For the first interview of the year, we have Inkymole. Behind this “nickname”, there is Sara Coleman an illustrator and lettering artist from Leicestershire (UK). Her calligraphy and hand-lettering are creative, whimsical and pretty girly. All her work is inspiring. Please visit her website and her blog, you can even have a glance at her studio! Enjoy.

How long have you been in the illustration and typography industry and how
did you start?
- 16 years! I started drawing and writing as a child with my dad’s ink pens. Studied art at school, before going to Birmingham Institute of Art and Design to study a illustration degree. I got my first commission job in the second year of university, so by the time I left I already had a modest list of clients and some published work.

How would you define your style?
- I recognise I have a certain distinctive look, however this wasn’t specifically cultivated, it has evolved and will continue to do so through the continued processes combined personal work and client work.

What are your influences?
- Mum, dad (as a child there was lots of creative stuff going on at home), letraset catalogues, Solo One (for his work ethic and fragrant use of colour), Jill Calder, Melanie Tomlinson, Laurie Lipton, Vania Zourislav, Edward Gorey, Victor Ambrus, Aubrey Beardsley and loads more.

What do you find most challenging about your work?
- Deadlines!
Sometimes it’s hard to be creative on demand, especially when people desire a certain ‘energy’ and ’spontaniety’ for a job.

How do you get inspire?
- I look at the brief and figure out what it is about my work that the client likes and how I can apply the same energy to their project. Sometimes it’s a really interesting project, or product or book etc. so I’m really inspired from the beginning. Otherwise I’ll do what I’ve always done, even at university, to the kind of stuff I like to draw.

How do you feed your creativity?
- Films, reading, looking at other peoples work from different disciplines, traveling to different cities (like London and Manchester) and music is very important, there is always something playing somewhere in the studio/house.

Have you been stuck creatively?
- Yes, plenty of times.

What’s your remedy to get past it?
- Stop what you’re doing, walk away from it (I like to bake), maybe take a walk around the block, stop looking at a blank sheet of paper, talk to your boyfriend.

How do you work? (Process)
- I usually write some words down, then draw out some thumbnail sketches, which is particularly important if it’s a book cover so I can work out the composition. Do a rough in pencil and/or ink, then scan and send to the client, there are usually 2 to 3 rounds of changes, then a finished piece.

Mac or pc? Software used:
- Apple Mac. To make my hand-rendered images ready for clients, I use Photoshop and Illustrator.
To run the business I use Filemaker, iWork, Kashflow and a whole host of other applications.

Favourite material to draw:
- Black Quink made by Parker! Though I have many, many inks and pens, my dip pens and Quink are my favourites.

Your favourite place to work:
- In my attic studio on the 3rd floor. It’s got great light and is warm in the evenings.

What project are you actually working on?
- This is a constant misconception (mainly by students and occasionally by clients!) that illustrators only work on one project at a time. The current list as of right now is:
An illustration about water for Ernst & Young (A3), UK.
A cover for Mindy Klassky 3rd book in the, US.
A cover for Christopher Fowler’s 8th book, US.
6 chapter illustrations for an Orion children’s book, UK.
A cover for the 50th Anniversary edition of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, US.
A US-wide campaign for a large American superstore.
Lettering for a book cover, chick-lit! UK.
An ad-campaign for Quaker in the US.
Product range for the Natural History Museum, UK
And my own Christmas cards!

This week I’ve just finished:
Some advertising for Crabtree & Evelyn, Hong Kong.
A design for my architect’s Christmas cards.
Some test lettering for a new edition for the Library of America, US.
An illustration for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

As of January the 5th I’ll need to start an audio book cover and some additional work for an ongoing project for the Robert Burns museum in Scotland.

Your favourite artists:
- See above!

And finally, tip or advice for those who want to work in this industry
- Be prepared to work really hard, meet your deadlines, never assume the work will just come to you, it won’t, it’s your job to go and get every bit of it.
Remember illustration is a business as well as a craft and you must remember to apply that creativity to every aspect of your business, whether it’s finance, promotion, the way you set your desk up or the relationship you build with your clients. Clients are your friends, not your enemies, work with them and you’ll build relationships for life.

Today’s interview is with Spanish illustrator Charuca.  She’s one of the fews Europeans  that are in the Kawaii Market, market that began to be huge few years ago. Recently, Charuca become a brand and has entered in the licensing world. Be aware! The invasion of Cuties has begun! And if you don’t know what mean kawaii, Charuca is the owner of a blog magazine, which is all about kawaii and cute culture. Can’t speak Spanish? Believe you me, sometimes cuteness doesn’t need words. I love her character designs.  Her licensing brand has its own website.

What does a licensing illustrator actually do?

Actually, I don’t feel myself like a Licensing illustrator, but as an illustrator and designer. In my daily work, I do everything, creating new graphics, product designs, and some advertisement work. I take care of promoting my websites, try to stay in touch with the followers of Charuca. I love my job, but there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I’d like to do.

What is your background?

I’m self -taught. I always had it inside, I just had to let it out.

How long have you been in the illustration industry and how did you start?

It’s been 4 years since I exclusively work in illustration. I’ve always drawn but as hobby.

How would you define your style?

Cutie

What’s are your influence?

A mix of oriental pop culture and occidental

How do you get inspire? How do you feed your creativity?

I get inspired with the things that I live with everyday. Barcelona is a big city to live inspired. Plus, I think that being happy is a good way to feel inspired and do a good job.

Have you been stuck creatively? What’s your remedy to get past it? When being stuck creatively, I think the best is to stop working and do something fun. In those cases, I try to disconnect and have a good time. Inspiration comes and goes.

How do you work? (the process)

I draw with a pencil. Once the design is done, I scanne it and vectorize and color it with my computer.

Mac or pc? Software used:

Mac. Illustrator and Photoshop

Favorite material to draw:

Technical pencil and sketchbook

Your favourite place to work:

My work table with my favorite music. I don’t like workin out of my space. I like to work in the calm.

What are your current projects?

I just find a nice office to work in there. My current project is to decorate it until I get the look I always dream for my own studio. I’m so thrilled!

Your favourite artists:

Nara, Colonel Moutarde, Anna Chambers, Lilidoll, Leo Espinosa, Helena García, Paula Sanz Caballero…

The kawaii trend is relatively new in Europe compare to Japan, was it difficult to impose your way of drawing?

The fact that the kawaii trend isn’t huge in Europe helps me out in some ways, but in others no. There are less artists in this market therefore there is less competition and more exposure. But on the other hand, less work too, and that is negative part.

You just start licensing the brand Charuca . Are you only going to work as a licensing artist from now on?

I’ll keep on doing the same as ever. A part of time will for professional project and the other part for artistic/personal project. I do not consider myself as a licensing artist.

If you had one tip to give for those who want to work in this industry, what would it be?

Work hard every day. Get a style that stand you out from the crowd. Enjoy your work and everything will come. ^___^

I know there’s still Halloween and Thanksgiving to come, but december is right in the corner, and christmas illustrations must be done before so here I am drawing holiday illustration, and to get into christmas mood, meanwhile it’s rainy, hot and cold -in Asturias, weather keeps on changing through the day, rather annoying sometimes, I listen to some carols:Nat King cole,Dean Martin,Sinatra… So what do you do to get christmas inspiration:

I  love to see the creative process of other artists, it’s always interesting,inspiring, helpful and you may even learn news tips. David Dellis Dickerson, former writer for Hallmark,  show us how he create his greeting card emergencies. And guess what? Not only it’s very informatice but it’s actually very funny. Don’t forget to check out his website.