Last week I talked about the amazing new debut coming up called INK by Amanda Sun, included the fab new trailer for it. It has now been put onto Goodreads 'Top New Young Adult Fiction Books' for June 2013 (posted onto Pinterest here) and it is really starting to take the world by storm!
This week I want to delve abit deeper and explore behind the scenes of the cover artists. The book itself is based around the power of ink drawings and as you can see from the cover below the book is illustrated with some gorgeous pictures.
There is even a great little animation video of the cover image, which really brings it to life!
We've got some fab Q&As and background information from the artists to give you an idea about their work and the inspiration behind Ink's illustrations!
MEET THE COVER ARTIST, PETRA DUFKOVA
HOME:
Petra was born in Uherské Hradišteˇ , Czech Republic, and currently lives in Munich, Germany, where she is busy with her new son, Maximilian.
EDUCATION:
Petra studied art at a technical school for applied arts. She earned her modelist/stylist degree from the international fashion school ESMOD in Munich, with a prêt-à-porter collection.
AWARDS:
2008 Best Illustration Award for her collection at the China Fashion Week, in addition to numerous design awards.
MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Today Petra works as a freelance illustrator, stylist and as a fashion designer for Marcel Ostertag. Her illustration style is a combination of traditional method and modern look with a focus on fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Her inspiration comes from many areas—books, magazines, art exhibitions and fashion shows, and just walking around her city with her eyes open. Petra developed her art style after experimenting with aquarelle, a traditional technique of painting in transparent, rather than opaque, watercolors. From there, she developed her own art style, which often combines watercolors with ink. The cover art for INK is an example of this style.
You can see more of her artwork here
A Q&A WITH ROSS SIU, INTERIOR SKETCH ARTIST
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED?
I was born in Hong Kong and lived there until age seven. I was then raised in the very rainy but beautiful city of Van- couver. Right now I reside in Osaka, Japan.
WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I am a graduate of the IDEA Program of Capilano University in North Vancouver.
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE AN ARTIST?
I don’t think I ever actually decided to be an artist. Creating art was always a part of my being. It has been that way prob- ably since I was first exposed to drawing, which, as far as I can recall, began when a family friend taught me how to draw robots when I was around four years old.
WHAT MATERIALS DID YOU USE TO MAKE THE DRAWINGS FOR INK? I used pencil crayons to sketch; a bit of tracing paper; then finished with fine-liner, oil-based markers and Chinese calligraphy ink.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS OF CREATING THE DRAWINGS.
The creative process was very pleasant. We had good communication; the author and creative team knew what they wanted and were very encouraging to me. I am pleased that they are happy with the results.
WHAT ELEMENTS OF JAPANESE CULTURE HAVE INFLUENCED YOU AS AN ARTIST?
Their modesty and humbleness, respect for tradition, attention to detail, obsession with perfection, and their loyalty to those things have always influenced me as an artist.
YOU CURRENTLY LIVE IN OSAKA—ARE THE CITY OR PEOPLE AN INSPIRATION FOR YOU?
The people here do inspire me, because their attitude is more laid-back and casual. They laugh and joke around a lot more than people do in other parts of Japan, which is important to me.
DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH BEING A FOREIGNER IN OSAKA? IS IT A PLACE YOU COULD STAY AND MAKE YOUR HOME?
I enjoy many things about Osaka. The convenience of transportation; the abundance of great restaurants; the truly convenient convenience stores; the great routes for bike rides; the beautiful, unique scenery—all these things have made the city really easy to get comfortable with. That said, the space feels too confined here for me to want to make it a permanent home. But who knows what the future will bring!
WHERE HAS YOUR WORK BEEN ON EXHIBIT?
My exhibitions include: Vorld (2008)—Chickennot Gallery (Kyoto, Japan)
Personal Circles (2009)—iTohen Gallery (Osaka, Japan)
Can I Have an Easy Life (2012)—Galaxy Gallery (Osaka, Japan)
Check out Ross' blog here
You can pre-order INK here and it's out 5th July!!
Beautiful artwork—in general and in the book. I already saw some if when I was checking it out. Look forward to seeing how the ones in the book connect to the story.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I love the art in this book. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete