Describe your illustration style
in ten words or less.
Quirky, fun, poetic at
times, textured, mostly colourful.
What items are an essential part
of your creative space?
My very
cheap sketchpad (so I don’t think I’m going to mess up a beautiful book) and
pencils, graphic tablet, a view and coffee.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Gouache,
coloured pencils, digital – and mixing it all up!
Name three artists whose work
inspires you.
Ana
Juan, Felicita Sala and Chagall.
Which artistic period would you
most like to visit and why?
I’d go back
in time to visit 1963 when Chagall was commissioned to paint the new ceiling
for the Paris Opera Palais Garnier. How inspiring it would be
to see his process from planning the artwork to actually painting the ceiling.
Who or what inspired you to
become an illustrator?
I was one of those kids
always drawing horses and princesses and copying from picture books. Art was my
favourite and best subject all the way up to high school. I never thought that
I could be an illustrator or artist, earning “real” money and so I decided to
become the next best thing – a commercial graphic designer. But over the course
of time I kept coming back to my passion: illustrating – so here I am.
Can you share a photo of your creative
work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
1 This is my little studio, just a small room with all my art supplies and
inspirational stuff. I work here on and off, mostly when I need to really
concentrate and have supplies handy.
2 I love to sit and scribble and plan here with a
great view! I like to move around as it seems to stimulate my thoughts.
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
I love when an idea hits me
and I quickly need to scribble it down before it evaporates! Hence, I am
constantly keeping track of my messy collection of bad scribbles on the back of
shopping dockets, important forms and torn off magazine pages. My other
favourite part is doing the final details of an almost finished piece…
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
As inspiring as other artists
work can be, don’t get disheartened or intimidated by it. Work on projects you
get excited about, and be proud of it.
Martina recently
illustrated her first children’s picture book, ‘From Above the Clouds’ (Fierce
Grace Publishing), and has another one coming out in 2018 with Clavis
Publishing Inc . Martina grew up in a small village on the Baltic Sea in
Germany. These days she is an illustrator and lives in Australia. Her works are
inspired by nature, people, places, and the emotionally moving and silly things
she sees out there… Magic is everywhere!
You can follow Martina on instagram or visit her website
You can follow Martina on instagram or visit her website
