Could you speak to your influences—what artists (in any genre or medium) have made the most impact on your work, and how?
Like many, I spent my early teen years seeing Loish and Qinni’s art in every corner of the Internet. They showed me the magic behind drawing beautiful girls and ignited my passion for holding a pencil for hours, creating new characters. Because of them, I also started an art blog where I shared pieces I liked, which I think further exposed me to the world of digital art and many different, unique art styles. I also quickly fell in love with Loane’s (lolonuno) art. Again, beautiful girls with what feels like magical hair, and amazing lighting I love to look at and absorb. Tasia has one of the most beautiful and elegant girls I have ever seen. Since I struggle with drawing clothes that fit the character, I look up to her a lot. Because of her, I started saving photos of wedding dresses (I love those with puffy sleeves and corset-like back), cottage aesthetic outfits, and other cute shirts. Honestly, there’s a lot of amazing artists on my Instagram feed who fuel my desire to draw and make me want to improve.
During my travels around Europe, I've also visited many art museums. They never felt like something I had to visit, especially when I got to see my favorite “classical” (as in pre-social media) artists, such as Monet, van Gogh, Salvador Dali. I even talked about “The Starry Night” in my middle school art class and was critiqued by the teacher for incorrectly describing it.
We love the magical realist quality of your images—finding outer space in a laundromat, ghosts at the bus stop, and witches out for bike rides. What attracts you to making magical images grounded in the everyday world?
I love connecting something simple, something anyone can see in their everyday life with something that could fall into the fantasy category. In a way it’s like creating a second window, playing with digital clay, imagining what else could be there...a world you do but at the same time don’t know very well, a somewhat fantasy world you could touch and feel because of the elements you know very well (because you have touched them, can remember how they smell, what they felt like). Browsing through two completely unrelated categories and imagining how they could fit together is quite fun. It’s an artistic puzzle. A lot of my ideas also come from my dreams, so there’s no sense or logic behind some of my pieces; it’s just something I once saw behind my closed eyelids.
There’s a sense of joy in the magic of your pieces, too—even with your images of ghosts, there’s more a wistfulness and wonder than creepiness or sadness. It’s one of the things that drew us to you as an artist, especially for our 2020 issue. What role do you think joy plays in your work, and in art in general?
For me, art is a way of escaping what’s currently on my mind (the unwashed dishes in the sink, an upcoming exam from a subject I should have studied more for, the social media pressure to constantly create something new….). I prefer to turn those emotions into something aesthetic. I think if you have fun creating something, people will see it. And I guess people saw my pieces in a way that reflected a part of me.
Art can make us feel a multitude of emotions, and I think for a lot of people being able to express themselves in a way words often can’t, to escape their real-life or painful experiences, and to indulge in the creative process, can be a source of joy. The pride that comes along with learning a new skill, finally mastering one you’ve has been practicing for some time or discovering previously unknown abilities, I think also plays a big role. Creating (and viewing) art has also been linked to the increase of dopamine (the feel-good neurotransmitter), so I think there is a reason people feel joy when interacting with it.
We noticed you work in both digital and traditional art media. For you, what are the benefits and drawbacks of each method? What influences your choices to work in each?
I love playing with both mediums, but they are vastly different. In digital, there are more colors, more freedom to erase or edit elements (I love digital because of it). My sketches are very harsh; for some reason I’m not able to create very light and perfect sketches like you see other artists proudly posting. Erasing some lines is a workout! With digital, it’s easier to work with references; you can create multiple versions of the same artwork, you can share them easily. However, you don’t experience the texture of a sketchbook or the random mixing of watercolors. There’s a lot of wonderful and amazing art tools you can’t replicate with a digital program.
In traditional, as I have already mentioned, I love all the amazing pens and pencils, inks, paints, stamps, washi tape, etc. Companies from all over the world create unique products you have to try even if they might cost you an arm and a leg. Right, the costs. The biggest drawback of traditional is the expenses—sketchbook running out of pages, dry ink, pencil the size of a pinky finger. You also need a good camera to take clear pictures, find a good spot in your house to take a said picture…and sometimes that’s not possible. Erasing and changing elements is also a big issue. You can’t click undo as easily as in a digital program, or move a star to see if it fits better on the right or the left side of a character. I think it boils down to “do I want to get my hands dirty and draw something simple, or do I want to sit back and not worry as much about the anatomy?” I have more fun with traditional, but I feel more comfortable in digital.
Are there any projects you are you working on right now or would like to do in the future? Where can we find your work, and how can we support you as an artist?
Right now, I’m working on a couple of Spooptober-themed pieces of witches. In the future, I would like to continue my comic about the ghost girl from the bus stop (and her friend whom I want to introduce in the next piece). Everything is planned out; I’m just waiting for the motivation and inspiration to knock on the door.
I’m mainly on Instagram, but I do also have a twitter where I share cute animal pictures, art from other artists, and photography. You can support me by just being there as your wonderful selves, sharing your honest thoughts with me, and showing the pieces you have enjoyed to others.
Ann is a short university student who can’t draw, loves to sleep, and is addicted to chai tea latte. You can find Ann’s work on instagram as @purplemarten and check out more here.