Exploring the most popular online crafty blogs will quickly bring you to the work of Kirin & Co., run by Australia’s one and only Lara Cameron. Kirin & Co.’s fabrics, featuring beautifully simple nature-inspired prints in an array of colors, easily remind me of more detailed version of Lotta Jansdotter’s work.

A new batch of hand-printed textiles will be soon be available in Lara’s Etsy.com shop, which currently offers an attractive collection of her hand-draw and computer-created art prints. Last but not least, Lara also enjoys dabbling in the world of jewelry making, selling her creations in her Etsy shop, as well as on ModaMuse.

All of Kirin & Co.’s creations are actually just a side endeavor for Lara, who has been running her own graphic design business out of her home office for nearly four years. Though her visual design talents have been embraced mostly by smaller businesses, larger corporations, such as Lonely Planet Publications and Toyota Australia, have hired Lara for her relaxed and open creative process.

Having just returned from a “crazy, diverse and exhausting” two-week vacation in Japan, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of my favorite crafty visual artists taking over the online design world. Read on for the exclusive interview with Lara Cameron, including details about her eco-aspirations, love for the Gocco printing machine, and a soon-to-be-released limited edition collaboration.

Have you always wanted to be a graphic wiz, or is it just another financially viable creative outlet?

Lara Cameron: I always loved being creative and crafty when I was younger, but never thought I could actually make a career out of it. I studied multimedia at University, and it was only when I got an internship at a company as a Visual Designer that I started to seriously believe I could do it for a living.

Your pattern designs are clearly inspired by nature - how much does the environment factor into your creative process and day-to-day business duties?

Lara: I’ve always loved nature - my favorite thing to draw as a child was trees; it sort of slips into my work without me really realizing though. I am always surprised when people comment that my work is nature-inspired because I don’t do it consciously! In terms of being green, I just try to do my day-to-day work with as little waste as possible, especially with regards to paper.

Do you see the graphic design and craft communities as integral parts of the green/eco movement?

Lara: Definitely, I think all communities should be! I think there is a lot that we can do as designers, both in terms of using our skills to make others aware, and also in our daily work practices. We also have a certain responsibility to our clients to inform them of better choices, especially when it comes to printed materials. [Design Can Change] is a great site on the topic that I was introduced to recently.

Do you think that being Australian gives you a special perspective on the degradation of the planet?

Lara: Hmm this is a tough one, as I’ve never lived anywhere but Australia, so it’s difficult to tell how unique our perspective is. I suppose we’re different because we’re a large country with massive resources, but we’re still quite young, still growing. I think it’s important for us to make intelligent decisions about how we use those resources now whilst we’re still in our formative stages. We have so much potential with our wide, yet largely uninhabitable land - solar and wind energy, to name the obvious ones.

In terms of your online store, the unique screen printed fabrics you offer seem to be the most popular items. What variety of items have you seen your creations made into? Do you plan on printing your designs on sustainable fabrics (organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, linen) in the future?

Lara: My favorite part of the process is seeing what other people make out of the fabric. Most commonly, people make bags of all shapes and sizes, but also scarves, cushions, clutches, lampshades, and even as upholstery for dining chairs.

I would love to print my fabrics onto sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton or hemp. I have done a fair bit of research into this, but here in Australia, I haven’t been able to find such materials at a reasonable price - the cheapest I could find was organic cotton at $30 a meter, which puts my fabric outside of most people’s price range. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! I know that in the States, you can find organic cotton for more reasonable prices, and I am currently looking into how viable it would be to import them.

Kirin & Co also had a blog, which gives updates on products available online, your creative process, inspirations, and patterns. Have you found that blogging has helped your work reach an even wider audience? How has your professional graphic design work benefited from your crafty hobbies?

Lara: This is such a good question. My blog has been SUCH an integral part of the whole process. I only begun producing textiles after I received such positive, lovely comments about my designs on my blog. I think I get 95% of my customers through my blog. I also think that my professional graphic design work has benefited immensely from my blogging and crafty pursuits on the side. For me, it has initiated a totally different mindset, an openness to trying new things; sharing and collaborating. I feel like I am a lot more ‘creative’ now.

Being a big fan of your blog, I’ve read about your use of the Gocco machine to help create your screen printed fabrics. How did you react when you read that the Japanese company responsible for the Gocco was ceasing production? Why do you prefer it to a professional printing press or larger silk screen process?

Lara: I was quite disappointed to hear that they were ceasing production - the gocco is a fantastic machine and makes the screen printing process accessible to everyone, even if you live in a tiny apartment! The larger silk screen process is much more versatile, but you really need a lot of space and a good setup to do it properly. That said, here in Australia, we haven’t yet noticed a change - you can still buy gocco machines and supplies in art shops and online fairly easily.

Do you have any other nifty, secret projects in the works that you could hint at?

Lara: Ooh I do indeed! A collaboration with this lovely lady, Lynn of Satsuma Press. I’ll leave the specifics a mystery

UPDATE :: Lara’s limited edition collection of letterpress cards is now available!

[All images courtesy of Lara Cameron]