Danielle Kroll had always known she wanted to something creative. “I thought I wanted to be an interior designer because I loved playing THE SIMS so much,” she joked in an interview with Red Cap Cards. “I started painting in the 5th grade when I won private acrylic lessons with a local artist.”
Growing up in the state of New Jersey, she was lucky to have a charmed childhood; spending afternoons playing in the woods and weekends with her quirky grandparents. When she grew up, she attended college at Tyler School of Art, with her first job being in Anthropologie’s Art Department where she designed branding collateral and created illustrations for marketing campaigns.
But after working some time as a graphic designer, she admits she got a bit bored. And so, in 2012, after a long hike through California, she left her job and moved to Brooklyn to pursue a freelance career, returning to her original passion—illustration. “I started getting client work after posting my paintings on a blog for a little while,” she recalls. “Illustration, it turns out, was kind of like my missing link between design and painting.”
Kroll’s present body of work includes illustrations for publishing projects, stationery, textile designs, ceramics, product development, and personal paintings. But no matter what her medium is, her playful style aims to make your average day a little bit brighter. According to her website, she’s particularly inspired by her childhood memories, past decades–especially mid-century art and design, flowers, the outdoors, road trips, and thrift shops.
“I get a ton of ideas when I’m not sitting around trying to think of one,” sh further relayed in the interview. “Generally I get inspiration from everyday life and I definitely look at the past stylistically. I love going to thrift shops and antique malls. You’re guaranteed to see something interesting, unique, handmade, quirky, funny, beautiful and affordable if you go to the right spot. Not to mention the funny people watching.”
