RUBY MACKINNON

Melbourne-based designer, illustrator and artist

At the heart of my art and design work is a sense of refined playfulness and humour.

I create simple pieces that have a quiet beauty and that fill hearts and homes with delight.

I love working with community-minded small businesses, quirky brands, animal-lovers, romantics and people who follow their hearts over trends.

Using a blend of visual styles, I capture their unique spirit and tell their stories in personal, warm and authentic ways.

This is my 10th year of making calendars, for sale. When I was a kid my mum, sister and I used to make an annual calendar that we would gift to friends and family. We would print them using the black and white photocopiers at Officeworks. I think w
The 2025 Calendar is available for pre-order! (Link in bio) The theme of this year’s calendar is 10 years of food. I picked over the previous 10 calendars for all my fave depictions of delectable fruits, veg, cakes, biscuits and more! And the
Recently... - I had a piece in a group show curated by Tegan Iversen called 'Green's the colour of spring'. I contributed this fine art print of a Philodendron White Wizard. Unfortunately I was unable to see the show myself 😕 (Image 1) - I made a

My story

Having the good fortune to grow up in a family of artists, designers and teachers, the opportunities to play and learn artistically were endless. As such, a creative pursuit has always beckoned.

My love of design, lettering and all things visual is as old as I am. I’ve been painting for as long as I could hold a brush and my high school notebooks were filled with carefully lettered headings and margins packed with illustrations. At Uni I studied Film and Television with a minor in design, and after completing my bachelor I worked in design agencies until going freelance in 2015.

These days I work from my home studio in Melbourne alongside my partner and fellow creative Andy and our least productive studio mate Ronald, our clever, affectionate, beloved, pain-in-the-butt ginger cat.

But I’m not always crouched over my desk, out of hours I find joy in being a wholehearted Aunty and an enthusiastic student of dance.

I like to think the sense of joy and delight I find in my work and cultivate in my life is reflected in the final pieces I create.

Let’s have a chat about your project!