Ellie Compton

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Architecture

Black & White

Food & Drink

Lettering

Line

Maps

Medical

Nature

Street Art & Mural

Black and white city map with crossed arrows illustration by Ellie Compton

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Whimsical cityscape with peaches, watermelon, and flower decorations

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Detailed black and white illustration of New York City skyline and landmarks.

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Victorian mansion and greenhouse illustrated by Ellie Compton

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Who needs colors?

Seemingly chaotic worlds grounded by mechanics, structure and architectural features.

Chaos is a concept that makes some people nervous. However, for the New Zealand-based illustrator Ellie Compton, chaos is a source of beauty, intrigue, energy and life, which she captures in her whimsical, highly detailed cross section artworks. A self-professed ‘maker of chaos’, Ellie’s own story fits perfectly with her approach. While studying architecture, her thesis project focused on architectural cross sections, which she developed into her own unique form of artwork. She entered her imagery in a drawing competition in New Zealand and was a finalist, then began working for illustration clients alongside her architectural practice. In 2020, she became a full-time artist and illustrator, producing work for digital and print, merchandise and murals. Clients love the way all the minutiae of their operations come to life in Ellie’s images – it’s amusing, invigorating and even cathartic for them. Architecture and steam punk are among Ellie’s main inspirations. She’s fascinated by the mechanics of everyday things, from boats and buildings to entire cities.

Approach

Using line weights to differentiate scale, depth of field and section cuts, Ellie painstakingly draws the inner workings of places and spaces, merging their stories and characteristics into an overall concept that conveys her client’s message.

Style

Ellie’s unique approach has resulted in an equally unique style. Her whimsical architectural cross sections are full of playfulness, humor and storytelling – chaotic worlds grounded by mechanics, structure and architectural features.

Awards

2017 – The Parkin Prize - Finalist

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator?I was an Architect prior to being an illustrator, and one day entered some of my more expressive drawings into a competition which I ended up being a finalist for. This projected me into a steady stream of word of mouth commissions and clients, and now here I am 7 years on, with a full time art business.Did you study illustration in college?I studied Architecture and actually have my masters in Architecture through Victoria University Wellington - New Zealand.Where did you grow up?I call Christchurch, New Zealand home.Do you have a childhood memory relating to art that you hold dear?I was obsessed with becoming an architect as a young child, so I actually used to buy math books (with the gridded out pages), and I'd draw 100s of house plans, using the squares to help with scale. I loved coming up with different creative configurations. Looking back, the designs are absolutely terrible, but I found it so fun dreaming up what peoples' homes could look like!Where do you live now and what drew you there? I currently live in Christchurch, New Zealand. I spent 10 years in Wellington, New Zealand through my 20’s which I absolutely adored - it's a city filled with so much creativity and atmosphere, but decided to return to my home city to settle with my husband.Describe your studio for usI work in a shared studio space with 15 other incredible creative business owners/contractors. We each have our own studio inside a big warehouse that we have decorated to fit our branding and styles. Mine is adorned with my prints, original artworks, black and white photographs and the word ‘chaos’ written in huge text on one of the walls.Do you have a studio pet?I have a German Shepherd/Husky called Koda. He is the most gorgeous pal, but also loves to play ALOT so I often leave him to chill at home while I am at work. The shared studio I work in is dog friendly, so we get lots of doggos in and out each day anyway.Who or What is your biggest inspiration?I am hugely inspired by both architecture and nature! When I get out for a run in nature, I have huge clarity around my projects.If you were funded for a dream artist residency, where would you go, and what would you create??It would be a dream to do a residency in Venice and create something for the Architecture Biennale or do a full art/architecture installation somewhere in New York - I'm absolutely in love with the city!What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?I love playing sport and exercising! Probably a mix of playing basketball, running up a hill somewhere close to see an incredible view, and doing some Pilates. Being out in nature is always refreshing for me. I also love a good RnB concert, I go to as many of these as I can!How do you separate your work life from your home life? I work out of a shared studio space in the city which means I have that physical separation from all of my work. I really try and not take work home with me but when I do, I have certain spaces around home I make sure I sit in, so that I don’t blend my home and work life. Whenever I get home from work I also get straight out and exercise to try and put a good line in the sand for when work is finished!Do you adopt any environmental habits/practices to be more sustainable?I reuse a lot of the packaging that my prints come in, I use Noissue Tissue which is a sustainable custom tissue paper brand for all of my works, and I source local sustainable timbers for all of my framing.What do you listen to when you work?I actually listen to podcasts mostly - I love learning all about business and also self-improvement. Some of my favourite podcasts are: Diary of a CEO, Girls that Invest, She’s on the Money, The Lazy CEO and for some fun, Hamish and Andy.What is the first record you bought?S-Club 7 on cassette tape! Such bangers!Who is your design hero?I absolutely love the designs that Gemma O’Brien does - a lot of typography mixed with colour and pattern. She does incredible large scale works and also is a brilliant teacher.If you were not an illustrator, what would you be?I would either be an Architect (which is what I am trained in), or I would love to work in Marketing and Advertising.Have you any hidden talents?I’m great at getting a party started. Shameless in my terrible attempts on a dance floor!How would someone who knows you well describe you?Someone who is always up for a good time and attending local events, quick to try and have deep relationships with people and find out more about them, driven and organised!What is your go-to comfort food?Hot fries and LOTS of tomato sauce.What movie can you watch over and over?Fast and Furious (any of the franchise movies!)What is the last show you binged?Ted Lasso.What was the last concert you went to?50 Cent.What is your favourite book? As a kid I loved ’The Faraway Tree’ by Enid Blyton - this definitely sparked early creativity for me!What is your go-to karaoke song?Gold Digger - Kanye West.What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?Stay in your lane and do it well. Trying to compare and do what other people do best won’t serve your strengths. Keep focused on your goal and use your unique skills to your advantage.Is there a work lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way?Always make sure you have a clear-cut contract in place so that each party has a clear idea of what is expected. I’ve learnt that even some of the things we think are common sense are not always the case for everyone.Do you have any tips/advice for other illustrators?Continually put yourself out there! Cold call people you want to work with, and design for the clients you want.