Sloan Brown’s independent art brand Rookie Made is “inspired by bad ideas”

Designer, sign painter and digital illustrator Sloan Brown has an eclectic portfolio of hand-painted or hand-sewn objects. Owner of Rookie Made, a Toronto-based independent art brand, the designer’s ongoing projects include custom zodiac basketball jerseys, graphic tapestries and handmade felt banners, all inspired by her love of typography and sports subculture. Using materials that range from “One-Shot enamel paint to wool-blend felt and textiles”, Sloan applies her multidisciplinary skills in branding, craft and design to the trials of her crafted pursuits. “Most of my projects end up in the dumpster or Value Village so I feel very sentimental about the art pieces that execute the way I imagined they would… Everything else is left on the curb for my neighbours to score,” she tells us.

After years of working in freelance digital illustration for agencies, sportswear brands and independent shops, Sloan has returned to a range of analogue processes in her practice for her own independent shop. “I learned how to sew and started painting on objects like toolboxes, toilet seats, and light switches to experiment,” she says. Launching her traditional sign painting company in 2021, she has created a variety of signage that blends the traditions of enamel painting with her modern, sporty visuals – a graphic style that weaves into her printmaking and soft textiles. For all of her creative pursuits, Sloan is largely inspired by “what’s on my friend’s bookshelves, set design and vintage tchotchkes”.