24 questions!

What!? One more question? Well, yes - why not? Especially when our special guest A-Lister this time around is none other than AGIdeas 2009 speaker, Andrea Innocent. With her beautiful illustration work, Andrea is about to have her inaugual solo exhibition (check out our events section for details) and will be one of the speakers on the first day of the upcoming AGIdeas Conference commencing May 4th.

How does it feel to be involved in the look and feel of AGIdeas this year and how did this come about? Overwhelming and exciting. I was sent an email late last year inviting me to participate, as far as I know, Ken Cato, designer and founder of the Design Foundation, saw an article about me and put my name up on the list for 2009. You have me curious now… where did he find me?

What sparked your passion for design?
I have a very vivid imagination, which was fuelled by my family, I used to spend hours amongst the vast collection of art and design books my parents had on the shelves of our dining room. We also made a weekly pilgrimage to the NGV as well as many other smaller galleries. I also vividly remember going landscape painting with my Dad as a very small child, my parents taught me to see and record so many things, I can’t thank them enough for that.

How creative were you as a youngster?
I grew up in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, drew a lot as a child and was encouraged by my parents who are both very creative themselves. I finished High School and went straight to RMIT where I studied Fashion Design, I ran my own business for five years with a partner, we were doing a lot of deconstructing and screen printing and showing in galleries instead of on catwalks but not making a lot of money. After we closed our doors I spent a couple of years as a freelance graphic designer then decided to go back to University to study Multimedia Design as my computer skills were frustratingly poor. Once I had finished my Masters I headed straight for Japan and that’s when I began illustrating professionally.

Do you come from a creative family? Were they supportive of your desire to be a designer?
See above.

What sort of education and training have you had?
I studied my Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design at RMIT and then my Masters of Multimedia design some years later.

Who did you want to work for when you first entered the industry?
In regards to illustration I began my image making without a particular direction in mind so it was really a matter of getting the work out there and seeing who showed an interest. Most of my marketing was, and still is, done online via websites such as drawn.ca and illustrationmundo.com and these were extremely helpful in regards to gauging where my work could be applied.

Tell us about your first project and what do you feel about it now?
My first ‘big’ project in illustration was for a graphic design company creating the advertising campaign for the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. http://www.fantasiafest.com/pre2008/en/. Basically I was asked to create a detailed illustration, which could be used across many forms of media, from outdoor signage to DVD’s. The brief was fairly open as I was chosen for my style, it also meant my research involved watching some fairly awesome animation and alternative film;-)

I am still happy with how it all turned out and would love to do something similar again. There is nothing quite like seeing your work in the background of some actor being interviewed on Youtube.

What is your preferred software to work with and what has been the greatest advancement in technology over the past 5 years? Adobe Illustrator… and I bow deeply to the creators of the Wacom.

What are the various mediums that you’ve worked with and is there any that you would like to explore? As I have had quite an eclectic career up to date I have had a chance to work with all kinds of media such as, screen printing (both textile and print), pattern making, sewing, toy making, sculpture, installation, drawing, various forms of collage, painting (canvas, paper and wood), digital media such as Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, 3D and 2D animation.

I am very interested in model making at the moment and would love to create a prototype for some of my characters. I am looking at working with some industrial design students but would welcome the chance to collaborate with anyone interested…anyone out there?

Is digital technology going to eliminate the need for print?
I think environmental concerns will change the world of print much sooner than the proliferation of digital images online will. I have found artists and designers use and produce the printed image more than ever, designers tend to create work that crosses many mediums and prints is still very popular. As well as this the advent of the scanner meant artists could now reproduce works that were once ‘one off’s’ as limited editions instead. There is also a huge difference between viewing and experiencing the projected and the reflected image, viewing prints can be a very personal and tactile thing.

Whose work do you really admire and why?
Toriyama Akira , Tezuka Osamu, Hayao Miyazaki, Tomoko Konoike, Jean Giraud (Moebius), the Hernadez Bros (particularly Jaime), Makiko Sugawa, Ai Yamaguchi, Aya Takano, Paul Jacoulet, Mahomi Kunikata, Marc Boutavant, Maurice Sendak, David Shrigley, Nigel Buchanan, Yoshitomo Nara, Kotobuki Shiriagari, Kawanabe Kyosai, Keri Smith, and my nieces…..as they are all amazing story tellers.

Who has been the greatest person that you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and what have they taught you? My parents, especially the time spent drawing and painting with my Dad, they encouraged me to really study the world.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
Getting paid to draw pictures.

How would you describe your work?
I know I should be able eloquent and wonderful at in answering this however I am not sure I can be so I will leave it up to a recent email I received from an admirer which made me swoon with happiness that that is how I made someone feel with my little pictures…”…there's an odd space in your works, their stillness is not complete because the images make my eye believe that there's something happening in the solid blocks of colour that I cant quite see in my field of vision.”

What are your plans for the future?
I have a solo show coming up at Lamington Drive Gallery in Fitzroy as well as another at the Japan Foundation’s gallery in Sydney in June.

www.lamingtondrive.com/exhibitions/event/alone-but-not-lonely/
www.jpf.org.au/02_events/facetnate2009/index.html

What sort of company would you like to work with next?
Would love to do a book cover, or even better illustrate a book! Also keen on getting back to my roots and creating some prints for a fashion range.

What is your opinion of Australian design?
I am constantly impressed by the adventurous nature of designers in Australia, it may be a consequence of being such a young country with a relatively short culture and history. We still seem to be explorers and discoverers like our relatives were both nationally and internationally.

What is the best/worst thing about being a designer in Australia?
Adversely, it could also be our short history and lack of diversity in our cultural identity that makes us appear desperate to create one. The result has us grasping at some very loose and mainstream interpretation of what it is to be ‘Australian’ and constantly reproducing this in an effort to create a distinct visual culture. I also have a dislike for the American, highly airbrushed imagery of mainstream print/product design that we seem to have adopted as our own.

In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge the Australian design industry has to face in the near future? As mentioned earlier, I really feel that environmental issues will be the greatest challenge for the design industry, this is of course an issue that effects the world as a whole, it will mean we will need to be a lot more flexible, innovative and open minded when approaching projects. I also feel it is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep manufacturing of products such as paper goods and clothing here in Australia, this is a shame, not just in terms of labour and economics but also in terms of creating a visual identity. How can Australian design stand out if it is being made in the same factory the rest of the world is using?

What is your creative outlet outside of design?
Dirt, seeds and water.

What is the best designed bar in Melbourne?
The ‘Spice Market’ is so atmospheric, makes me feel all ‘Casablanca’.

What are your top 5 websites at the moment?
www.startdrawing.org
http://blog.jackywinter.com
http://halcyonrealms.com
http://drawn.ca
www.illustrationmundo.com

What CD are you currently listening to and is it any good?
Downloaded some nostalgic tunes from the soundtrack to the 1970’s animation ‘The Point!’. ”Think about your troubles” is on repeat.

If I was a font, I’d be...? Handwritten.

Do you need an A-List Artisan like Andrea in your studio? Would you like to know more? Contact Lawrence NOW.