|1
Are you interested in submitting to Brightness?
If you’d like the chance of being published in one of issue , get in touch via this page. Please note that we receive many submissions each day and have limited space in each publication. So show us the work you’re most proud of or the work you specially enjoy creating.
Submission Info
Email your submission to Info@brightnessmag.com with “ART SUBMISSION” in the subject line. • Submit images as JPEGs or GIFs • Submit up to 5 images • Image sizes should be at least 600px wide and no more than 1000px wide
Please note:
• Brightness cannot feature all art/artists • Brightness does not offer payment • By submitting you are granting (Brightness) the right to post your art on this website, on Brightness’s social media accounts, and in it’s Newsletter
Join Our Mailing list!
Join our mailing list if you are an illustrator, artist, curator, art director or just interested in art.
sub@Brightnessmag.com
|2
Illustrator: Eric Fan
|3
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Index
SPOTLIGHT | 18 Pili Aguado
HOW DO I BECOME AN ILLUSTRATOR? | 22 Artist Mark Weighton shares his tips
MYSTERIOUS ILLUSTRATOR | 26 Mattias Adolfsson is a freelance Illustrator living in Sigtuna just outside of Stockholm Sweden. He has worked with everything from computer games to children’s books.
AROUND THE WORLD | 34
DIVING INTO THE FEELINGS | 36 Exclusive Interview with Dani Danilova
CREATIVE SPACE | 44 BRIGHTNESS GALLERY | 46 #Brightnesscontest
In This Issue of
Brigh |4
THE SCARECROW
htness 10
I was originally born in Hawaii, but we eventually moved to Toronto, Canada where I studied art and film at OCAD University in Toronto.
Eric Fan
Art Director & Editor In Chief
Creative Director & Graphic Designer
Web Designer
Hasmik (Narjes Mohammadi)
Sadegh Amiri
Sahebe Arefimehr
International Contributor
Translator
Sales & Marketing
Ali Ghafele Bashi
Darya Ghafele Bashi
Brightness Studio info@brightnessmag.com
cover :I llustration by
Special Thanks To
to
E ric Fan
Mr.Keyvan Ghafele Bashi
a s k q u e s t i o n s a b o u t y o u r s u b s c r i p t i o n , p l e a s e e m a i l u s at: sub@brightnessmag.com
|
w w w. b r i g h t n e s s m a g . c o m
Š All Rights Are Reserved.
|5
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
ADVERTISE
YOUR
BUSINESS
HERE SEND US AN EMAIL:
ADS@BRIGHTNESSMAG.COM FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
@BRIGHTNESSMAG
|6
“BEFORE YOU CAN HAVE A SHARE OF MARKET, YOU MUST HAVE A SHARE OF MIND.” LEO BURNETT
|7
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Letter From The Editor
JUST
IMAGINE
Hasmik
(Narjes Mohammadi)
Independent Illustrator
Editor In Chief
Close your eyes, take a deep breath and try to visualize your ideal place. Perhaps such a thing could be difficult for some people, but not so for artists and writers. We, artists and writers, are constantly traveling (in our minds) and by doing so, we can depict realistic images of the past and future. We can envision the world in any way, shape, or form we like and then communicate that vision through our medium of choice. Many of today’s inventions stem from yesterday’s visions of the future. We can take children’s imaginations to cool and crystal clear oceans when the weather is intolerable on hot summer days, or we can warm their hearts with a story in frigid nights. Just as we help the older generation to find peace by reading a book or painting a picture, we can also help kids see the world from a more colorful, happier, and more beautiful perspective so that they can take full advantage of their youth. This is the transformational power of art to bring to life the best of moments when it seems as if it is the worst of times. We work in the hopes of creating a more peaceful, happy, and secure world for everyone.
|8
ILLUSTRATED BY NARGES MOHAMMADI ( HASMIK)
|9
Digital Journal of Illustration |
ERIC FAN
The Scarecrow EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ERIC FAN
Hi Eric! Tell me a bit about you and your background: where are you from/ where did you study? I was originally born in Hawaii, but we eventually moved to Toronto, Canada where I studied art and film at OCAD University in Toronto. Have you always wanted to be an illustrator? When did you start working professionally? I’ve always loved to draw, for as long as I can remember. After going to OCAD I actually wanted to be a screenwriter for a while, with my two other brothers. | 10
Exclusive Interview
,,
I still think the best way to continually improve your work is the most oldfashioned - and that’s drawing in a sketchbook every day.
We had an agent in Hollywood but had to work various non-art-related jobs as we pursued our dream, which eventually turned into a dead end. I didn’t actually get back into art until I happened to see an article in the paper one day about a company called Threadless. It was an online t-shirt site that allowed anyone to enter designs, which were then voted on by the community. When I got my first t-shirt design printed there it was a real thrill, since it was the first time I had ever been paid for a piece of art. I still couldn’t support myself as a full-time artist, but it paved the way for that. Can you remember some of your earliest influences? As far as picture books, Maurice Sendak was always a big influence. Where the Wild Things Are was my favorite book growing up, and it definitely had a profound effect on my imagination. Other artists that have influenced me are Garth Williams, Ernest H. Shepard, Shaun Tan, Chris Van Alsberg, and too many others to name.
| 11
,,
ERIC FAN
Your works are really meaningful and based on strong concepts? Do you want to talk about the basis behind your books? Thank you! That’s always nice to hear. Ideas can come from a lot of different places. Since I work collaboratively on my books with my brother Terry we’re both constantly trying to think of ideas. Our first book The Night Gardener was originally done as a standalone image for a t-shirt, and later when we were trying to think of a book idea, we went back to that design for inspiration. We also drew inspiration from people we knew – particularly our dad, who helped inspire the character of the Night Gardener. Our dad always had a great love of trees and nature and bonsai and grew up in the Taiwanese countryside. I think living in Toronto, one of the things he missed most was nature and being outside. I can see now that he tried to balance that love of nature with the cold Canadian winters, and so our house was always filled to the rafters with plants and trees and even had a parrot flying free. Our next book, Ocean Meets Sky, also had its origins as a standalone illustration. You never really know when – or if – an idea will come to you. The best thing you can do is keep working and hope they manifest from the ether. Which of your projects has been most important to develop your personal style? My style started to develop when I got back into illustration doing t-shirt design. The community of voters there were pretty tough critics, and you would find out very quickly if something wasn’t working. It helped me to develop a tough skin for criticism, and also helped me discover the things about my style that people responded too. It taught me to not try to be something I wasn’t, but instead to focus on those things that were true to me – because ultimately that’s what tends to resonate with other people because it’s usually what you can bring the most authenticity to. | 12
,,
You never really know when – or if – an idea will come to you. The best thing you can do is keep working and hope they manifest from the ether.
,,
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Exclusive Interview
When I started doing books I was working with Terry, so both of our styles kind of merged into a new style that is as little distinct from each of us. Tell us about your latest book which is selected by the Dolly Foundation. The Darkest Dark is a picture book by astronaut Chris Hadfield, co-authored with Kate Fillion. It tells the story of his childhood fear of the dark, and how he overcame that fear to realize his dream of becoming an astronaut. When we were offered the opportunity to illustrate his story we were thrilled because he’s a Canadian hero and a real inspiration. The story was a lot of fun to illustrate because Chris invited us to his childhood cottage where the story takes place. It’s always great when you can draw inspiration from a real place. We’ve talked about your background and the way that you have developed as an illustrator, what about clients or publishers! How do you connect with them, do you work with just some special publishing houses or not? Like I mentioned before, Terry and I were both submitting t-shirt designs to Threadless and also selling artwork and prints on a site called Society6. Our agent, Kirsten Hall, saw our work online and approached us about representation. She was just starting a new children’s book agency called Catbird, and she brought some of our book ideas to Simon & Schuster; the rest, as they say, is history. Sometimes the path somewhere is direct and sometimes it’s meandering – in our case we came to publishing later in life after a very long and circuitous route. It’s always great to work with people who share your vision and passion for a book, and in that regard, we’ve been very lucky. Our first book was published by Simon & Schuster, with our editor and art director Christian Trimmer and Lizzy Bromley. Our second book was with Tundra – an imprint of Penguin/Random House, and we worked directly with the publisher, Tara Walker. We also have a book coming out with HarperCollins, with Nancy Inteli and Chelsea Donaldson - so we’ve worked with a few different publishers, and have had amazing experiences with all of them. | 13
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 14
ERIC FAN
Exclusive Interview
In most cases, young artists can’t present their project, do you have any advice for them? My advice would be to get your work seen by whatever means possible, and by as many people as possible – whether it’s through social media, or the other avenues I mentioned that Terry and I took. It’s actually a great time to be an artist because the internet has opened up the entire world as a potential audience. When I was starting out after art school the only avenue was to take a physical portfolio of artwork from door to door. A more traditional route – but still effective – is to send out a mailer or postcard to agents and publishers. Since most people are using email now, receiving something in the mail actually stands out a bit, because fewer people are doing it. What factors should illustrators keep in mind when finding ways to improve their work? I still think the best way to continually improve your work is the most old-fashioned - and that’s drawing in a sketchbook every day. It’s a discipline that I need to get back to because it’s so critical. Sketching without any clear direction or agenda is a great way to remain creatively nimble and explore new ideas and styles; there’s really no replacement for it. And finally, what do you think about social media platforms? do you use, and do you feel social media is very important to your practice? I post my work on Facebook and Instagram, and occasionally Twitter. I think social media is a great way to get your work seen by more people, and I can’t think of any reason why an artist wouldn’t use that as a resource. I think it’s good to step back from it occasionally, of course, but in principle, it’s another great way to connect with your audience. What do you have planned for the future? We have a book coming out next month, Ocean Meets Sky, that we’re excited about. We’re also working on a book called The Scarecrow, by Beth Ferry. Terry and I are doing the illustrations. After that, we’re working on our own book, with our other brother Devin. It’s called The Barnabus Project and will be published by Penguin/Tundra/Random House in Fall 2020.
www.thefanbrothers.com | 15
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 16
ERIC FAN
Exclusive Interview
| 17
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Spotlight
I was born in an small town surrounded by mountains in the Basque Country. I studied Fine Arts in Bilbao and I become interested in graphic techniques. When I moved to Greece to live in Athens I began working on illustration and drawing. My creative process is feeded by my “imaginary worldsâ€? but also in relation with the real life, nature and animals. Althought I think I have a recognizable style I like to experiment with different disciplines, digital, painting, collage, old photographies and archives. I am really involved in drawing about womens and next to the feminist ideas. As an artist I have taken part in many projects, exhibitions and publications in countries like MĂŠxico, Chile, Spain or Colombia. In my profesional side I have made many works for advertising campaigns, mural paintings, textil area and also editorial illustration (with a book recently published in Spain, England and United States). Finally, I am member of different collectives of cultural management, organising events related to illustration (workshops, exhibitions, fanzines).
| 18
Pili Aguado
I l l u st r a t o r www.piliaguado.com instagram @pili_aguado
| 19
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 20
The Creative Space Spotlight
| 21
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Article
How do I become an
illustrator? Artist Mark Weighton
shares his tips
Do you want to illustrate books one day? Mark Weighton is the inventive illustrator behind the wonderful Boyface series – here he shares his top tips on how to get his job!
| 22
1
First and foremost, do what you love! I don’t consider myself solely an illustrator, but illustrating books is one of the things in my life that I love. I do loads of other lovely stuff that inspires and informs my illustration work and it was pursuing those things in life that I love that actually led me to illustrating books.
Copy stuff you love! I always copied the drawings that I loved, particularly out of comic books. Teachers usually tell you off for copying but I say: “COPY! COPY! COPY!” I learnt so much by seeing how other artists made their drawings, and the best way to do that, I discovered, was to try to draw like them. Don’t tell my publishers, but I hereby encourage all young illustrators to copy drawings of Boyface as often as they want!
3
2
Remember what excited you about the drawings you loved when you were little. I had a favourite author and book when I was little. It was called What Do People Do All Day? by a brilliant American author and illustrator called Richard Scarry. His drawings in this particular book were so full of crazy and very funny things that sometimes I would spend hours gazing at one picture just to make sure I hadn’t missed something. In the same way, I love to fill my illustrations with loads of odd stuff so that there is always something new to notice and hopefully raise a smile.
Don’t worry about being rubbish just aim to do your best! I certainly wasn’t the best at drawing in my class at school but I knew I loved it. In the end, by doing more of it than anyone else, I got better than most other people. But I still don’t consider myself to be a naturally gifted artist. I have to work hard to make a drawing I like.
4
| 23
Digital Journal of Illustration |
5
Article
Do some drawing every day because you love to, not because you think you ought to. If you haven’t already got one, get yourself a sketchbook as soon as possible and draw in it whenever you can, even when you are watching the telly! Fill those pages with anything: doodles, squiggles, patterns, sketches of your family, pets, dinner table, furniture or crazy worlds from your imagination – ANYTHING! My two daughters draw all the time when they’re watching telly: in their sketchbooks, on the backs of envelopes, scraps of paper, even on their own skin and surprise, surprise: guess what? They’re both fantastic at drawing – much better than me in fact. They don’t want to be illustrators; they just love drawing.
Draw for other people. Try to draw and design your own birthday cards and Christmas cards for your friends and family. You won’t believe how much happiness a hand drawn card can bring someone until you try it. Doing this on a regular basis when I was at school helped me to be less worried about showing my work to people. It will also save you a good deal of your cash in those awful card shops!
| 24
6
7
See where a line takes you I don’t consider myself solely an illustrator, but illustrating books is one of the things in my life that I love. I do loads of other lovely stuff that inspires and informs my illustration work and it was pursuing those things in life that I love that actually led me to illustrating books.
8
Mistakes can lead to the best results I’ve often found that when I’ve made what I think is a terrible mistake in a drawing that it can lead to an even better drawing than I had thought possible. It sometimes pays to work with a mistake and see what happens before discarding the drawing as useless.
9
Use a pen straight onto the page to gain confidence Don’t dilly-dally around with a pencil and eraser too much. Get confident with your drawing skills and dive straight in with a pen. You won’t be able to rub out what you think are your mistakes, so at first, it will feel like swinging on a trapeze without a safety net. Persevere and your penmanship will improve incredibly quickly.
Love what you do It’s not always easy to do what you love in life but it is possible to love whatever you do. My publishers took a huge gamble when they asked me to illustrate the Boyface books but I think they saw my enthusiasm for the project and knew that I would give it my absolute best, so thankfully, they gave me my chance. I think people are much more likely to respond to you positively if you are positive yourself.
10
www.theguardian.com
| 25
Digital Journal of Illustration |
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
MYSTERIOUS
ILLUSTRATOR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
Mattias Adolfsson is a freelance Illustrator living in Sigtuna just outside of Stockholm Sweden. He has worked with everything from computer games to children’s books. He has released 4 personal books, The second in line, from the sketchbooks of Mattias Adolfsson, published by Sanatorium won “most beautiful Swedish book” in 2014 and has won several other awards.
| 26
Exclusive Interview
| 27
Digital Journal of Illustration |
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
What made you want to become an illustrator or
since you started?
artist?
The style found me when I studied to become an
I worked many years in the game industry and
architect after that it’s just been about refining it.
when I got tired of that Illustrations was the way
But again finding my own style was never anything
out, prior to that I had not really giving illustration
I gave that much thought.
that much thought.. Where does an idea come from and how does it What is a day in the life of Mattias Adolfsson
transform from an idea into a book?
like? Tell me about your daily routine.
Most often I just start drawing and while doing that
Nothing to fancy waking up eating breakfast,
ideas tend to come to me, I prefer this to having
walking the dog and then if I have to answers mail
a complete image in my head prior to starting
and stuff like that I’ll do that when I get down to
drawing as the I tend to be disapointed that the
drawing and I draw until the hands start aching or
image in my head doesn’t reach the one in my
I run out of inspiration. Inspiration most often runs
head.
outs first. Your works are based on strong concepts and How did you find your style? Has it changed
| 28
direct language in a unique way, do you want to
Exclusive Interview
talk about the basis behind your paintings?
think this makes the books more interesting.
I tend not to like to talk about what behind it all
You draws many characters every day , how many
I want to keep the mystery especially for myself.
times do you tend to draw a character until it’s
For me it’s have been helpful not to dwell too much
right, and also how do you know that it is right?
what is behind the images but I prefer to leave that
I don’t really work that way I draw a character and
to the beholder.
when it’s drawn I leave it and do not draw it again, if it’s right or not it’s not important, the drawing is
What would you say is your strongest ability as
out of my system and I do not want it back.
an illustrator? I have a pretty good knowledge on how a lot of
Do you use any special technique?
things look, making it possible for me to draw most
Please tell us about that . What is the importance
stuff without having to look up things in books or
of technique?
online.
A very basic technique I draw with a fountain pen and then I color it, at first I was pretty lousy at it
How do you decide what to include and what not
but as I kept on doing it I got better. A technique
to include in the book?
is important but the thoughts behind the drawings
luckily for me, my publisher makes the selection, I
are more important.
| 29
Digital Journal of Illustration |
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
Do you personally find the process of working within self-imposed constraints or rules helpful to your work? No. Who are some of the other artists you take inspiration from? Mostly from artist from other fields mostly music and authors, I tend not to seek inspiration from artist in my own field. I have found that I get inspired by music artist and how they manage to stand out from the crowd. Do you have side projects you work on? My whole career is a kind of side project , I spend far too much on my own stuff. What factors should illustrators keep in mind when finding ways to improve their work? It’s important not to listen to much to other artists, everyone has to find their own way, for me it was to draw as much as possible I was really lousy at the beginning but over time I have become tolerable. I also find it’s important to take everything other artists say with a pinch of salt, every situation is unique.
https://mattiasadolfssoncom/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mattiasink/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattiasInk
| 30
Exclusive Interview
| 31
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 32
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
Exclusive Interview
| 33
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Around The World
Sari Airola www.sariairola.com Hilla and Liisi project was a book and a concert series. It was started by the musicians who had composed and recorded children’s music with symphony orchestra. They wanted to make a pedagogical book to go with it and concerts with the book’s identity. To teach kids symphony orchestra’s charm. Book had no story, just music and a double page picture/song to look at while music plays. Characters are two trolls in a fantasy forest. And each song had a different world with them. I used collage, acrylics to create happy but fantastic landscape. I used also a lot of different lines and scales to create a rich world for these trolls. Music was lovely so it was fun to listen and make pictures based on melodies rather than words. Book was published by Teos Publisher in Helsinki Musicians: Mari Kätkä, Tuomas Kesälä and Ulla Piispanen Illustrator and set designer: Sari Airola
| 34
Iris Lopez www.irilopezillustrations.com
Lolita is an illustration project based on the book Lolita, from Vladimir Nabokov. I followed a creative process, making some sketches, evolving the characters and the real purpose of this project. The first intention was to illustrate the book following the situations, but when I got immersed into the story I wanted to give Lolita the power, the control of the plot. As a result, the illustrations I created show an empowered girl who dominates the story. I did not want to show the man as a human being so I decided to draw him as different animals, as a bee, a raven and a spider. This is an open project which I am still working on it.
Alan Baker www.illustrationweb.fr/artists/AlanBaker
Delicious Ducks This was produced for the Walpole bay hotel in the coastal town of Margate. They have a Napery [Artwork painted onto Linen napkins], framed then exhibited. Artists such as Tracey Emin have produced work for this museum gallery. Mine was inspired by the delicious duck dishes on the menu and also based on a series of posters that I produced for the Guardian newspaper some time ago. Musical Rabbits Illustration Brief We need family orientated illustrations to create flyers, posters and other marketing materials aimed predominantly at parents, but also for Early Years Music Practitioners training sessions. As our target audiences are families with children under 5, photos consent is problematic for the materials we need. In addition, we are targeting hard to reach families, and are keen to create a sense of possibility rather than a sense of what the ‘perfect family’ looks like. We think we need: The Markhor of Kabul An illustration for Granta Magazine called the ‘Markhor of Kabul’ A surreal story about an Afghan Markhor and an Elephant set in modern day USA. Nursery Rhymes An illustration for a double page spread inCountry life Magazine. The subject was the derivation behind many of the traditional British children’s nursery rhymes- Many of them connected to history and royalty.
| 35
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 36
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
Exclusive Interview
DIVING INTO THE
FEELINGS
Tell me a bit about you and your background: where are you from/ where did you study? I’m Daria, a full-time freelance illustrator. I was born and raised in a small village near Moscow, Russia until I moved to the city. I always like to spend much time drawing but I wasn’t very serious about that for a long time. After I graduated from Pedagogical University I changed my way and decided to dedicate myself to the digital industry. Thus I started learning raster and vector graphics and found a job in an advertising agency. I worked as a graphic designer for several years. That was my first job where I was able to apply my passion for drawing working on some real clients’ projects. Around the same time, I discovered many talented illustrators of children’s books and greeting cards. These amazing people inspired me to develop my illustration skills and invest a lot of time in research, reading and practicing. In a nutshell, my career began with self-education. A year ago, I started to draw and design my own product line of illustrated paper goods. And I’m happy to realize that, as a result, my knowledge and experience in graphic design allows me to find a good mix of graphic design and illustration. Creating and illustrating stationery is a whole new world for me, but I really love it. What’s your earliest memory of drawing/ creating? In a house where I grew up, there were many landscape paintings on the walls. I remember that one day they suddenly attracted my attention as if I’d never seen them before. I took my gouache and paper and tried to reproduce one. It was a brook in a green forest. Now I realize that was my first drawing after which I really began trying to draw for my own pleasure. I guess I was about 13 | 37
Digital Journal of Illustration |
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
When did you start to dedicate to the world of illustration? During my work as a graphic designer, over 5 years ago, I also started working as a freelance illustrator after office hours. My first clients came to me from my friends, familiars, and social media, where I always shared my works and let people know about my learning process and illustrations. After a while, I started to cooperate with game studios and publishers and become a full-time illustrator in 2016. With what technique are you more comfortable? What do you think about digital painting? Which one do you prefer to illustrate? I’ve dedicated myself exclusively to digital painting at the moment. My creative process always starts and ends in front of a computer screen. A few years ago I usually used my sketchbook for initial sketches. But over time I realized that even drawing rough initial sketches using my software is more comfortable and efficient for me. To be honest, I’d been hesitating a lot before I make that decision, telling myself “I should use my paper sketchbook because many artists work this way!” But then I just listened to myself and tried to focus on my own current aspirations. Using digital techniques helps me to represent my visual language and express my feelings and artistic vision. It also helps me to be more flexible with my projects and I really appreciate that. However, it doesn’t mean I never return to traditional tools. Experimenting with different techniques, styles, and ideas is one of the great ways to learn something new and step outside of a comfort zone. Your work is so unique and speaks to your sense of trees and flowers, can you tell me about your journey to finding this point in your work? Do you think you are still searching? I am always learning and growing as an illustrator - every day. I’m not marching in one place, I’m constantly changing and all my habits and thoughts are changing too. But I always try to focus on a better understanding of myself - who I am, where I came from, and where I want to go. I just turn attention to my deeper core, the roots of what I truly
| 38
Exclusive Interview
love and value, such as nature, silence, books and so on. I think these values almost always stay the same in my life because they linked strongly to the environment I grew up in and the people I spend the most time with. And these values have a significant influence on my decisions about what kind of illustrations or products I want to create. Do you personally find the process of working within self-imposed constraints or rules helpful to your work? I’m very productive in the mornings and one of my personal rules - to get enough sleep and wake up as early as possible. I always tried to do the most important and creative work only during morning hours. I really take this everyday routine very seriously and don’t allow anybody or anything to distract me. This simple habit gives me the ability to stay focused and achieve better results. How does it feel when you’re drawing? To be honest, when I’m drawing I feel like I’m not in this world anymore. I’m fully disconnected from everything that’s going on around me. On the one hand, I’m very focused but at the same time, I don’t feel stressed. I’m diving into the feelings I want to express, working on an illustration or character. But I wouldn’t say I’m having those feelings constantly during the drawing. At some point, I’m just like a person under hypnosis. I know, it sounds fun, but I don’t know how to explain it. Whatever it is, I love this feeling. What do you feel was the best lesson you learnt while studying? Is there anything that still sticks with you or do you feel you’ve thrown out a lot of advice of tutors as your practice has developed? Being a self-taught illustrator is not an easy thing, but I’ve learned a lot from online learning resources, reading books or artists’ blogs and from my own experience. I guess one of the best lessons I’ve gained - devote more time to your practice. Regardless of the art, you want to create, you should always work on your drawing skills first. I like this advice. And I still follow it.
| 39
Digital Journal of Illustration |
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
Tell us about your calendar project? Why did you choose this topic? I drew the calendar specifically for book lovers. This calendar includes 12 illustrated cards with writers’ portraits on them. I love reading, and before starting a new book I’m always eager to learn more about the author: Who was he(or she)? What was that period when the author lived? And what else did he do, aside from being a writer? I realized that I got so inspired by people and their life experience. So I was creating this calendar with a great interest. It’s all about the people whose words we still read and hear. Do you collaborate with other designers? I don’t collaborate with anybody at the moment. However, I think it’ll definitely happen. How many times do you tend to draw a character until it’s right, and also how do you know that it is right? I almost always make a decision about what I like or dislike about an initial sketch step. Sometimes I create an enjoyable character quickly. I just feel he looks well. I have confidence in him. But sometimes it can take several hours because I see that something not right with the character’s body position, facial expression or the way he looks. Then I just continue sketching, time and again, until getting the result I like. Who are some of the other artists you take inspiration from? Oh, I take inspiration from so many people! So I just write a few: Robert Ingpen, Ayano Imai, Renata Liwska, Emilia Dziubak, Levi Pinfold, Igor Oleynikov
www.dariadanilova.com | 40
Exclusive Interview
| 41
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 42
MATTIAS ADOLFSSON
Exclusive Interview
| 43
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Creative Space
Capsules Book is an independent boutique publisher, founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2016. We produce premium artist directories in a variety of disciplines (illustration, typography and contemporary art) with the aim of introducing the creatives we feature in our books to businesses who hire creative services. We distribute our publications to a global network of market leading businesses including major record labels, prominent advertising, marketing and digital agencies plus a range of handpicked companies who include architects, art galleries, interior designers and decorators, wineries and breweries. Our publications are also for sale online and via our website, and 100% of the profit from the physical book sales are donated to Book Aid International (https://bookaid.org/) We are currently accepting submissions for our upcoming artist directories, visit our website to learn more: https://www.capsulesbook.com Stay up to date with the latest news and follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capsulesbook
| 44
Exclusive Interview
e Creativ Space THE
www.capsulesbook.com
www.instagram.com/capsulesbook
| 45
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
Brightness
Gallery
This section is devoted to the works of some of the best illustrators from all around the world. As with any real gallery, ours too aims to introduce and present those creative and elegant artworks which are created by both of professional and enthusiastic young artists. However, as opposed to the real galleries, this one will not be restricted by physical barriers or geographical borders, which implies that artists could easily connect to a wider range of audience worldwide.
| 46
Brightness Magazine along with Escape Motions invites illustrators and painters from around the globe to join this contest and share with us your digital paintings with the theme of brightness. Follow these steps for a chance to win: - Create your “Brightness” masterpiece in A4 portrait format - Upload it with the hashtag #brightnesscontest - Follow @brightnessmag & @escapemotions Winners will be announced on Friday, September 30st. The winning work will be published in Brightness Magazine together with the artist’s interview and the lucky winner will get a full Rebelle 3 license worth $89.99. Rebelle is a one-of-a-kind paint software that lets you create realistic watercolor, acrylic, wet and dry media artwork, using real-world color blending, wet diffusion and drying. www.brightnessmag.com | www.escapemotions.com
| 47
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
ANA SALGUERO PALACĂ?N
| 48
ANA SALGUERO PALACÍN
| 49
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
ELENA SATSUTA
| 50
MOHAMMAD MOHSEN MIRZAEI
| 51
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
TATEVIK KEROBYAN
| 52
TATEVIK KEROBYAN
| 53
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
IRIS LOPEZ
| 54
IRIS LOPEZ
| 55
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
ADRIENN SCHÖNBERG
| 56
JELLE VAN DEN HEEDE
| 57
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Gallery
GIADA NEGRI
| 58
ATENA SHAMS
| 59
Digital Journal of Illustration |
Brightness Need You!
Need You! BECOME A VOLUNTEER
We’re looking to recruit volunteers to join our team. ( Brightness ) is an international digital magazine discussing and exploring the field of illustration. We are making an effort to improve the standing of illustration as an independent profession in the world. As another major objective, we feature outstanding and creative contemporary illustration projects in various fields.
So, we are looking for volunteers to help us in these areas: - French/Spanish to English translation (assistant needed). - Publishing and collecting illustration news from around the globe (illustrator or illustration student needed) Obviously, you’ll be part of our team and we will publish your name as one of our own colleagues.
Email us at: info@Brightnessmag.com
| 60
Welcome Articles From Writers
Brightness welcome articles , researches and interviews from writers, activists, journalists and also from artists around the world, on topics that we deal with regularly or on topics that you think need a wider circulation in illustration subject. We are most likely to publish those articles which are well-written, concise, offer a unique progressive perspective and have appeal to national and international readers. Please keep submissions under 1000 words. Since we have a small editorial staff, we cannot spend much time editing submissions. Please send us final drafts of your work. We do not guarantee that we publish all the articles we receive. They will be published after a confirmation by twice of the managers. Please send all submissions as plain text within the body of an email - you can also attach the article, for the safer side. Please include your name, contact information. A short paragraph bio is a must. If you wish, you can also send a thumb size photo of the author. We’ll be glad to publish it along with the article. You can submit your articles to i n f o @ b r i g h t n e s s m a g . c o m One word of caution. When you are submitting articles use the word -submission- in the subject line. Finally, it is very important to respect copyright and write the names of artists who their arts are used by you in the caption.
| 61
Digital Journal of Illustration |
| 62