I often flip through them and get visual overload with the amount of amazing pieces I see on models or celebrities. As I’m drawing, I remember certain aspects and incorporate that into the styling or accessorizing of my muse.

I have so many stylists [and designers] I’m admiring at the moment like Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Nina Ricci, and the team at Haus of Gaga. I love edgy fashions and even soft elegant dresses, so it’s hard to pinpoint who my favourite is.

You’ve contributed to Mood Magazine and have quite a few clients that you do work for. What do you like about commissioned work, and are there a publications you’d like to work with in the future?

The thing I like about commissioned work is that it’s so varied in the style and work that I have to do. One day I’ll be drawing icons for a company, the next I’ll have to draw an advertising pitch of people jumping like kangaroos. It’s also such a pleasure to hear when the client is loving the work I did for them – it makes me happy that they’re happy.

I would love to do spot illustrations for any kind of fashion or wedding magazines. I read Flare and Elle a lot, so I would love to have my work posted within their pages one day.

What’s next for you?

Well, I’m constantly building my portfolio with newer pieces, and am still on the hunt for an ideal art-related job. Although in the meantime, I plan to keep doing commissioned work and meeting new people through networking and events. I will hopefully be attending many shows and conventions next year, showcasing my work to the world, like one around around Valentine’s Day at the Gladstone Hotel, and Fan Expo, which runs at the end of August in Toronto.

I’ll never stop drawing or creating. It’s a part of me, and makes me who I am.

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