Tuesday 5 July 2011

Interview with Little Constructs founding duo Jo and Erica

Interview with Jo Cheung and Erica Williams, creators of Little Constructs.


If you have any other questions you would like to ask us please feel free to ask us in the comments section or by sending us an email to wearelittleconstructs@gmail.com




What couldn’t you live without?
E: My favorite pencil!
J: My Wacom Tablet

Favourite book?
E: Oh gawd… um… Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellision, Ulysses by James Joyce, and many many more.
J: So far American God’s by Neil Gaiman

How do you create your images?
E: I make a handful of really awful sketches, then I spend some  time going “ugh” a lot. Once that is all over with I put on some music and go for it.
J: I start off with drawings then they’re all scanned in and Photoshopped.

Do you have a studio?
E: My apartment doubles as my studio, and a kitty haven.
J: Nope work from home. Can’t afford one!

Do you have a shop?
E: I have an Etsy shop, Society 6, and a BigCartel.
J: I have a few shops: an Etsy Shop, Envelop and Society 6.

What’s your typical working day?
E: Well my real day doesn’t start until after my day job. Typically I get home, put on a record or a favorite DVD, cuddle some kitties and then spend my night working till I crash sometime after midnight.
J: Get up and have breakfast. Go through my emails and say hi to everyone on Twitter. Then crack on with work until 5pm.

Twitter or Facebook?
E: I use Facebook and Twitter, but mostly Twitter.

Are you a tea or coffee person?
E: Tea, all the way. Especially Chai!
J: Coffee

Where do you see yourselves in 10 years time?
E: Word domination? Haha. Art full time in some capacity. That would be awesome.
J: To be freelancing like full time and make a living out of it! And have a pug of course.

Any advice for creatives out there?
E: Just do it, don’t spend time being afraid of doing something. After all, you can’t succeed (or fail) if you never did anything!
J: If you’re passionate about what you do you’ll go far no matter how long it takes. Don’t give up!

 You just won the lottery. Now what?
E: Pay off bills, buy a lot of new art supplies, books, and records. Go see the world. Then probably do a lot more work like that of Little Constructs.
J:Buy a nice house in London!

Do you prefer traditional or digital work?
E: I work primarily traditionally, but I love digital and hope to play with it soon.
J: Digital only because it takes me ages to rework images. Plus I find it much easier to send work off to a client especially when it needs changing.

Where do you get inspiration from?
E: I read a lot of philosophy and I am a very emotional person. The way that I experience life with those two things constantly influencing me is where I take the most inspiration from.
J: Everyday life; when I'm out and about, random conversations with friends... living in London you have access to so many different places. I always like to keep my work fresh and so I like to try things out. And if they don't work, well, fair do's it doesn't!

What do you do when creative block strikes?
E: Typically pout, have musical ADD, and do something with a deadline. That way I have no choice but to get over it!
J: Go out to the park! Have an alcoholic drink haha

What is your favorite thing to wear in studio?
E: I always wear a tshirt and my favorite pair of loungepants. They have hearts on them and are super long and comfy. I own two pairs!
J: I try and wear things I would normally go out in otherwise if I wear something too comfy I won't do anything but watch Jeremy kyle all day.

Who is your favorite art discipline? (design, typography, illustration, painting, etc)
E: I love illustration. But I really love design as well because it can unite a lot of other disciplines together.
J: Illustration and photography.

What is your favorite project to date?
E: It’s not really illustration related, but I built a 9ft tall fabric maze. That was pretty sweet. The fire department cut it down though.):
J: It was the Arctic Series for a recent exhibition at Brick Lane. Got to draw lot's of animals which is right up my street.

Why did you become an illustrator?
E: I love narratives. I also love how many styles there are out there. Drawing is such a personal thing and illustration is intrinsically tied to that act. I’m in awe of the stories that people can tell with it, and the people that make them are brilliant. I wanted to do that as well.
J: I knew I wanted to do something in art and design but wasn't too sure what. It was only until when I found out what illustration was I knew that's what I wanted to do. I can apply my work to various mediums from fashion illustration, web banners to graphics on t-shirts. I like how illustration can be so versatile.

What is your favorite thing about Little Constructs?
E: I really love how much excitement it is generating right now. I know Jo and I were both so excited to do this, but seeing so many other people stoked to be a part of it made me feel amazing.
J: Working with creatives from different parts of the world! The reaction has been great so far. It just shows that having an online community brings people together.

If you had to pick one illustrator to be stuck on an island with for the next year, who would it be?
E: I’m going to go with James Jean, he is brilliant. But I also have a bit of a lady crush on an illustrator that might be in Little Constructs, so I’m not going to tell you! You’ll just have to wait till I explode from happiness if she joins!
J: Myself because it would probably drive me nuts having to spend 24 hours with another person!!

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