Magical, creepy, beautiful and mysterious: those are the words that pop into my mind when I look at the amazing work of Signifying Not. Summer's gorgeous illustrations are not only available as prints, but t-shirts, accessories and cool gifts. Read on as Summer Ortiz answers a few of our questions...
ED: How did you get started selling your art?
SO: I had taught myself to screen print and had been making shirts for myself and friends since high school. People had been encouraging me for years to sell the shirts, but I never took their advice until last January when I had a little bit of extra cash and took the plunge into running my own business.
ED: What kind of products do you sell, and what materials do you work with?
SO: Clothing, prints, magnets, plush creatures, really anything we have the time and imagination to create. Work with all kinds of materials, but mainly tees and paper.
ED: What are your future plans for Signifying Not?
SO: We are always expanding and creating new things, but this year I am hoping to have some new tee designs and think of some new ways to display our designs - more prints, bags, etc. We are also looking to expand and sell our wares in more shops around Dallas and possibly elsewhere.
ED: What are you most inspired by?
SO: I am inspired by all things weird/odd/strange - Victorian traditions and fashion, unusual historical figures and events, wunderkammers, fairy tales (original versions), literature, vintage illustrations and prints.
Summer lives in North Deep Ellum with a chihuahua named Oliver, and works as a designer for the Texas Woman's University. You can find her products on Etsy as well as Dolly Python.