From time to time I get questions about how I work and what inspires me, and I’m not even near being finished answering here. But I’ll post some new questions now and then:)
Here goes.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everything. Music, people, films, life. Humor. Everything.
When did you decide on becoming an illustrator?
I didn’t, it happened by itself gradually after enjoying drawing a lot. But I knew I wanted to work with something creative.
Do you work full time, or do you have other jobs besides being an illustrator?
I work full time with editorial illustration and children’s books.
Do you get funding or scholarships to be able to survive as an illustrator?
I got two scholarships, one small one two years ago for illutrations for a book project that wasn’t paid, and one wonderful one from Bergen Kommune. That one helped me pay the rent for my studio for a year when I first started. But other than that, no, all my income is from magazines, newspapers, book sale, my webshop and my gallery at Bryggen.
Can me and a friend come and visit you at your studio?
Yes, please! I love parties! Drinks all around!
Can you review my work?
No, I’m sorry, I’ve had to stop that now, but I wish you all the luck with your project:) I really do.
Can we interview you for a school project?
Yes, please come and visit if the q&a here wasn’t what you sought for:)
Do you take interns?
Depends on what you want to do, I’m actually not sure what interesting work I can give you. I don’t believe in making interns make coffee for a week. But send me an email if you have suggestions about what you could be doing!
Can I send you my written work and maybe we can work together on a book?
For the moment I’m full up with side projects with other people, and only accepting paid tasks. But if it’s projects that are well planned and texts have been “washed” and are not due for another year please send me an email, I love new collaborations:)
Why don’t you answer my call?
E-mail me:) Give me time to give you a well thought through answer:) Insisting freaks me out, and I usually can’t answer job related stuff on the spot. Some days I use only for drawing, and need to be very concentrated, some days are for making calls and doing other office work.
How do you start working when you receive a text?
I usually read the text/story a few times and quickly start drawing out whatever ideas I get with pencil in tiny tiny sketches. Sometimes I just write. Then I go through what I’ve drawn and choose a few examples I go over with with other people if there are some around. If I’m unsure, it makes it clearer for myself which sketch I like best if I hear myself explain it to other people.
How much research do you do before drawing something out?
Depends on the task. Usually quite a lot.
Do you always make storyboards (when drawing for stories)?
Depends on the task. But mostly, yes.
How much is the author involved in the images you make?
Until now, very little. My editor is more involved. Sometimes it can be difficult to draw whatever is in someone else’s head, and that can halt a process badly. But the authors that likes working with others, and trust their skills, usually get the best visuals. So far it has worked quite well:)
How to I get jobs as a designer/illustrator/artist?
Be incredibly good at what you do, and always display, deliver, participate and share your best work. This will eventually pay off, and the ball will start rolling. There is no recipe besides that I think.
How to I get my work published?
Again, sharing and exhibiting did it for me:) To hassle editors never worked for me. Actually, my second big published job came from a publishing house that I had contacted a year earlier. They had no idea I had been in touch, but heard about me through other people that liked my work and decided to say hello.
When/How did you start?
I have always been interested in drawing, and drew everyday, everywhere, on everything.
I got my first professional job as an illustrator after an exhibition I had, where an editor from a newspaper had been to lunch and saw my artwork. That was in 2006, and have worked full time illustrating texts since then.
Do you come from an artistic family?
Yes:) But it was a quite normal artistic family. No crazy hippies, just creative people.
What are your favorite illustrating jobs?
When the customer visibly trusts you to do your best work, and the product is from a collective process with good communication and laughter:)
Visually my favorite stories to illustrate have been fairy tales full of princesses, huge trees and rosebushes, scary monster stories, and fantasy piranhas.
This q&a page is really quickly made up, I’ll make it prettier as this site develops. Please leave a reply underneath if there is something you want me to include in the faq, or if there was something you wanted to ask me:)
Hei, jeg hilste kjapt på deg når jeg så på pulten i kottet hos dere. Er skolevenninne med Lene Utbjoe.
Jeg trenger noen illustrasjoner og liker måten du jobber på. Har jobbet med en barnebok i snart fire år og holder nå på med en siste omskriving i forhåpentligvis siste omgang. Fikk i vinter en skriftelig tilbakemelding fra Cappelen Damm om hva jeg burde rette, og det holder jeg på med nå etter en liten pause og et en omskriving om forelskelse jeg ikke kommer til å bruke nå.
Jeg har brukt et par illustrasjoner som en jente laget til meg for noen år siden, men dessverre ønsker ikke hun å lage flere, så da har jeg ingen jeg kan bruke i presentasjonmaterialet til forlaget. Jeg liker å sende inn et par illustrasjoner til forlaget selv om manuset ikke har blitt antatt. Samt jeg lager en forside, jobber litt med grafisk design også. Og jeg gjør alt for å overbevise forlaget om at mitt manus er knall og jeg ønsker å ta dem inn i min verden, derfor trenger jeg noen illustrasjoner:)) Det er ikke så lett for andre å se for seg min verden full av snott i en nese…
Jeg tenker at om du er intr. kjøper jeg noen illustrasjoner av deg nå i sommer/høst (om du har tid), sender dem inn og prøver å selge inn både meg og deg. Får jeg alt gjennom er jo ferden spennende og gøy og om ikke, deres tap:)) men vi har ikke så mye å tape…hva sier du?
Jeg kunne tenkt meg:
Et bildegalleri over karakterene, 8 stk tot.
Et bilde over landsbyen (Nesebyen i Fru Blom sin nese)
Og et forsidebilde
Så 10 illustrasjoner, men bildegalleriet er på f.eks en eller to sider.
Det står litt på hjemmesiden min under Snåtte, men det kommer ikke til å handle om forelskelse, jeg har et annet manus jeg skal bruke. Må bare gjøre litt om på det først, men du trenger ikke lese alt, jeg kan forklare og jeg har nedskrevet hvordan alle skikkelsene er.
Kort om handlingen:
Fru Blom elsker erter. Hun spiser ertersupper, kake, brød, boller osv. Dette gir henne mavevondt og mye gass. Hun promper dagen lang og hennes venner holder på å besvime. Vennene hennes er en nerdete flue (Åge) og en gretten mygg (Meggy)
Inni nesen til Fru Blom er det en hel landsby, Nesebyen. Husene henger som runde snottebobler i Fru Blom sine nesehår. Det er fargerikt og hyggelig og en elv skiller byen i to. En steinbro går over elven og i elven er det grønne slimete fisk.
Snåtte er hovedkarakteren, 7-8 år. Han er grønn og sjarmerende. Han bor med sin mor, far og lillebror. Fru Blom sin prompelukt skaper problemer for Nesebyen, blomstene dør og snottene må skalke igjen dører og vinduer for å kunne puste. Snåtte og bestevennen trosser lukten og sniker seg ut av nesen, uten foreldrenes samtykke. En farlig ferd der de kan møte pekefingermonsteret.
Snåtte og kompisen møter fluen og myggen som skal hjelpe dem og hjelpe Fru Blom med prompingen…..
Dette var et lite innblikk i mine tanker, nå har du vel sukket et par ganger og tenkt. “Slutter ikke denne damen snart og skrive, jeg har jo ikke sagt ja til oppdraget”. Skal du ta oppdraget, må du like ideen, derfor skriver jeg litt om den:)
Hvis dette er intr.
Hvor mye tar du for å lage de 10 illustrasjonene sånn ca?
Når kan du begynne?
Hvor lang tid tar det sånn ca? Jeg ønsker å sende inn manuset i løpet av august, senest september.
Og ikke vær redd for å si nei om det ikke passer deg.
Hilsen
Catharina Evensen
Hei hei:) dette hørtes spennende ut! Jeg gir deg en lyd over helgen:)
Høres veldig bra ut, gleder meg:)