Posted by Nate Williams
Marta Długołęcka is an illustrator, originally from Warsaw, but currently living and working in London. She graduated from Kingston University in 2010 and has recently completed her MA at the Royal College of Art. Currently she really enjoys working with clients as much as popping into Kingston University as a visiting tutor teaching illustration.
How did you get into illustration?
Since I remember I’ve always been into drawing and making things so probably ever since primary school my biggest goal was to be in the art industry. Having said that, illustration as a career choice only became fully clear to me while I was doing my Art Foundation. In fact, back then my whole portfolio was actually being prepared for the fine art course and yet, at the very last minute something inside told me this wasn’t going to be the right choice for me and against all of the tutors I quickly updated my portfolio to suit illustration course and never regretted it since.
What other types of jobs have you had?
Before I came to London I worked as a stylists assistant in a few magazines in Warsaw and then while studying in the UK I used to work at various bars, restaurants and shops.
Describe your creative process? What exactly is your medium?
Depending on a project I usually start off by making digital sketches, which allow me to draw freely and quickly experiment with colors, lighting and general mood of the image. Also if I go through the sketch process I like to plan everything as much as possible before I move onto actual making any models and sets. Having said that, sometimes I like to skip the sketching stage and simply play around with my model making and let characters and inspirations emerge from that. Also despite my great love for arts and crafts I tend to use a lot of Photoshop in my work, which naturally gives me great freedom and control in terms of refining and modifying my images.
What role does photography play in your work?
Photography is actually one of the key elements that contribute to the overall look of my work. I love the freedom it gives me to experiment, especially with lighting and perspective. There is something very special about making images this way and in a way it almost makes the whole process easier, as once you’ve pressed a shutter it’s all already there, waiting for you to edit it.
Have you done animation with your work?
I always felt very connected and inspired by animation process but I never actually properly tried it myself. However a while ago I did a collaboration with a great animator Joe Sparrow on a humorous animated short about miniature Superman. Apart from that I am currently having talks with a publisher about releasing my 1st children’s book, which hopefully will also be available as an interactive app, and so animation will definitely be part of this.
How is Warsaw different from London? What do you miss and not miss about Warsaw?
Wow, this is a hard one! Well, Warsaw is always going to be my hometown and for that reason will always have a place in my heart. It is definitely much smaller and not as diverse as London is, but living there created basis for my character and who I am. And then London is a place I chose to live in, partly by accident and partly cos I always wanted to try it. It’s so beautiful, inspiring, full of buzz and opportunities and it was where I had to learnt how to be a “proper” adult. So for me it’s hard to say what I miss or don’t miss about Warsaw because it got to the point where I miss home when I’m in London and I miss London when I’m home. But having said that, living together with my boyfriend helps us to create our own little “home”, so at the moment London is getting a whole new perspective for me.
What is your favorite type of commercial project and why?
I love working with text and so creating book covers is something that I enjoy the most.
How would you like your work to be used in the future?
Ideally I would like to spread as much as possible and so in turn I’d like to see my work being used everywhere from book publications, stationary, pottery to wall paper, fabrics and posters.
Is your work more conceptual or decorative?
As much as I think my work is pleasant to the eye I would not call it decorative per se. It’s the same with being conceptual, I often try to tell a story though my images but at the same time I don’t worry too much about showing any deep or double meanings etc.
Do you have an art rep? Why or why not?
Currently I work exclusively as a freelancer and really enjoy it but soon I might look into having a professional representation, simply because along with the work load I already have it might also help me get involved in certain types of projects that otherwise I might find harder to get.
Please describe a typical day?
I usually get up around 9am and after having my morning shower, breakfast etc. I focus mostly on the administrative part of my work so sending emails, updating my accounts etc and then around midday I start with the fun part, the image making. Then, regardless if I work on a commission or develop new portfolio pieces I take quite a few of tea brakes throughout the day and try to finish working around 7pm.
What is your working environment like?
Although I technically share my studio with my boyfriend who is also an illustrator and animator, I mostly work on my own as he often works away from our studio. In general I like listening to the radio while I’m working as it not only helps me keep the track of time but also nicely fills in the silence without me having to repeat one album for 4h (as I tend to)
Do you meet up with other illustrators in person? Who?
Most of my friends are involved in art in one way or another so in fact when I see them I am surrounded by quite a creative crowd, which I am truly blessed by. Also recently I started teaching at Kingston University and so having regular contact with the students is extremely refreshing to me and I love it.
Who are some of your favorite illustrators and why?
What is something new you have noticed or learned recently?
Feel the fear… and do it anyway! (as advised by Sussan Jeffers )
What was the best advice given to you as an illustrator?
If your head ever goes completely blank and you totally lack inspiration, just draw and your ideas will eventually come from that.
Top 5 favorite things in life
love, sleep, Rome, my boyfriend’s cooking, smell of fresh air and… a bonus one: wacky humor
Top 5 bands/singers
Kings of Connivence, She and Him, Deventra Banhart, Mayer Howthorne, Friendly Fires,
Can you suggest 3 artists or illustrators we should check out?
More about Marta Długołęcka at: Profile / Website / Twitter
Posted by Nate Williams
Eleanor Taylor is 25 years old and comes from Brighton in the South of England. She grew up in a small town in Hampshire before embarking on a course in illustration at art school. After graduating she worked for a year in a supermarket and school while spending the rest of the time in her room drawing and building up her portfolio. The following two years were spent studying an MA at The Royal College of Art in London. Eleanor graduated in 2011 and moved to the coast. She has been published in Ambit and Granta and was recently nominated for the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2012.
How did you get into illustration?
I was home educated until the age of sixteen. Creativity was encouraged and in my free time I was always drawing and making things. I took the minimum amount of exams to get into the local sixth form to take a two- year BTEC art course. This was one of the best times in my art education - I probably learnt more in those two years than the whole of my BA and MA combined! I went on to art school to do a BA, starting out in Fine Art Painting but realizing within the first three weeks that I had taken the wrong course I managed to switch to Illustration and haven’t looked back since.
What other types of jobs have you had?
I have yet to live off illustration as and only source of income. In the past I have worked in a kitchen, as a cleaner in an old people’s home, a super- market assistant, carer and teaching assistant. Now I work in a small shop a few days a week. It’s not ideal but it gives me the drive to succeed and pays the bills!
There are lots of plants in your work, why is that?
As a child I spent a lot of time in the garden playing. I always liked to creep into bushes like an explorer and go as far back into the foliage as I possibly could. The suburban garden was transformed into a tropical paradise. I see myself as that same explorer when I draw. Plants contain their own symbolism and folklore and artists throughout history have always studied them. I find this reference to still life and nature really interesting because I am constantly fascinated by their strange their worldly beauty and seductive qualities of shape and colour.
Can you explain why you like to use lots of different mediums? (pencil,ink, collage, etc)
I am always experimenting. For a long time my work has been purely monochromatic. It felt natural to only work in shades of black and white to explore different approaches in mark making. But recently I have been introducing more colour and discovering that through digital techniques I can bring all these different mediums together.
What is your favorite type of commercial project and why?
One which involves lots of naked ladies and plants or a botanical guide would suit me fine.
How would you like your work to be used in the future?
I have lots of ideas - pattern design, book covers, editorial illustration, gallery shows, animation, comics, rugs, mugs and trinkets. Even if I don’t achieve all these things I think its good to keep options open and be resourceful.
Is your work more conceptual or decorative?
This is really dependent on the project. The decorative and conceptual cannot be entirely separated – they need each other. Some pieces are more decorative and some have greater conceptual meaning but all have a little of both. If something is beautiful or strangely beguiling it will pull the viewer in and it can a powerful tool to bring a concept across.
Do you have an art rep? Why or why not?
I don’t have an agent. I have always liked the idea of being very self- sufficient and I think it particularly important in the early days to gain experience from dealing with clients myself. However when I become more established I might look to an agency to help.
Please describe a typical day?
I get up at 8. I am not a morning person so it takes me a while to adjust to the day. I like to read the news online and check emails then I start work around 10. I set myself small goals throughout the day – it’s always a good feeling to tick everything off a list! During the day I just like to immerse myself in drawing. When the evening comes I move on to computer-based work. Scanning, colouring in and updating my blog or website.
What is your working environment like?
I have recently set up a space in the tiny studio flat I live in with my boyfriend. We have desks on opposite sides of the room and thankfully we work very well together. We have about three or four extension leads to support our growing collection of electrical equipment - scanner, printer, light box, desk lights, record player, computers etc. There are lots of plants in the room and plenty of light. I like to feel as close to being outside as possible.
Who are some of your favorite illustrators and why?
Sophia Martineck (http://www.martineck.com/e/) – Her beautifully drawn depictions of small town life are very absorbing with an incredible attention to detail.
John Broadley (http://johnbroadley.blogspot.co.uk/) - He creates interesting narratives inspired by medieval comics.
Aart-jan Venema (http://www.aartjanvenema.com/) – His painterly work is wonderfully produced and very different to a lot of the flat colour work that is out there. It makes me think of a cross between two of my favourite films – Holy Mountain and Fantastic Planet.
What is something new you have noticed or learned recently?
Never eat defrosted seafood.
Top 5 favorite things in life
- Drawing
- Films
- Reading
- Yorkshire Tea
- Curry
Top 5 bands/singers
- The Wickerman by Magnet and Paul Giovanni– the best musical ever made!
- The Sound of Monsterism Island by Various Artists
- Pete Fowler has created a wonderful place, which I like to visit when I sit and draw.
- Valerie and her Week of Wonders composed by Lubos Fiser - ethereal, folk, procession like.
- Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky – I listened to this non-stop whilst making a particularly labour intensive drawing. I think it somehow infiltrated through to the drawing.
Can you suggest 3 artists or illustrators we should check out?
More about ELEANOR TAYLOR at: Profile / Website / BLOG
Posted by Nate Williams
José Luis Merino was born in Barcelona, Spain.
He studied at Eina Art School in Barcelona.
In 1985 he began working as a graphic designer in several advertising agencies and design studios until 1998 when he established his present graphic design and illustration studio.
Since 2004 he has been teaching illustration in the Superior Graduate on Design at Elisava School, in the postgraduate in Creative illustration at Eina School and in the Master on Art Direction at Ramon Llull university, and BAU school, all in Barcelona.
His clients include BMW, Elle Germany, Elle Decor UK, Fast Company, Food Illustrated, Food & Wine, Forbes, Freixenet, Gourmet, GQ UK, Harper Collins, Harper’s Bazaar USA, London Sunday Telegraph, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Madame Figaro, Madame Figaro Japan, Neiman Marcus, Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy USA, Ritz-Carlton, The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Taste Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, The World Financial Center, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, W.
His works have been selected and published in several annual competition books, such as The AOI, American Illutration, Lürzer’s Archive, Communication Arts, D&AD, Premis Junceda, Premis Laus, The Art Directors Club of Europe and SND. His illustrations have also been published in the books Illustration Now from Taschen publishers and 200 Best Illustrators from Lürzer’s Archive.
More about JOSE LUIS MERINO at: Profile / Website / Facebook / Flickr
Represented by Kate Larkworthy Artist Representation
http://www.larkworthy.com
How did you get into illustration?
When I was 20 I started working at an advertising agency where I used to do the sketches, once they were approved, the artwork was commissioned to external illustrators. I learned a lot practicing different styles. In the 90s I began to publish in some Spanish and French newspapers and magazines. But when I really started feeling as an illustrator was after a trip to NYC where I met Kate Larkworthy and she started to represent me. I started to work for clients and countries I’d never dreamed before.
What other types of jobs have you had?
I do graphic design as well and two years ago I started learning to do bespoke shoes. I hope to be a good shoemaker in the future.
© Beatriz Schulze
Did you like working in advertising agencies? Why/Why Not?
I started working in advertising agencies and I liked it. It’s a good exercise, works are always different and you have to make decisions so quickly.
What do you teach? What are the pros and cons of teaching?
I teach illustration in some High Schools, and I love it because sometimes you can learn a lot from your students, but teaching is so intense, I can’t do it many months in a year.
As we move from print to digital how do you think illustration will evolve?
In the economic sense I’m not sure yet, but I think editorial industry needs to change its mind. In electronic devices we have to forget the tracitional paper print limitations. The idea of double page spread doesn’t make sense in digital, as well as the static illustrations. Illustration now could be something closer to animation or something interactive.
What is your favorite type of commercial project and why?
Any project that makes me feel stimulated in any way. If the art direction and design is so good, If it’s for a publication or a client I love, if it’s a project that forces me to find any good idea…
How would you like your work to be used in the future?
I’d love to do more magazine or newspaper covers, and more advertising.
Is your work more conceptual or decorative?
Maybe it’s half and half. It depends on the client. Some clients don’t need a conceptual work, but when I do something more conceptual I love to be decorative as well.
Why did you choose to have an art rep?
Yes, it is the better way for me to find more interesting clients, and I’m not good calculating budgets and negotiating.
Please describe a typical day?
I start a day going to a gym, I arrive to my studio not very early, check the e-mail and Facebook and start working slowly. I’ve been always more productive in the afternoon. I usually work until late.
What is your working environment like?
I’ve had several studios and I’m so sensitive about the environment. I need to feel as if I were at home. A lot of books, wood, warm light, good music…
Do you meet up with other illustrators in person? Who?
Barcelona is not a big city and I’m working for almost 30 years, everybody knows each other here. And I also know some of my mates in Kate Larkworthy Artist Representation.
Who are some of your favorite illustrators and why?
I love 50s illustrators in general, but specially Ben Shahn, David Stone Martin, the first Warhol illustration works, Jim Flora, René Gruau, the U.P.A. cartoonists, Miroslav Sasek…
Describe your creative process?
After reading the text or listening the client I start doing quick roughs with pencil on paper looking for the idea. Sometime just knowing the subjet, the idea comes instantly, sometimes not. After I do a very precise sketch by pencil to send to the client and once it’s approved I start the illustration with black ink and brush. The rest of the proccess is digital.
What is something new you have noticed or learned recently?
The most stimulating has been to start learning to do bespoke shoes two years ago. Handicraft work again, use tools…
What was the best advice given to you as an illustrator?
Don’t start drawing if you don’t have an idea.
Top 5 favorite things in life.
Peace in all senses, music, the beach, nonstop weekend films sessions or good TV serials or books lying on the sofa, love and be loved,
Top 5 bands/singers.
Only 5? Not easy because I love music a lot, but I’ll try. Bowie, New Order, and new ones as Apparat, Hot Chip, Junior Boys, The XX… oops, I said 6.
Can you suggest 3 artists or illustrators we should check out?
I’ll suggest 3 friends, Arnal Ballester, Flavio Morais and Patrick Thomas.
Posted by Nate Williams
Emiliano Ponzi’s bold, textured illustrations employ repetition, a judicious use of line, and strong graphic compositions to define and communicate the concept at hand. His illustrations have appeared in advertising, magazines, books, newspapers and animations. His clients include The New York Times, Le Monde, Time, The Economist, Newsweek, United Airlines, Penguin books, Saatchi&Saatchi New York, and in Italy: La Repubblica, Feltrinelli, Il Sole 24 Ore, Mondadori,Triennale Design Museum. Emiliano has received numerous honors including the coveted Young Guns Award from the the New York’s Art Directors Club, medals of honor from Society of Illustrators New York, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles and 3×3′s Magazine Pro show. He has also received awards of excellence from Print, How International Design Awards, Communication Arts Illustration Annuals, and American Illustration Annuals.
How did you get into illustration?
Well, it sounds funny now, but I became an illustrator because I didn’t get into the university (science of communication) I wanted to attend. My other talent was drawing, so I decided to attend a private Illustration university instead. This university was the only art school I knew of! It was the 90s and the internet was not so developed. One of my cousins went there and that was enough for me to take my bags and move to Milan. Sometimes life has its way of setting you on the path you’re meant to be on.
What other types of jobs have you had?
Once I was a model for a print ad of a very well known brand…of shoes, so just my feet were under the lights.
As we move from print to digital how do you think illustration will evolve?
I think the future will be very different. Drawings will stand up from paper and cross through to digital devices. According to John Maeda, we need to match synthesis and complexity. Illustrations will be more of a concentration of the senses, a clever thing in the moment that captures the eye, less didactic and more emotional. We can already see it in some of the books designed for the iPad. The static concept of illustration probably won’t be enough in 10-15 years. In Italian, the etymology of the word “ilustrazione” says this, (“azione” means action). Illustration is about showing an action and making it clear.
What is your favorite type of commercial project and why?
There are so many… I guess all the projects where the people involved know what they want, and there is a smart and positive exchange of views.
Your work is very conceptual, what do you like about conceptual illustration?
I like that first of all it’s a mind job, a mind exercise. The style, colors and shapes come after the idea. The core of this approach is that synapses have the biggest role rather that the ability to simulate a realistic face color or landscape shape. Technique is just important as style but what comes first is a solid vision, a spark that is being built by rational thought.
How do you come up with your ideas?
Every object has a name and a natural environment, and every good idea comes up for me when I’m able to break that relationship and make an object work in another environment. I mean, how far can an apple go from its tree? Could it be a face? Or maybe a bomb? These are the questions I ask myself when I start a new job.
Do you ever do work that decorative?
I guess my work is anti-decorative. My aim is to communicate a concept with the fewest elements possible. The minimum number of items in the illustration means to me that the goal is being reached.
Please tell us about your new book 10×10? What’s it about? Why the name? etc
10×10 is my first monograph. It’s a chronicle of my life and job: 10mq was the size of my first room in Milan where I started my career, the other 10 refers to the number of years it’s been since I started my career as illustrator. It contains over 60 images that I created for international clients and also original emails from art directors, friends, and other people I was lucky to be in contact with. It shows how relationships can develop, how they can be constructive, frustrating or sometimes ironic.
Nicholas Blechman from the New York Times signed the introduction to the book, and it was a great honour especially when he refers to my style as “being universal without being generic”. The volume is being published by a great Italian editor, Corraini, and it’s being sold in art museums and design bookstores around the world.
Please describe a typical day?
Alarm clock between 7 and 8am
Start working between 8 and 8:30
Lunch from 1 to 2
From 2 to 2:30 am I usually play with some apps or look at stuff on the web
From 2:30 till 8/9 pm I work
Then dinner with girlfriend plus a movie
Sometimes I have some work to finish even after dinner
Finally I jump on the bed and fall asleep with a book in my hand
What is your working environment like?
I’m actually working in 2 cities, 3 days in one and the other 2 in another, but I have to say that my 2 desks look quite similar: laptop, tablet, a bunch of empty coffee cups, books, unsigned contracts, old piles of paper, magazines, stuff that I have gathered over the years but that I should probably throw away to make a bit of room.
Who are some of your favorite illustrators and why?
I do not have a list of favourites, but I guess the images that inspire me the most I encountered first during my formation at school. I also come across new work in my everyday life by looking on the web or discovering unknown illustrators in a book.
What is something new you have noticed or learned recently?
I learned 3 things in the last year. The first one is that forgetting our limits is the best way to surpass them. When I’m working on a tight deadline, I can’t waste time thinking about what I can and can’t do. This is when I produce the best work, when I am able to ignore and overcome the limits I’ve placed on myself.
The second thing I learned is that the perfect idea doesn’t exist. The concept of “perfection” itself doesn’t belong to this world, so all we can do is try our best hoping it will be enough.
The last thing is that my allergy to cat hair has probably disappeared since I’m living with my girlfriend’s cat and… so far so good.
Top 5 favorite things in life
- the rest after work
- going far from home to come back
- Chinese food
- “the catcher in the rye”
- espresso
Top 5 bands/singers
- the Clash
- Edith Piaf
- I tre allegri ragazzi morti
- Queen
- Beastie Boys
Can you suggest 3 artists or illustrators we should check out?
I suggest 3 young illustrators:
Links
www.emilianoponzi.com
www.magnetreps.com
Posted by Nate Williams
Pieter Van Eenoge was born in 1976 in Bruges, Belgium, but did spent his childhood in Cologne, Germany.
In 1999 he graduated from the Sint-Lucas school for Arts and Science in Ghent and started as an independent illustrator a year later.
Since then he has made illustrations for magazines, editors, theatre, posters and advertising and took part in numerous exhibitions.
In 2011 he published his first children’s book, did the poster for the biggest book fair in Europe and saw some illustrations being published in 200 Best Illustrator’s Worldwide 11/12, Fresh #3 – Cutting Edge Illustration and the 3X3 Illustration Annual where he won gold in the Gallery section and 2 more merits (Editorial and Children’s section).
Pieter now lives in Bruges with his wife, two sons and two cats.
How did you get into illustration?
I studied graphic design at the Sint-Lucas school for Arts and Science in Ghent. In my senior year I switched to illustration because I wasn’t a hot shot at this graphic design thing. But to be honest I wasn’t the best illustrator as well and it took me quite some time to find out how to become a better one. It wasn’t until 2007, when I switched from a more comic driven style to painting, that I could translate the idea in my head to the image on my piece of paper. That whole switch is probably the most important step in my career so far, otherwise I still would be the same lousy and insecure illustrator I was back then.
What other types of jobs have you had?
After graduation I worked 3 years as a graphic designer in 2 design studios. My dad wanted me to, and I couldn’t see a way to make a living as an illustrator. In the end it took me a lot of will power to get me out of the bed, I really hated the job. So in 2003 I quit and became a full time illustrator.
As we move from print to digital how do you think illustration will evolve?
Do we really move from print to digital? I see it more as an expansion, so I don’t think It’s going to make a big difference. There have always been images in the past and there always will be in the future. As long as you can digitize the illustration, you can use it everywhere, but I believe there will be a lot more animation, so if you have the skills, the future is yours!
What is your favorite type of commercial project and why?
I don’t have a favorite really, as long as the jobs keep coming. I prefer a bit of diversity though: one day an editorial illustration, the next 5 months a children’s book and in between a large painting and maybe a postcard. But I would like to have a stronger position in the international market. I’m working mainly for Belgian clients and once in a while for a magazine or company in Holland or the UK. A phone call from New York or Paris would be nice
Is your work more conceptual or decorative?
For now it’s definitely conceptual. I just can’t draw or paint a person, animal or thing without it doing something meaningful. But I love decorative illustration as well and I believe it’s going to play a bigger role in my work in the future.
Do you have an art rep? Why or why not?
I used to have 2: one In the UK and one in Belgium. I left them both early 2011 because the last 2 years I didn’t get a single job. Blame it on the recession Now I have a rep in Holland, Shop Around, and I’m still looking for a rep in the UK and/or US. I’m terrible in promoting myself, so I could use a little help
Please describe a typical day
I try to get up around 7 o’clock, but I’m more a 7.30 kinda guy.
Then there’s a lot of showering, eating and shouting to get a 4 and 6 year old in school and by the time it’s 9, I’m behind the computer reading mails, looking for some nice tunes and working my way through a load of blogs to fill the digital mood board.
At 9.30 I start sketching, drawing or painting, depending on the job of the day.
Around 5 or 6 pm it’s family time again and when the kids are asleep I try to do some more work, take a run around the block or do something useful like cleaning up the pile of toys in the living room, building a piece of furniture or watching a movie…
What is your working environment like?
I work on the top floor of our 1930′s house, which was a real sh*thole when we bought it several years ago.
There’s still some fixing up to do, like painting doors and windows, but it’s the cosiest room in the house: warm in the winter and even warmer in the summer. Best part is that the room is next to the bedroom, so if I have a great idea at night, I can pop out of bed and make a quick drawing. The only thing missing is a tap and a sink, but running for clean water all the way downstairs keeps me in shape.
Who are some of your favorite illustrators and why?
Nowadays I’m completely into Belgian expressionist painters from the 20′s and 30′s like Jean Brusselmans and Gust De Smet, but I could make a list of dozens of artists that have influenced me in the last 10 years so here is a small selection:
What is something new you have noticed or learned recently?
Although I’m 35, according to the person selling the tickets in the museum I last visited I look 26. Entry fee: 1 euro instead of 9
Top 5 favorite things in life:
- My wife being beautiful and hilarious (not at the same time, or… why not)
- my kids growing up
- laughing
- songs cutting through bones
- playing the drums
Top 5 bands/singers:
I have a favorite band for every decade since the 70′s, but also a favorite song that comes with it:
- Genesis (“Back in NYC” – 70′s – I know, I know, some people will hate me for this, but it’s a guilty pleasure)
- The Police (“Synchronicity I” – 80′s – best band ever, until I saw them play in Amsterdam in 2007 )
- A Minor Forest (“So Jesus was at the last supper…” 90′s – they invite you for dinner and then serve you roadside kill )
- My Morning Jacket (“I needed it most” – 00′s – The god of reverb )
- Bon Iver (“Holocene” – 10′s – A lot of new and exciting bands nowadays, but this one is my favorite so far)
- And since I’m a drummer, Trans Am and Lightning Bolt!
Can you suggest 3 artists or illustrators we should check out?
Links:
More about PIETER VAN EENOGE at:
Website | Blogspot | Facebook | Flickr
Posted by Nate Williams
Jillian Tamaki is a Canadian who moved to Brooklyn in 2005 to pursue illustration fame and fortune. Her clients include The New York Times, The New Yorker, Penguin, Esquire, National Geographic, and The Guardian. She has published 3 books: the graphic novel SKIM, co-created with her cousin Mariko Tamaki, and two books of personal work, Gilded Lilies (Conundrum) and Indoor Voice (Drawn and Quarterly).
Please describe a typical day?
The beauty of being a freelancer is that you’re free to mix up your schedule. I work every day, either on paid projects or personal work. But I also like to get out of the studio and do things around New York, especially during weekdays. I don’t like fighting the crowds.
What is your working environment like?
I work in a studio room in my apartment. I have never had a studio outside of my home or shared a studio. Even when I was a student I rarely worked at school… I set up a little painting corner in the side of my room. I guess I like to be alone.
A too-small room with too many things in it. I have a Cintiq, an iMac, a scanner, a laser printer, and a light-table. The rest of it is just piles of junk and paper.
How did you get into illustration?
By a fluke. It happened to be part of the Visual Communication program I was enrolled in at the Alberta College of Art and Design. I wanted to be a designer… thank goodness I was ignorant enough not to research my school choices thoroughly.
Who / What are some of your influences and inspirations?
My inspirations wax and wane. Currently I’m interested in textiles and quilting. I like the limitation of those mediums. I’m inspired less by individuals and more by processes lately. Working on the computer for so long… I find the infinite “freedom” to actually be no freedom at all.
You have tried comics, children’s illustrations, animation, programming, teaching, etc… Is there anything else you´d like to explore?
I want to learn more about printmaking, especially etching.
What’s next?
I’m conserving energy for my next graphic novel, which is a collaboration with my cousin Mariko. We of SKIM fame.
Which do you enjoy the most?
I get sick of illustration, so I do more comics or personal work. I get tired of comics so I do more illustration. I always try to follow my whims so I don’t get too cranky. I’m lucky that things have worked out for me so far.
What is something new you have noticed or learned recently?
I am always learning, especially from teaching students at Parsons and SVA. I have noticed the minute students drop their preconceived notions about what illustration “is” and “what illustration looks like”, their work improves dramatically. There are a lot of copy-cats in this industry, and that’s disheartening, but the best work is that which draws upon a personal philosophy and reflects a persons’ strengths (and weaknesses).
Could you teel me some of the last books you read ?
Dracula, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart, Paying For It by Chester Brown and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell.
What are the 3 computer programs you use most?
- Photoshop
- Photobooth
- Firefox
Top 5 favorite things in life
Well, these aren’t my favourite things in life but I enjoy them:
- the smell of book ink
- pita bread
- origami paper
- dry heat
- and going to museums alone.
Can you suggest 3 artists or illustrators we should check out?
More about JILLIAN TAMAKI at: Profile / Spotlight / Website / RSS
Posted by Nate Williams
Raymond Biesinger’s taught himself how to illustrate in the pages of his university student newspaper in the Siberian clime of Edmonton, Canada. There he learned the wonders of concepts, minimalism, political history and Xerox machines; all kinds of real-world physical image-making techniques and mental approaches that are the spine of what he does today. He’s moving to Montreal in early August, bringing with him a satchel full of clients ranging from the New Yorker to GQ to Monocle to shitty photocopied zines and noise rock bands. He’s been accompanying the social economist Tim Harford’s “Undercover Economist” column in the Financial Times’ Weekend magazine for a few years now, too. Strange how that works. Oh, and he’s also in a music duo called the Famines, due for their fourth trans-Canada tour in the fall.
What is your typical day like?
Wake up at 9 AM, smooch wife, bike to the studio by 10 AM, check e-mails with a banana chocolate muffin from the tea shop from across the alley, deliver some roughs. Long lunch on Whyte Ave. Make some finals, stop at 6 PM, go home, commence leisure activities. It’s pretty tame.
Please describe your working environment.
For the last while it’s been the studio you can see in those photos–a 555 sq. ft. loft off what passes for a busy intersection on a nice avenue in Edmonton. I’m lucky to have that much space, with windows on three sides and skylights up above. Very bright, and a delightful place to sleep over at and stay up really late with friends at–it’s much closer to night life than our apartment. When my wife’s out, I pretty much move in to the place. It even has a claw foot tub. On one end is the Famines’ practice space, the other illustration space. In the middle is book publishing (binder, Xerox, stack cutter). In Montreal it’ll be a bright 7 1/2 near Parc Lafontaine, and my wife and I will both live and work there. Can’t wait to get that set up!
What’s your process for coming up with new ideas?
For editorial or commercial work it’s always the same: I turn the talk radio off, for a change. Look at the text I need to reflect on, lie face down on a couch (one without arms, of course), poking out the top, with paper and a pen directly below my face. Measure out the space that needs filling. Then sketches happen. Not many of them, actually. With the Tim Harford illustrations I usually go with my first good one (time’s of the essence!) and with everything else I go until I have three I’d be happy to bring to final. With personal projects it’s different. They’ll gestate, they’ll gather dust for years, sometime, waiting for the right final motivators and infos to fall into place.
What makes a good idea?
That it isn’t a cliche. That it isn’t just an aesthetic trick or empty decoration, and that there’s intelligence, research and content behind the rational part of the idea.
What do you get inspiration outside of art?
History and politics, a respect for innovation in the past, German frugality, Protestant work ethic, the feeling I get from doing small things that mean a lot (minimalism in life, in music, etc.), simple efficiency. I’m not the most emotive person (except for in private or with the band) and love rationality, numbers, geography, statistics, structure, wit. Also: my love of honesty, clarity, being candid, etc. These all dictate how I approach making an image and concept, and even my experimentation exists within the tent these things make. That’s where it comes from, I think, and I don’t pay much attention to what other illustrators are doing or what other artists have done.
What have you learned lately?
One can easily work themselves to death/unhappiness as an illustrator. Take breaks.
What 3 illustrators should we check out?
Hmmm…. Edmonton locals
Top five influences/inspirations:
- purpose
- efficiency
- history
- evidence
- Elizabeth Hudson
Top five favorite things in life:
- Elizabeth Hudson
- restaurants
- how the real world works
- one-on-one conversations
- being punctual but never rushed.
Three favourite websites:
More about RAYMOND BIESINGER at:
Posted by Nate Williams
Lucy Boden is a freelance illustrator living and working in Gloucestershire, England. She grew up in Cirencester, a small town in the Cotswolds, and her work has been heavily influenced by the surrounding countryside and the animals that live there. Lucy studied BA (Hons) Illustration at University College Falmouth and graduated in June 2009. Her medium of choice is gouache, which she uses to create images with a bright, clean quality to them. Her work is aimed predominantly at children, experimenting with narrative, characters and colour. Lucy’s work has a quiet sense of humour about it and she enjoys adding small details, such as snails and ladybirds, in all her images.
More about LUCY BODEN at: Profile / Website
Influences / Inspiration:
Quentin Blake, Nick Butterworth, Jane Chapman, Rebecca Dautremer, Neil Gaiman.
Best Things In Life:
Collecting children’s picture books, my 3 cats, New York, live music, Cornish beaches.
Music:
Tori Amos, Sia, Charlotte Martin, Florence + the Machine, Stevie Nicks.
Source: illustrationmundoblog
