I do etching illustrations influenced by the Japanese pop culture mixed with my own culture. Even thought I’m a freelance illustrator this is only my “part-time” job as I combine it with my full time job working on editorial design for a Portuguese architecture publisher.
I’m gonna write a mix of design and illustrators!
1. Roman Klonek
2. Yutaka Satoh
3. Lalasaidko
4. Kazuaki horitomo
5. Benji Nate
I feel like today “studios” expect so much of us. They want us to be good at everything, web design, editorial design, illustration… I really don’t think it’s possible to be that good at all these things. Of course there are exceptions and it’s always nice to know a little bit of everything but to be really good at something you need hours of practice and effort. I would like to see a graduate skilled in a very specific thing. Choose what you want to do, practice and develop it. You don’t need to do everything yourself, you can make part of a team that has different individuals specialized in different things.
Yes! I work in a shared studio, alongside a loose collective of visual artists and musicians, creating things under the name of Favela Discos. We join ranks to produce music and promote events around the city of Porto. I mostly do graphic work (design and illustration). The best part is that we make everything ourselves, from the technical work of a record label to the artwork itself. If an artist wants to release a record, someone will do the cover or the press release; or if there is a concert someone else will do the poster.
Although I started etching and linocut in my second year of university (this was when I realized this technique was something I would like to explore, mostly because of Hokusai’s woodcuts) I only started developing what I can call “my style” one year ago. I’ve been obsessed by the Japanese culture since I was a child, so why did I only start to transfer those influences to my work in 2018? I guess I stopped caring about what other people would think of my illustrations and also stopped drawing what I thought they would like. I read/watch a lot of manga/anime every day, and when I began to transpose that to my drawings I started to become increasingly more passionate about them and so more dedicated, the rest happened gradually. So one big cheesy advice is: firstly draw what you really care and are passionate about and not only what you think people will buy/like, the quality of your work will emerge from that.
When I started working I was always a bit embarrassed to show my process and even my final work to people. But eventually I had to show it, since I’m working in a very cramped shared studio, it was inevitable that someone would see and comment my work. To my surprise the comments were very positive, and I got a lot of constructive criticism. Working around other artists with different perspectives helped me evolve and create something that I would never have thought of on my own. So don’t be afraid of showing vulnerability and insecurity about your work to other fellow artists. Surround yourself with a good group, even from different branches, they will surely help you improve and you can help them improve too.
Website: aritalaranja.tumblr.com
Instagram: @aritalaranja