Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Fast, energetic, loud, cornucopia of emotions (both big and subtle).
What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Most of my work is digital so a comfy set up is essential: a good chair, big non-reflective screen, and some reliable and well-loved retro tech. I also have copious amounts of one sided/recycled paper for printing out countless samples and doing biro-sketches.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Black ink. When I was younger I worked with the nib pen but being left-handed and pretty messy the ink would often take over the whole work space (and me!) Today I love using brush pens. Their contained nature means the mess usually only travels as far as my elbow. There is something wonderful about the unwieldiness of ink, and how big the role of chance in an ink drawing is. It’s something I struggle to reproduce onscreen.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
I’m going to name three visual storytellers as what inspires me are not ‘pretty pictures’ but well told visual stories.
Eleanor Davis – I admire the breadth of her work. She has made so many projects, spanning so many age groups and categories, but each one is uniquely beautiful and accomplished.
Rosemary Valero-O’Connell – This is an artist who speaks with layouts and textures, creating magical stories using not only lines, light and dark but space and geometry.
Fionn McCabe – Truly inspirational educator of visual story form, and a big fan of ‘ugly drawing’, which I’m sure you’ll agree, is an art-form of its own.
Fast, energetic, loud, cornucopia of emotions (both big and subtle).
What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Most of my work is digital so a comfy set up is essential: a good chair, big non-reflective screen, and some reliable and well-loved retro tech. I also have copious amounts of one sided/recycled paper for printing out countless samples and doing biro-sketches.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Black ink. When I was younger I worked with the nib pen but being left-handed and pretty messy the ink would often take over the whole work space (and me!) Today I love using brush pens. Their contained nature means the mess usually only travels as far as my elbow. There is something wonderful about the unwieldiness of ink, and how big the role of chance in an ink drawing is. It’s something I struggle to reproduce onscreen.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
I’m going to name three visual storytellers as what inspires me are not ‘pretty pictures’ but well told visual stories.
Eleanor Davis – I admire the breadth of her work. She has made so many projects, spanning so many age groups and categories, but each one is uniquely beautiful and accomplished.
Rosemary Valero-O’Connell – This is an artist who speaks with layouts and textures, creating magical stories using not only lines, light and dark but space and geometry.
Fionn McCabe – Truly inspirational educator of visual story form, and a big fan of ‘ugly drawing’, which I’m sure you’ll agree, is an art-form of its own.
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Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
The future! I want to see the post-AI revolt in action and how if shapes the evolution of human creativity.
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I don’t consider myself an illustrator, rather a storyteller who writes with pictures. The desire to make and share in visual stories has always been a driving force in my life, so it seems that it chose me, rather than the other way around. But I do distinctively remember reading Dave McKean’s CAGES. What he does in that graphic novel changed the way I saw comics. It’s the moment when I literally said to myself – “THIS is what I’d like to be doing”.
Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
As mentioned, I’m a digital artist but I use tech as a tool, not a religion. I have 20+ year old technology which is offline and serves me well. My work is of free-lance nature so the space is filled with notes, to-do lists and reminders. Also pictures of people and bits of advice that inspires me. I’m not interested in aesthetics as much as functionality. Also, I have a priceless view which is the best way to relax my weary eyes during a stressful workday. :)
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
The ideas and intellectual input that goes into visually solving a conundrum, or creating an immersive experience is what I enjoy. And then inking the lines – as that’s where the life of the story is! If I’m being honest, colouring is my least favourite part of the process.
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What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Share your work as often as you can. Enter competitions, make stuff, sell at fairs, work on collaborations/anthologies and volunteer with your local creative community. Having your work out in the world is what separates pros from hobbyists. And don’t worry if it’s not perfect ‘yet’, just start sharing and you’ll pick up everything you need to know along the way.
Share your work as often as you can. Enter competitions, make stuff, sell at fairs, work on collaborations/anthologies and volunteer with your local creative community. Having your work out in the world is what separates pros from hobbyists. And don’t worry if it’s not perfect ‘yet’, just start sharing and you’ll pick up everything you need to know along the way.
Aśka, (pronounced ‘Ash-ka’), is an energetic visual storyteller, science communicator and a hugely engaging and popular presenter from Perth who’s thus far published more than dozen books and comics. They are passionate about visual literacy and believe the world would be a better place if we all wrote with pictures.
For more information, please visit Aśka's website or follow her on instagram.
