Book By Its Cover

3.28.08
Sketchbook Series: Ashley Goldberg

Ashley Goldberg so far has sold 6,315 items on Etsy in just a few years- amazing! Who can resist her adorable bearded men series? Recently Ashley’s work became part of the Urban Outfitter’s Artist Series and a triptych of her drawings sells as wall art in stores and online. Ashley did a great interview with Etsy about working with Urban Outfitters which you should check out here. Today we get a little peek into her sketchbooks- or into the ripped out pages from her sketchbooks. If Ashley is fond of a drawing she makes in her sketchbook, she told me she takes the page out to create new work from it. I asked Ashley if she had anything to share about herself and her art- here’s what she had to say:

I’m 26 years old. I have loved arts, crafts, creatures, and nature my entire life. I enjoy focusing on portraiture and capturing a brief moment in time. My artwork tends to be simple, but with a sophisticated or stark color palette. I believe great emotion can be conveyed in a simple gesture or look. The characters I create, whether monsters or little girls, are simple, humorous, empathetic, and a little bit pathetic.

I strongly believe in what you’re happiest doing at five is what you will be happiest doing your entire life. Growing up, I endlessly drew and embroidered onto washcloths that my grandma gave me little creatures and animals that I desperately wanted to live in the woods of my backyard. In my mind these creatures had tiny, magnificent, ornate lairs in the trunks of old trees (which I also drew, along with maps of how to get there). And although these creatures were elusive and shy, they always decided to befriend me. Over the years, my creatures have become decidedly more design-driven, but a part of me is still just drawing little friends to have.

Ashley has a fairly new website where you can check out a lot more of her work, a blog to keep you updated on what her and Drew are up to next and of course her work is always for sale in her Etsy store here. Thanks so much for sharing Ashley!

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12 Comments
03/29/08  7:51am
Esti wrote

Her drawings are sooo good. It’s great to see the process to her final product. I like these raw pieces in black and white. She’s great!
03/29/08  9:11pm
jess gonacha wrote

this is such an incredible series, and i love ashley’s work! i love getting a behind the scenes look at how poeple’s artwork is created. sketchbooks are so personal, and i love picturing the artist sitting at home, or outside somewhere, quietly drawing…… thanks for your great blog! i love it!
03/29/08  10:36pm
Julie Abrams wrote

How wonderful to see more of Ashley’s workings…she is unbelievably creative with such a distinctive style….LOVE her!
03/30/08  8:49am
Ana wrote

I love her work, big fan!
03/31/08  5:35am
Shea wrote

Love it. Great to see the raw images.
03/31/08  7:48am
dk wrote

Three days ago I visited the website of Type Records for the first time. I looked through their list of releases and a cover image came to my attention. I tried to find out who created it, but somehow there were no informations present in this regard. After leaving the site, I checked my RSS subscriptions, saw that Book By Its Cover has a new entry and read it. I was really, really amazed to find a sketch of exactly that image among the pictures. Its the girl at the lake with the four paper boats. Pretty strange, isn’t it?
03/31/08  7:50am
Anna wrote

I’ve followed both Ashley’s blog and this website for some time now and it’s so great to see you’ve found each other… A perfect match. Ashley designs a totally different world in which animals and human beings are beautifully alike. I really love to see her artwork.
03/31/08  10:59pm
Jay Hauf wrote

ashley is a great artist and an even greater person it’s great to see what two very talented people can do congrats ashley and Drew I’m a better person for knowing you
04/1/08  1:32pm
Jessica wrote

I just love her work and so happy to see her included in your series. I think these looks amazing, love to see thep rocess
04/1/08  11:21pm
flo wrote

Es muy parecido al trabajo de miss linotte, me gustan mucho
04/14/08  7:16pm
Fabletoo wrote

Absolutely love Ashley’s work (will be buying one of her prints soon, when I get some spare cash). She’s my hero as far as being an artist who is also good at the business side of it goes.

She writes a cool blog too! :-)
04/15/08  9:03pm
Suzanne wrote

I love all the books you are featuring…but especially the sketchbooks. I’m drooling.

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