Blog

Hello World!

My name is Erin Braithwaite and I am the artist behind Atra Creative.

In a nutshell, I love to paint. But this is a blog post, not a nutshell, so I’ll elaborate a bit.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design in 2013 and I have been fortunate enough to work in the South African design industry since then. My days have been spent pouring over technical details and pursuing that ever-coveted aesthetic sweet spot. In between and before all that, I have been painting and illustrating as long as I can remember, and Santa has yet to receive a Christmas list from me that doesn’t have art supplies as the top request.

After just about every relative had received an artwork as a gift from me, I was encouraged to turn it into a side hustle. In 2018, e-commerce site Superbalist selected some of my work for their art on demand category, and in May 2020 I launched Atra Creative as the proverbial basket for all my creative eggs.

Artwork

I paint with watercolour (and occasionally oils if asked very nicely), in an abstract and minimal style. Some people like my art enough to buy it, thus this website came to be. You can see my artwork here, or enquire about a custom commissioned work here.

Logo Design & Branding Development

My artwork is a snapshot of a personal story. A brand is another version of a personal story, one that generally starts with a logo. What better way to tell a personal story than with a hand-painted version of that story?  Simply put, branding design with illustrated elements can create unusual and unique visual identity for small niche businesses and individual creative ventures. You can see examples of this in my branding portfolio here.

Wedding Stationery

Continuing with the concept of hand-painted stories, watercolours and weddings make the perfect pair. Wedding stationery sets the tone for the special day because it’s the first glimpse given to the guests (think save-the-dates, formal invitations or even the engagement party invite if you’re really organized). Adding personalized hand-painted elements to stationery and signage takes the whimsy of wedded bliss to a whole new level.

Copywriting

Don’t you just love the smell of fresh content in the morning?

As much as I’m all about the observable stories present in artwork and visual identity, thoughtful copy to accompany the graphic is as important as the boycott of Comic Sans. I will be putting my writing skills to use on this blog, in newsletters and on my social pages. Here’s what you can expect:

• Artist & creative brand showcases
• Sketchbook artwork challenges
• Branding tips & tricks
• Artistic outings in South Africa (and abroad when COVID19 isn’t crunching my travel bug with its huge viral boot)
• Stationery checklists for brands and brides
• Behind the scenes insights

Not to mention you’ll be the first to hear about new artworks up for sale on the site (with the occasional sneaky subscriber discount included).

To sign up for my newsletter (and receive a free printable artwork) click below.

To follow me on social media:

If you would like to get in touch regarding any of the eggs in my basket, reach out here.

See you soon!

Erin