Meet the Artist

from Artists & Illustrators November 2021

Demo

My work is bold, colourful and playful... It’s often about the slow, mundane moments

MEET THE ARTIST Viktorija SEMJONOVA

The Latvian illustrator on investigating faces, drawing the mundane and why gouache is important. Interview: REBECCA BRADBURY

My new book is called The Art of Gouache. It is a fun and playful exploration of the medium, featuring 20 different projects. I explain how to start your journey, basic colour theory, techniques and application, and how to implement it with other dry mediums.

I love the versatility of gouache. You can achieve so much with it and the colours are so bright and beautiful. I also love how portable it is. I’ve dabbled in many different mediums, but I always come back to gouache.

Winsor & Newton and Holbein are my preferred brands. They use the highest quality pigment and binders in their gouache paint, so they are my favourites.

Artists should approach gouache as its own medium. People often refer to it as opaque watercolour, but it has its own techniques. Set the time aside to play with it and explore the different techniques and colour mixes – you’ll soon pick it up.

David Hockney’s Spring Cannot Be Cancelled was the last book I read. His lust for life and creating art is infectious. It’s a very unique experience to witness an artist’s thoughts fi rsthand.

I love drawing people. I sometimes work at live events, drawing quick, 10-minute portraits of the guests and it’s the most fun I could have. Drawing with a time limit is a great exercise, it unlocks a lot of creativity.

It’s rewarding when a person gets excited about their portrait. It’s a wonderful human connection. Most illustrators work alone so it’s great to get out and meet people.

I love [Moomins creator] Tove Jansson’s playful approach to serious subjects. She just speaks to me on so many different levels.

My work is bold and colourful and playful. It’s often about the slow, mundane moments, from the point of view of appreciating them.

Budding illustrators should diversify their income. If something happens to one income stream, you’re protected. As well as illustrating, I run my own workshops, offer live drawing sessions and have a monthly e-newsletter. Viktorija’s new book, The Art of Gouache, is published on 14 October by Hardie Grant. www.viktorijaillustration.com