About the Woman Behind the Pickle
Howdy! I’m Linda, an artist, designer, and lifelong precocious crafter. I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember, drawing weird and wonderful creations from my imagination as a kid, evolving to a love of fancy lettering and design as a teenager, and finally becoming my lifelong passion in college where I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.
In college, I interned at The Printing Museum in Houston, where I discovered letterpress printing and my passion for the traditional craft of printmaking. This interest in analog techniques lead to a stained glass class where I immediately fell in love again with a passion I had not felt since my time in the print shop at The Printing Museum.
I specialize in print design, layout/publication design, branding & brand strategy, illustration, and creative project management. I have experience in many industries, from music to hospitality to residential construction to tech and everything in between. My designs are end-user focused and focus on the final deliverables and user experience from concept to completion.
About My work
Everything I do is created 100% by me. I design all of the prints I carve. I design or compose and pull my own letterpress prints with my own hands. I draw all of my illustrations myself. I even draw the patterns for all of my stained glass pieces myself. It is important to me to provide my clients and customers with personalized, unique work made specifically for them.
I do not use AI for any part of my process. I source my ideas from my own life, experiences, and the people around me. If I need a reference photo for a drawing and can’t find an existing stock photo, I take the reference photo myself. My camera roll is filled with bizarre selfies with my hands or face in strange positions, taken for a piece of art I was working on. I generated an AI reference image one time and only got about 15-20% of the way through the painting before I stopped because it just felt wrong. I’d love to revisit that piece some day… but only after I recreate the reference myself.
Where did the name “Pickle Puppy” come from?
Meet Rupert, my “first child”, and the namesake of my brand! People often assume that the name comes from a wiener dog or from a dog named Pickle, but no, Rupert was a West Highland White Terrier who actually hated eating pickles! “Pickle Puppy” was a nickname that evolved over many, many iterations. I don’t remember exactly how it evolved, but I think it went something like:
Rupert > Roopy > Roopy Poopy > Poopy Puppy > Pickle Puppy
Rupert was a very bold dog, constantly exploring new things and looking for adventure. A classic terrier, he was stubborn, too smart for his own good, and dangerously brave. Cute, gritty, unapologetically himself — I couldn’t think of a better source of inspiration for my business. Rupert spent many, many hours with me in the office as I worked. In fact, his bed was under my desk because he wanted to be next to me all the time. He rightly earned the title of Employee of the Month many, many months in a row. His hard work (naps, toots, cuddles) were absolutely instrumental to the formation of Pickle Puppy Art + Design.
Rupert “Pickle Puppy” McGillicuddy
September 19, 2005 – February 27, 2021
Rest in pickley peace, little king
