About the Artist

Grackle | Aidan Wilkerson

The Graphic Grackle is primarily a one-man show, and I am the ringleader, the greasy stage crew, and the leading act.

This suits me, since due in part to my restless nature I am constantly shifting gears, trying new things, experimenting and coming up with new ideas for projects.

Running an Etsy shop has given me an outlet for my desire to design and create physical things, which currently includes stickers, art prints, pins, figurines, and more. In addition to the digital art and design work I do, I dabble in block printing, acrylic painting, sewing, sculpture, 3d modeling, 3d printing, laser cutting and more.

I am constantly seeking avenues to reduce, reuse, or refurbish with my art, by giving new life or purpose to old and discarded things. This includes my recent efforts in upcycling old clothing and discarded bottlecaps into new and unique designs for in person vendor events.

When it comes to commissions and freelance gigs, I primarily do design and digital art work. These can range from character designs to repeating patterns, and a whole gambit of things in between. If you like what you see and you’d like to hire me, shoot me an email and we can probably work something out!

Lastly, I couldn’t have made it as far as I have without the tireless and sometimes inexplicable support of my close family and my dear and loyal friends. Sincerely, my deepest gratitude to each of them.

Art-maker and purveyor of fine stickers and shiny things, the Graphic Grackle (pictured above) is a queer trans man and a self-proclaimed cryptid currently lurking in the Austin Texas area. He hopes to spread humor and self-acceptance through his stickers and art.

For those who don’t know:

What is a Grackle Anyway?

 

The Great Tailed Grackle is a ubiquitous fixture in most of Texas. They are native to the area, despite much misinformation to the contrary. In a lot of ways their presence is taken for granted, but they are quite clever and charming little birds, if you give them a chance.

I grew up in Texas where grackles were everywhere, and didn’t realize how much I missed them until I came back. Somehow their raucous screeching reminded me that I was home.

As a queer, trans, nuero-divergent individual, I have often felt at best ignored in a society not built to acknowledge my existence, and at worst unwelcomed and even unsafe.

But like the grackle, people like me will continue to exist, no matter how much some people would rather we disappear. So, I find a sense of inspiration in the grackle. Like them, I choose to survive and to thrive despite and often in spite of people and circumstances that aren’t built for our success.

A quick note on AI

I believe in the transformative power of human creativity. There is no generative AI used in my creative process.
While I use many tools when working digitally which may include AI elements, each piece of artwork I sell, from stickers to prints to commissioned designs is created from the blank page to the final design by my own stylus, pen, or human hand.