Tattoo Creepers *Illustrators edition \\ Olivia Faust

Our Tattoo Creeper project is a way to collaborate with talented artists to add their spin on our creepers. We love working with creatives in any capacity & we want to see the world from their lens. To check out more of Olivia's work head to their Instagram.

Tell us about yourself & the shoes that you customized:

My name is Olivia Faust. I am an illustrator who loves all things spooky, but with a sweet twist! I feel like the shoes I chose for this sum me up perfectly – a chunky gothic ballet flat, tied up with a delicate satin ribbon. I love that contrast! I wanted to lean into that with my design for these shoes. There are skulls, ghosts, spiders and jack-o-lanterns, but they are paired with bows, roses and sweet little cobwebs.

How would you define your arts aesthetic?

I think my aesthetic art style is best described as “Sugar Goth” –  a term I made up, but I think it says it all! Sugar Goth is, of course, very sweet, but it is also dark and macabre. And it’s kind of kitschy and ridiculous! It’s glamourous, mysterious, nostalgic, absurd and saccharine. And it has a lot of bows.

What’s your favorite medium and why?

Gouache paint. It is so buttery and vibrant and versatile! I am primarily a painter, and gouache is all I use currently. However, I do like to switch things up and do sculptural work every now and then. My second favorite medium would be felting wool. I love creating little creatures out of wool, especially little black goats riding brooms.

What piece of yours is a new favorite?

“Burial Under the Strawberry Moon” is a piece I painted this year that I am very fond of. It depicts a tombstone under the glowing light of the full moon, framed by ripe and lush strawberry plants on either side. The ends of the plants are wrapped in bright red ribbons, tied into bows at the ends. I painted this back in June. June’s full moon is known as the Strawberry Moon, which was the inspiration behind this piece.

How does fashion & art help you express yourself?

My fashion and art go hand in hand. A lot of my artwork is inspired by fashion, and a lot of the outfits I wear look like my art! I am obsessed with vintage fashion, my favourite decades being the 50’s and 60’s.
A lot of my artwork is inspired by those decades as well. I love looking at midcentury fabrics and illustrations to get ideas for colour palettes for new work.
Fashion and art are very important forms of self-expression for me because it is a way for me to show the world exactly what is in my heart. I have always been rather shy, but my fashion choices and artwork have been a way to show my personality and who I am, without having to say a thing. And I think they say it better than any words ever could!