Friday 21 October 2011

Featured Artist: Madi





Hello there! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! My name is Madi, and I’m an illustrator. I like to cut and stick and colour-in. My illustrations are mainly created using a combination of collage and mixed media, incorporating a mix of found papers and fabric with hand-drawn elements and typography. When I’m not illustrating, you will mostly find me hanging out in DIY stores stealing more than my fair share of wallpaper samples, or drinking hot chocolate.

What are you currently working on right now?
I’m currently working on Christmas card designs, although it feels far too early to be even thinking about Christmas at the moment! I’m also working on a circus themed colouring book which is a collaborative project between myself and the other members of Pencils, Paper, Scissors Collective. (http://pencilspaperscissors.blogspot.com)

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Ideally, I’d like to be working full time as an illustrator, and making enough money from it to survive. I’d have my own studio with a desk and a chair - that would be a step up from my current studio, which is the floor of our spare room. I’d also like to think that I’d have had a children’s picture book published. That’s the dream.

What drew you to illustration?
I’ve loved drawing since I was tiny, and always knew that I would end up doing something arty, but it wasn’t until my foundation course that I decided upon illustration. I’d only ever studied fine art at school, but it was always a little bit too abstract for me; I like having a brief, and a final outcome to work towards. I think the main reason I was drawn to illustration was the idea that one day I might have a children’s picture book published – it’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, so it would be amazing if it actually happened. I love creating characters, and the idea of making imagery that captures a child’s imagination is just incredible.

Would you mind sharing a little about your creative process with us?
I always find it helps to sketch out my ideas before beginning a final illustration – that way I have something to aim for, and something to refer back to later if I veer off track half-way through. If I start an illustration with nothing solid to work towards, it rarely works out well, so I tend to sketch out any initial ideas I have. These sketches are always incredibly rough, and I tend to get stuck into creating the final imagery quite quickly. I create each individual part of an illustration by hand, generally using a collage and mixed media approach, and then I compose the final illustration digitally. This allows me to have freedom in the composition of the image; it means I can play around with the different elements and decide how they look best together.

Where are you located?
I live in Blandford, which is a small town in Dorset. It’s not really the best place for an illustrator to be based, but it is quite pretty.




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