Yebin Mun

How did you become an artist?

Actually, I have always loved creative art, painting and drawing from a young age. I remember my happiest times were in art class in my school days. After graduating from university, I worked as a web designer for 6 years. I wasn't enjoying it that much. It wasn't what I love to do.

So I started as a freelance illustrator last year. I am really enjoying drawing work, currently. I knew it was really what I wanted to do and my destiny.

Did you go to art school?

Yes, I graduated in visual communication design from University of South Australia. I was an international student from South Korea. I had found It is really difficult being an overseas student. But I loved classes and met many good professors and friends. It was a memorable experience.

 Was there anyone that influenced you in becoming an artist?

I would have to say my parents influenced me in becoming an artist. I am always grateful to my parents for their sacrifice and believing in me.

The other one is the professor I met when I studied at University. I can't remember his name. Whenever I had a presentation on my project in his class, he complimented it a lot. He just loved my work. I remember he said, “you have a born talent for art.” He encouraged me so much. I was so happy that someone acknowledged my potential.

 Are there one or more artists whose work is an influence?

I have been influenced by so many artists. Moogbee, Nastia Sleptsove, Emma Block, Soo-Choi, Gyeong Yeon, Ryo Takemasa, Kristina, etc. I can't name them all. These people are incredibly talented and phenomenal artists. I discovered their work on books, blogs or magazines. When I saw their work, I just loved it.

 What inspires you?

I am inspired by books, music, fabric, nature, color, flower, food, looking through other artists blogs, textures and many other things. Especially, looking at various blogs, Pinterest, Etsy, Spoonflowers is great fun and gives me lots of ideas.

 Would you like to share you work process?

I am a great lover of color. Mostly, it's what drives my work. so whenever I'm working the color is the most important part. I normally research a lot for my project. I look through the other artists work related the project.

Then I work primarily in Photoshop or Illustrator, creating many layers in a single file to composite my final image. It maybe sound strange for you, I draw and sketch a lot in Photoshop. It makes it easier and quicker to change colors or shapes for me. I've been working digitally pretty much since I graduated university.

Are there links where more of you art can be seen?

Yes, I do have a blog . Also you can see my portfolio at Pinterest.

I don't Facebook as much as I'd like, but I will do a post whenever I have new items.

Blog: http://yebindesign.kr/

Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/yebinmun/portfolio_illust/

http://www.pinterest.com/yebinmun/portfolio_pattern-illustration/

 Twitter: @ yebindesign

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Illustrator-Yebin-Mun-yebindesignkr/600768653348307?ref=hl

What types of markets do you create art for?

I am fairly new to markets.I am preparing my portfolio focused on covers, books, editorial, pattern, and stationery. But there is no limit to what I'd like to do.

I would love to see my illustration or pattern on as many products as possible. I would love to have a good chance to do it

  

Do you do other things regarding art like teaching?

Right now my time is spent freelancing. I would love to get involved in teaching when the right opportunity presents itself to me.

Do you pursue other creative interests like writing or music?

I love music and singing. Sometimes I play guitar and sing. But I am not as good as a professional musician.

Where can your art be seen? Is it on products, books, etc?

You will find my fabric on a website called REAL FABRIC. Here is address. http://realfabric.net/yebin

What do you love best about what you do?

I just love being able to do what I love to do. And I think Being creative for a living is incredibly lucky life.

Lisa Falkenstern

How did you become an artist?

I drew all the time when I was a child. I would hand in book reports that were fully illustrated, and I would write stories and illustrate them. I was terrible at painting, but loved to draw.

Did you go to art school?

 I went to Parsons School of Design, and then I took courses at New York Academy, School of Visual Arts, National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, The Art Students League and Cooper Union.

Was there anyone that influenced you in becoming an artist?

 It sounds strange, but one day when I was young, I was drawing a tree across the street from my grandparents’ farm in my sketchbook. My father came up and looked at my drawing and said, “You should be an illustrator”.  From then on, that’s what I wanted to be.

Are there one or more artists whose work is an     influence?

 I don’t remember looking at any picture books when I was small, except for one Golden Book, which I still have. But I had some of the Andrew Lang Fairy Tales books, which had very detailed Edwardian pen and ink illustrations. I poured over them for hours, looking at everything. Later, I discovered Beatrix Potter and Arthur Rackham, whose work   I love.  And then I discovered all those 19^th illustrators, Edmund Dulac, Kay Neilsen, Charles Robinson, and the 20^th century illustrators, Arthur Szyk, Howard Pyle, and another favorite of mine, N.C. Wyeth. I could go on and on.

What inspires you?

 Being an illustrator, whatever job I get inspires me.  Painting for myself, I collect things that catch my eye. I may pick something up while on a walk and keep it on a shelf until I have a use for it. I keep files of images that interest me and might get me thinking of a painting. I am attracted to textures, and love to paint things that only exist in my mind.  Plus, whenever I can get outside, I like to do little plein aire paintings in oil or watercolor, usually no bigger than 2 ½” by 3 ½”. I’m usually out walking my dogs, and I can’t take a lot of time to paint. I’ve started painting landscapes of morning and evening twilight, since that’s usually when I get outside.

Would you like to share you work process?

 If the painting is for a client, I get the information on what they want, then do the necessary research and find the correct reference material. Then I do little thumbnail sketches, and from there, pick a few that seem to work. If I’m doing a book cover, I usually like to do three sketches, in color, to show the client. When one is picked, I do a final drawing, and when that is approved, move on to a painting.

 For myself, I get an idea, sketch it down, then in some cases, don’t work on it for years, and just think about how to do it. I have folders and folders of ideas, and when I have the time, I go through them, work some more, and then eventually paint them. An example of that is a year ago I was doodling while listening to a lecture. I started to draw a woman with a pumpkin for a hairdo, then a pumpkin for a gown. Sometime later, I went through pictures of pumpkins and leaves and tendrils and put that into the folder. More time went by, and while at a farmers market on the way back from the Outer Banks, I saw an unusual type of pumpkin, and brought it back, and from there, did a drawing, then a painting.

 Are there links where more of you art can be seen?

 Yes, I have my website, http://www.lisafalkenstern.com

I am also on:

http://www.childrensillustrators.com

http://picture-book.com

http://directoryofillustration.com

What types of markets do you create art for?

 I have mostly done all my work for publishing companies. I spent over twenty years doing book covers, and then I switched to picture books, but I still do covers as well as other jobs that come in. My steampunk ABC book comes out on April 15^th!

Do you do other things regarding art like teaching?

 I have taught a few classes and workshops, but since I feel I am still learning about art, I feel uncomfortable telling other people what to do.

I have gone on school visits but I don’t consider that teaching, that’s fun.

 Do you pursue other creative interests like writing or music?

 I have become an author/illustrator of two picture books, A Dragon Moves In and my upcoming book, Professor Whiskerton Presents Steampunk ABC. I sculpt my book characters to have something to paint from and for many years I was a very avid gardener. I had to give that up as that took too much time.

 Where can your art be seen? Is it on products, books, etc?

 My work is almost entirely on book covers and in picture books. My original art has been in several shows, one in Bold Hype Gallery in New York City last year and I am in the upcoming Focus On Nature Show in the New York State Museum in Albany. I also have shown paintings in the Bucks County Gallery in New Hope, PA, and well as in Gallery 440 in Park Slope.

What do you love best about what you can do?

 That I am able to communicate on an artistic level with other people. I am always amazed when people I don’t know email me and tell me how much they like my work. It’s something to paint that’s personal to you and other people appreciate it.

Fiona Sansom

How did you become an artist?

I have always enjoyed doing art or creative projects from a young age, whether a craft thing or painting, drawing or sculpture.  I think that when you have a little natural aptitude for something, be it art/crafts, maths, or athletics, you are drawn to doing them (at least at first) because you simply can’t help enjoying something when you seem to be good at it.  It’s much easier to enjoy something when it initially clicks for you at the start (the battle to become better starts later) than an immediate struggle.  Art definitely ‘clicked’ for me… whereas maths did not!  

Did you go to art school?

I did go to art school, but was a late starter.  I looked at further art education straight after high school, but did not like the direction the only school in my area would send me.  I liked realism and that was not in vogue.  Over ten years later I got a degree in Illustration at Kingston University (UK).  However in between that time I did various art related part time courses covering painting, drawing and sculpture.

Was there anyone that influenced you in becoming an artist?

My mother has always painted and encouraged me to do what I wanted in that direction.  Her work is not at all similar to mine, but growing up I could always use all her art supplies and she has always been very supportive.  I think without her influence I would not have considered that a career in art would have been feasible, or at least highly unlikely.

Is there one or more artists whose work is an influence?

I’m a traditionalist / figurative artist at heart, so the artists work I admire are in that vein are the likes of Rembrandt, Sargent and Ingres etc.  I have a big soft spot for the classic American illustrators like JC Leyendecker, NC Wyeth and Howard Pyle, as well as some of the English romantics like Edmund Blair Leighton and John William Waterhouse.  Growing up we didn’t actually have many picture books, but we did have a few Lady Bird books and I remember being extremely fond of the images in Cinderella by Eric Winter.  Also my mother had a large collection of the ‘How to Draw’ books by the Walter T. Foster publishers, which I’m sure influenced my desire for realism.  I also amassed a vast amount of Archie comics growing up, which surely has had some affect on me.

What inspires you?

Stories inspire me, which is probably why I’m an illustrator.  My imagination flows more readily from a good story.  I’m also drawn to faces and people and also to colour.

Would you like to share your work process?

Usually my process starts with getting a brief outline from the client of what they require, or if it’s personal work I have to make up a brief of my own.  I find it easier when I have a clear direction of where I like to go from the outset, or I muddle around and get nowhere.  Then I scribble down some rough ideas, that no-one but myself ever sees.  Very scribbly… so it can be really bad, but it doesn’t matter.  The first hurdle of getting anything down is usually the worst, because I procrastinate staring at a blank page.

I drawing everything digitally these days, so just create a new layer over the scribble and refine.  However, in the past I’d use a light box and just put a new piece of paper over the old to do the same thing.  Like looking at an ink blot, you can see all sorts of things in a scribble, that you may not if you try to get a ‘perfect’ drawing the first time.  If it was really complex and I had time, depending on the deadline, I’d try and work out rough tonal range of the image, then go to colour, blocking in all the colour roughly at first then refining. 

Are there links where more of your art can be seen?

My work can be seen at my website: www.fionasansom.com

Or I have online portfolios at:  http://www.childrensillustrators.com/illustrator-details/fesansom/id=230/

http://www.directoryofillustration.com/ArtistPortfolioThumbs.aspx?AID=6912

 What types of markets do you create art for?

I mainly work in children’s book publishing.  I have a great taste for fantasy art and I would like to do more of the teenage and adult market for that genre.

Do you do other things regarding art like teaching?

I don’t do any teaching.  I’m not sure I’d be very good at it.  Currently I feel like there’s so much more I want to learn that I’d rather study than teach.  I like to do other art related things purely for the pleasure of doing them, like life drawing and photography.  It all adds back in to the knowledge I use for my commercial work, but the main reason I do them is purely for the pleasure of it. 

Do you pursue other creative interests like writing or music?

I like to sing, but again only do it for my own pleasure and haven’t joined any groups etc.  I’d very much like to write children’s books, but having tried to do it on a small scale in University am very sure I’d have to dedicate a large portion of my time to improving.  It’s in my ‘love to do… but may never get around to it’ list.

Where can your art be seen? Is it on products, books, etc…?

You can find some of my books on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Fiona+Sansom

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Fiona%20Sansom

What do you love best about what you do? 

I enjoy very much being a freelance illustrator and working for all kinds of clients.  There is enormous freedom, as well as a touch of trepidation, in that.  I also love that I can see my work start from a scribble to finish product and end up seeing it on a book or product.