«I'VE ALWAYS LIKED THE IDEA OF TELLING STORIES OR COMMUNICATING WITH THE WORLD THROUGH the IMAGEry»

— Illustration wasn't a career path in my country when I was studying. You were either strictly visual artist or graphic designer, so I studied a Bachelor of Fine Arts, because my interest was connected to painting, rather than packaging or typography. My teachers there were visual artists, especially painters, but when I did my Masters degree in the US it was a combination of visual artists, designers and illustrators.

— To conceptualize properly and push my comfort zone to achieve more innovative results.

— I had the honor of illustrating the Spanish edition of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez for Penguin Random House in Spain. In Latin America you grow up with this novel, is widely popular, and it’s always been one of my favorite books, so when I received this commission, I was thrilled and terrified at the same time. What I loved about the project was envisioning this world of magic realism, which is a genre that I love.

— It will always depend on each project. Maybe it happens less with editorial illustration because you are aiming for a wider audience, but in advertising it can be very specific, and the target could be a very unique group, like the one for which the product is designed for.

— I created the visual campaign for a food market in Chile, and of course the visual represented that imagery of fruits and vegetables, but also the lifestyle of consumers and I think that created an idea of the event for the viewer.

— I love the work of Paloma Valdivia in Chile. She has focused mostly on children's books, created a strong identity, and is very prolific. She was one of the first illustrators that I noticed in Chile who working actively in this field, so that was really meaningful when I decided to pursue my own path. I also like the work of Isabel Greenberg in the UK. The first time I read her graphic novel 'The Encyclopedia of Early Earth', I was fascinated, because it reminded me of Tove Jansson's work, which I love.

— I feel that I am constantly seeing different works, styles and interests, so I never think about what’s trending. However, I enjoy seeing collective ideas. For example, in less than two years you have new publications like RESIST!, Bravery Magazine, the book titled Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, and Women Who Draw directory. All of that celebrates a new generation of women that will shape the future, and that responds to our current world, instead of a trend.

— I think that, depending on your interests, you will always find artists for that specific niche.

— Yes, I started when I was studying my BA: I assisted some professors in their classes, and always enjoyed that.

— When you teach, you must be very clear with your ideas and the way you communicate them. As an illustrator, you tend to abstract words and translate them into images. Teaching is the other way around, so it’s a nice learning experience.

— I am currently teaching, and I really enjoy it. I teach at the Wallace Museum, which is a lovely museum in London, and I am also lecturing at the University of Westminster this term. I think it's exciting to teach because it's a way to communicate your knowledge, and you also prepare others for their careers, so I think you have be really on top of the illustration industry. Having that said, my creative work is still my main career and goal, so I only allocate specific teaching hours or projects, which allows me to focus on my commissions.

By Tatiana Pavlova and Oleg Vachromeev