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Let's Talk, Jenny Mörtsell

Capturing the nuances of expression in the human face is no simple feat. However, Swedish illustrator Jenny Mörtsell does so with a skilled and delicate hand. Living and working in Stockholm, the political and economic heart of Sweden, the 31-year-old Mörtsell balances a busy roster of U.S. and European clients who have come to adore the style of her signature pencil drawings. She has also begun exhibiting her work in gallery shows. Currently, she has an exhibition of original illustrations on display at Eskilstuna Konstmuseum, a museum located in a small town outside of Stockholm. And while Mörtsell hopes to focus her attention in the future on more gallery work, at the moment she has her hands full with projects for magazines like Nylon, Flaunt, and Good, among others. We took some time to talk with Jenny recently, here's how our conversation played out.

What first attracted you to pursue illustration?

First I wanted to be an artist, but then realized I could make a living by doing posters and record sleeves. That sounded fun, so I decided I wanted to be a graphic designer instead. After high school, I studied printmaking for some years, then graphic design, then finally I went to Konstfack where I took a masters [degree] in Graphic Design & Illustration. But It wasn't until a year and a half after I graduated [that] I got tired of trying to be a designer and went back to doing pencil drawings instead—something I hadn't been doing for years. I got [such] good responses on the things I showed other people [that] I decided to give it a go. It kind of went better than I expected.

So after your initial pencil drawings received a good response, how did you go about taking that work to a wider audience?

I basically sent out emails with a link to my website to all the magazines and advertising companies I liked. Almost noone answered of course, but a few brave ones hired me and that led to the famous one thing leads to another-thing. Having an agent which I've had for the last two years also helped a lot, especially when it comes to getting paid and getting advertising assignments.

When would you say then that you began drawing?

Like a cliché, I've been drawing since the day I could grab a Crayola.

Let’s briefly talk about inspiration.

My inspiration comes from perfectly normal things like old and new movies, music videos, books, and magazines. And my beloved friends. I also spend a lot of time wandering about on the Internet. You know, when you look for one thing that leads to another thing and suddenly you're caught up in this whole new world of influences? I like that a lot. I mostly look at other illustrators to stress me out, like "Oh my god, this is so good I need to work harder and get better." But I don't know if that qualifies as inspiration.

Can you tell me about the art scene in Stockholm?

I'm not a big consumer of contemporary art. For some reason I tend to get very provoked by artist's egos, so I try to avoid the scene. I think this has to do with all the art schools I went to. If I go to a show it's either because it’s a friend of mine who is exhibiting or for the free beer.

So I take it you don't exhibit your work too often? Or just not in Stockholm?

I have an exhibition right now at Eskilstuna Konstmuseum—in a small town outside of Stockholm—but it's my first real [exhibition]. Because I always work on a commission or two or three I sadly never have time to draw something that isn't for something or someone, and I wouldn't want to hang that up on a wall. I wish to change all that though.

Are you working on more personal work to show at upcoming exhibitions then?

At the moment, sadly, I am only drawing for money.

Your illustrations are startlingly realistic. How do you capture that realism?

I always use a photo as a starting point. Some people ask me if I do sittings. I know it's considered more "art," but I would be too nervous to have someone sit still for so long. And I what I really really like to go into [are] those details and small defects that you only have in a photograph. Like a strand of hair that is messed up, or a half-blinking eye. Those sort of things that can only be captured in a moment. Technically, I use digital images and draw while looking at the screen. That way I can zoom into details, change the contrast to see the shadings, rotate the picture so my eyes don't get tired, and tricks like that. Kind of hi-tech, lo-tech.

You've said that you really like the small details and defects that get captured in a photograph. What else do you look for in a photo when deciding whether or not it's suitable for a pencil drawing?

I don't really enjoy drawing things or environments or animals and such. So I guess I just look a lot for interesting faces.

What is a normal day like for you?

I usually start work at nine. I have a studio space at Södermalm in Stockholm. I draw, scan, send sketches and stuff; answer emails; go to meetings; drink coffee in front of the computer; read dlisted.com on my microbreaks; procrastinate doing changes in drawings clients doesn't approve of; use the clone tool to remove dust from scans; use the lasso tool with 2 px feather to cut out things; eat bread rolls in front of the computer; think about art projects I'd like to do instead of working; Facebook; listen to radio documentaries; draw, draw, draw until very late at night. The downside of working with both European and U.S. clients is my workdays can be very long.

Can you tell me about the Bravehat Collective?

It consists of four of my former classmates at Konstfack: Hanna Wieslander, Kristoffer Busch, Anna Giertz, Magnus Hansson, and later we were also joined by textile artist Ingela Nilsson. We used to share a studio and worked on a couple of commissions, the biggest one probably a graphic profile for a restaurant called Landet. Eventually we had to give up the studio cause we never got paid, and everyone kind of got occupied with their own career. But we still have a clubnight at Landet every once in a while with live artists, visuals, nice costumes, and whatever we can think of.

What would you like to be doing 10 years from now?

I have so many plans and ideas—like have a bakery that opens at noon; start an illustrated fashion magazine; make and sell organic butter; open a gift wrapping store; make choreography for a dance group from the tools in Adobe’s creative suite; start an accessories brand with common objects in expensive materials; write poetry. I wish to have at least some of them realized by then.

Related links: www.jennysportfolio.com www.familymanagement.se www.eskilstuna.se

c2ak Group Show

If your in Chicago this weekend, stop by the Country Club Chicago gallery for the c2ak group show.
For more information see c2ak

Jinyoung Shin

Jinyoung Shin is a young illustrator living in New York, she has developed a very unique* style strongly influenced by japanese manga look but with a very decay feeling, very interesting and intense. Check her amazing work in dadaly.net

*Updated note: Apparently her style is not that unique, there is another artist Aya Kato who has been doing this work for years also the way she presented her gallery is quite similar than his, I leave it to your consideration.

Biggest Drawing in the World

Extremely cool project by artist Erik Nordenankar. Check out the website for some more information including the travel instructions given to DHL, and a great little video documenting the piece. This strikes me as a brilliant ad campaign by DHL, which would explain why they'd go out of their way to do this; either way, very cool stuff.
via architechnophilia

BIGGEST DRAWING IN THE WORLD

UPDATE: This project may or may not be complete fiction. Either way, it's intriguing, albeit a waste of time and resources.

Nicolas Guittard

Nicolas Guittard is a french talented illustrator who lives in Lille, France.
Check his website to discover his very personal style.

Let's Talk, Leah Hayes

Boston-bred illustrator Leah Hayes, who's a phenom with a Bic-brand ballpoint pen, enjoys laughing. "I laughed forever the other night, watching these rare Andrew Lloyd Webber music videos," she says. "But actually I was laughing out of happiness, not making fun of them. I love musicals so much." Life isn't all shits and giggles for the 27-year-old, Parsons School of Design graduate though. Thumb through the pages of her graphic novels—2004's Holy Moly and the recently published Funeral of the Heart,—and you'll realize Ms. Hayes has her share of somber days too. But it's the less-than-sunny nature of her graphic novels that makes them so appealing. Hayes' multi-layered illustrations aptly compliment the tales of sadness and woe captured in her diary-meets-sketchbook approach to storytelling.

When she's not feverishly sketching ideas for graphic novels (or watching obscure Andrew Lloyd Weber music videos), Hayes stays busy doing editorial illustrations for publications like The New York Times, McSweeney's, and The Wall Street Journal. She also fronts a rock band called Scary Mansion and has a twin sister named Vanessa, who is, coincidentally, also a singer. We took a minute to chat with Ms. Hayes recently, here's how that conversation played out.

When did you first begin drawing in a serious, career-minded way?

I've always been drawing, and I've always wanted to be an illustrator—I used to read my father's Illustration Annuals obsessively when I was a kid. But I started trying to get jobs when I was 19. I was in college and knocking on the doors of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal between classes. It sounds ambitious, but it was at the expense of my schoolwork I'm afraid.

So were you eager to begin working as an illustrator, or just bored with school?

It was both.

What I enjoy about your ballpoint illustrations is the incredibly distinct feeling and tone they have. What prompted you to use a ballpoint, and can you talk about the advantages and limitations?

I started to use a Bic pen because it is so much like a pencil—the line quality varies greatly, and you can get a super soft fine line, good for cross-hatching. I suspect too that I enjoyed drawing with a tool that is un-erasable. I did it again later with scratchboard. I think I like the recklessness—and stupidity, maybe—of doing something once and not being able to change it.

This idea of permanence related to drawing in pen, would you say it’s helped you develop confidence in your work?

Yes. It’s made me take more risks, in a weird way. Because I always want to do the silly, dangerous thing; the foolish thing. Pen and scratchboard don’t really allow you to make mistakes, so the stakes are higher—I made a lot of mistakes anyway, though.

Your work has been collected in two books published by Fantagraphics, Holy Moly and the recent graphic novel Funeral of the Heart. Can you tell me how your relationship with Fantagraphics came about?

I sent them a cold submission when I had just graduated from college. They were nice enough to read it and give it a chance.

_Holy Moly_ was more of an abstract collection of illustrations threaded together by a loose narrative where Funeral of the Heart is a graphic novel with a defined plot. Can you talk about the difference between the experiences of putting these two books together?

Well, Holy Moly was literally a collection of doodles that I did both during class and at restaurants, and it was a bit like an illustrated diary of what I was going through at the time. It's a really sad book—I can't even look at it now. It makes me so sad. Funeral of the Heart is basically the same thing, but more organized. It's my feelings on certain things, but expressed through metaphor instead of crazy, ranting snails. I'm not sure if one can say that metaphor is a ‘clearer’ way to express an idea, but because of the short-story format it at least gives the illusion of structure.

For future publishing projects, would you be interested in pursuing a more structured approach?

Hmm… no. I look forward to doing another insanely frustrating, confusing, hard-to-read/swallow book.

Your editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, McSweeney's, The Wall Street Journal, and so on. How does contributing artwork to these types of publications differ from say, creating artwork for a graphic novel or more art-minded publication?

Well, I get paid for them, which is helpful. They have also led to some interesting things, too. Every job leads you to something amazing eventually, no matter how small or underpaid.

It’s funny you say that. I’ve had this discussion with so many people, the idea that one opportunity can have this sort of spiderweb effect, leading to so many other opportunities. Can you give me one example of how this has worked in your career?

I drew Holy Moly and had it published, virtually no one bought it, and then one day I got a call from Steven Page from The BareNaked Ladies. He had seen my book in Canada, liked it, and asked me to do the album cover for his next record. That was by far the weirdest career connection that’s ever happened to me.

You also play in a band called Scary Mansion. Can you tell me little bit about the music and what you do in the band?

I started the band a couple of years ago as a solo project, but now I play with a drummer and a bassist. I don't know what to say about the music. I guess it's sort of a musical version of Holy Moly. I have other side projects, too. Lots of little bands.

As a musician too, I see so many similarities between pursuing music and art. I wonder what types of parallels, if any, your experiences have shown you?

I write songs about sadness, dark things, [and so on]. Similar themes to [the] books [and] art I’ve done. I cannot really say what the exact connection is, but I can’t do one without the other.

If you had the opportunity to completely change the trajectory of your life, would you still be an illustrator?

Yes. And also I would have thought to invent cuteoverload.com.

Related links www.leahhayes.com www.fantagraphics.com www.myspace.com/scarymansion www.myspace.com/vanessahayes

Nina Braun

Nina Braun is immersed in an analogue world, where the obsession with material and her devotion to each individual object emerges from her very personal imagery. Her approach to materials like wool and fabric are the base for her sometimes child-like and naive objects that result from an intensive working process. Considering that we are living in a digital era where economical aspects of the working process prevail and thoughts and images can be infinitely reproduced, Nina Braun’s approach to work is quite revolutionary.

Nina Braun's next exhibition at supercool Heliumcowboy Artspace

Chrisitee

Nothing's ok, everything's fine

"Started to draw since I was a baby Chrisi with my dad and sister.Pushed my skateboard first in 1990 and from the beginning I loved art in skateboarding and skateboarding in art. People like Mark Gonzales, Andy Howell and Ed Tempelton were my first art/skateboarding heroes. But I also love the old viennese art scene like Egon Schiele nad Gustav Klimt, they gave me a lot of inspiration. It took me a while before I started to paint on shirts, skateboards and other stuff. After years of experimentation I found my own style to explain myself." - Chrisitee.

Chrisitee next exhibition in Vienna's coolest gallery INOPERAbLE

Mulheres Barbadas

"Not long ago, we were playing a boring raqueteball game when the idea of Mulheres Barbadas project came up. Now we are two bearded ladies working together. We take turns drawing until we either fill up the canvas... or are too tired to go on, whichever comes first. We like monsters, icky stuff and tender love." - Mulheres Barbadas

Mulheres Barbadas "Homens Depilados" artshow invitation here

A_B Peace & Terror

"A_B_… is a geopolitical survey of the 192 member states of the United Nations with regard to the quantitative degree to which each contributes to peace and terror in the world.

Limited edition of 20 dual-sided posters screen printed by K2 Screen London. The A_ side is printed verso in metallic graphite ink while the B_ side is printed recto in pearlescent white ink on GFSmith 180 gsm Transclear paper."

A_B PEACE & TERROR POSTER

Open House / Art Gallery

"Over 2 1/2 years ago I bought a house at 189 Pineview in the city of Irvine California. As soon as I moved in, I started creating the murals, one wall after another and sometimes simultaneously. Now the HOUSE IS FOR SALE and I MUST PAINT OVER THE MURALS IN ORDER TO SALE IT."

189 PINE VIEW

RSRVS VERSE ST

Verse ST is a very versatile stencil type, an all-caps well proportioned geometric sans developed in OpenType format with a full set of ligatures, basic fractions, various stylistic alternate characters and hand kerned.

via: fb/RSRVS (dl/info) + RSRVS