Artist Interview
Can you recall the first time you realized you were going to be an illustrator? What were your earliest impressions?
I started out as a designer. Becoming an illustrator was more spontaneous for me. I never realized I was an illustrator until I began to create illustrations and started sharing more of my work.
I started out as a designer. Becoming an illustrator was more spontaneous for me. I never realized I was an illustrator until I began to create illustrations and started sharing more of my work.
Who or what influenced your art when you were young?
When I was at university, I took a watercolor workshop offered by a very talented teacher who was very good with both color and composition. Studying design, I knew different illustrators influenced by the Bauhaus who opened my mind to creation and contemporary art.
Do you remember what your first artwork looked like? Do you still have it?
My first creations were sketches for university. I think I made a lot of drawings of Valparaíso Corners, the city where I went to school which was next to the sea. It was in those years that I also made my first watercolor paintings. They should be in sketchbooks and folders that I saved somewhere in my parents’ house.
Why did you choose illustration as your life’s work instead of, for example, filmmaking, law, or even medicine?
I think because I’m an aesthetic person and I like to communicate ideas and feelings through images, colors, and compositions that best represent me. I love paper and prints. Illustration gives me possibilities for expression.
Did you study art in school?
When I was between ten and twelve-years-old, I took extra programmatic oil painting classes. That was my first exposure to art.
Where does your inspiration come from; your impulse to make art? Do you have a source for your ideas?
I find inspiration mostly in nature; from the sea, and vegetation. Travel is very inspiring. I used to carry a sketchbook and pencils in my handbag for representing simple scenes from daily life and the city.
How would you describe the process of creating art?
Sometimes the ideas come suddenly and others I must develop. I make simple sketches in my notebook and then, I compose on the computer, mixing digital shapes, scanned images, and backgrounds. I experiment with shapes, textures, and colors until to get a result I like.
Do you have a favorite illustrator? What is it about that illustrator’s work you like?
There are so many talented illustrators that it’s difficult to choose just one. I really love some of Paul Klee’s paintings; his watercolors, that for me, have the perfect rhythm, composition, and use of color. And if I could recommend a Chilean illustrator, Violeta Parra’s embroidery work is amazing.
If you could do something else, other than creating art, what would it be?
I would manage an alternative travel agency, a small coffee shop, or a place where I could be a chef.
Do you remember your first set of paints, pens, or markers?
I don’t remember the first ones, but at university I had fun with Pilot gel color pens and also Winsor & Newton inks.
Do you have a favorite illustrator supply, a favorite method, or favorite location, where you like to create artwork?
I live close to a cool store where I discovered my new favorite supply: coloring brush pens like Koi and Tombow, that are great for putting color on sketches. I like to use them on a trip, when drawing at the beach, or in a park.
Nowadays, I print with silkscreen in a workshop setting. I like to create illustrations that I print myself.
If you could give a viewer clues to understanding your art, what would you say?
I think my work is easy to interpret because I use simple shapes and themes. I see my work as a kind of digital collage since instead of relying on drawing, I create compositions.
Do you think illustration has the eye of the public or could public awareness of this field be improved upon?
I live in Barcelona, where illustration is used in a lot of public ads and campaigns, which is great. I know that this isn’t the case everywhere. Public awareness is improving as the quality and diversity of illustration expands to reach all kinds of people.
Why does art matter to you? Why should it matter to the world?
Art is how I express myself. Creating art is the part of the day I look forward to. If everyone could find a way to create, we would probably live in a better world.
If you could look back or forward 100 years, do you think the life of an illustrator was or will be better than today?
Today we have tools that have improved the way we make and present our work. We can work anywhere and still be connected. That’s amazing and was unthinkable some years ago. But for me, globalization and technology can also affect my work’s originality and identity. Every day, we see thousands of images and references. Trends come and go so quickly and everything starts to look similar. I think we must take advantage of our times while keeping our focus on what’s most important in the work.
When I was at university, I took a watercolor workshop offered by a very talented teacher who was very good with both color and composition. Studying design, I knew different illustrators influenced by the Bauhaus who opened my mind to creation and contemporary art.
Do you remember what your first artwork looked like? Do you still have it?
My first creations were sketches for university. I think I made a lot of drawings of Valparaíso Corners, the city where I went to school which was next to the sea. It was in those years that I also made my first watercolor paintings. They should be in sketchbooks and folders that I saved somewhere in my parents’ house.
Why did you choose illustration as your life’s work instead of, for example, filmmaking, law, or even medicine?
I think because I’m an aesthetic person and I like to communicate ideas and feelings through images, colors, and compositions that best represent me. I love paper and prints. Illustration gives me possibilities for expression.
Did you study art in school?
When I was between ten and twelve-years-old, I took extra programmatic oil painting classes. That was my first exposure to art.
Where does your inspiration come from; your impulse to make art? Do you have a source for your ideas?
I find inspiration mostly in nature; from the sea, and vegetation. Travel is very inspiring. I used to carry a sketchbook and pencils in my handbag for representing simple scenes from daily life and the city.
How would you describe the process of creating art?
Sometimes the ideas come suddenly and others I must develop. I make simple sketches in my notebook and then, I compose on the computer, mixing digital shapes, scanned images, and backgrounds. I experiment with shapes, textures, and colors until to get a result I like.
Do you have a favorite illustrator? What is it about that illustrator’s work you like?
There are so many talented illustrators that it’s difficult to choose just one. I really love some of Paul Klee’s paintings; his watercolors, that for me, have the perfect rhythm, composition, and use of color. And if I could recommend a Chilean illustrator, Violeta Parra’s embroidery work is amazing.
If you could do something else, other than creating art, what would it be?
I would manage an alternative travel agency, a small coffee shop, or a place where I could be a chef.
Do you remember your first set of paints, pens, or markers?
I don’t remember the first ones, but at university I had fun with Pilot gel color pens and also Winsor & Newton inks.
Do you have a favorite illustrator supply, a favorite method, or favorite location, where you like to create artwork?
I live close to a cool store where I discovered my new favorite supply: coloring brush pens like Koi and Tombow, that are great for putting color on sketches. I like to use them on a trip, when drawing at the beach, or in a park.
Nowadays, I print with silkscreen in a workshop setting. I like to create illustrations that I print myself.
If you could give a viewer clues to understanding your art, what would you say?
I think my work is easy to interpret because I use simple shapes and themes. I see my work as a kind of digital collage since instead of relying on drawing, I create compositions.
Do you think illustration has the eye of the public or could public awareness of this field be improved upon?
I live in Barcelona, where illustration is used in a lot of public ads and campaigns, which is great. I know that this isn’t the case everywhere. Public awareness is improving as the quality and diversity of illustration expands to reach all kinds of people.
Why does art matter to you? Why should it matter to the world?
Art is how I express myself. Creating art is the part of the day I look forward to. If everyone could find a way to create, we would probably live in a better world.
If you could look back or forward 100 years, do you think the life of an illustrator was or will be better than today?
Today we have tools that have improved the way we make and present our work. We can work anywhere and still be connected. That’s amazing and was unthinkable some years ago. But for me, globalization and technology can also affect my work’s originality and identity. Every day, we see thousands of images and references. Trends come and go so quickly and everything starts to look similar. I think we must take advantage of our times while keeping our focus on what’s most important in the work.
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