#art interview

April Solomon guests on the Draftsmen to talk about how she makes her living from drawing dragons and werewolves, the vast art materials she uses in her work, and more

Recently did an interview for Mouthing Off Magazine!

November is #ThankfulForArtists month at INPRNT! Today we look back at our past interview with Elena Resko, learning how her work has evolved into the colorful, cheerful style she is known for today. Join us in Berlin for a cup of coffee and some great conversation about art!

“As I grew up, I realized that the more positive emotions I could put inside my work, the better it would be,” she said.

Bio: I've been cartooning for The New Yorker since 2017. I was living in New York, and decided to take a cartooning class with the great Emily Flake. I hadn't really thought about single panel gag cartooning prior to that, and if I'm honest, I wanted to take another class that didn't end up having enough people. But a colleague persuaded me to take this class with him, which I probably don't thank him enough for. So let me take this opportunity now. Thank you Isaac. 

Find this print here!

Like any excellent teacher, Emily helped me to tap into the hidden stash of cartoon ideas that lurked within, and with her encouragement I started submitting cartoons to Bob Mankoff. He told me right off the bat, "Well, first of all, you can't draw". So any advice I give about drawing from here on out should be taken with the knowledge of that interaction.

Tools of choice: I use a pencil, black ink pen, erasers, and an iPad pro. This is my process: I sketch the idea with pencil. I go over it with pen. I erase the lines. I scan the picture. I do the brushwork over the top on my iPad. I am not one of those people who is extremely dedicated to certain brands or pen tip widths or whatever, because it feels a little beyond my skill level, and I don't know if I'd wield the tools deftly enough to notice a difference. It'd be like needing a fancy guitar when you can only play three chords. I will say in college I liked writing with Le Pens, but upon using them for cartooning I found the black ink turned kinda brown over time. That is truly the only critical opinion about tools I can give. I hope they don't sue you or me for this. 

Tool I wish I could use better: Oh, all of them. Pencils. Pens. Erasers, even. I started drawing cartoons with india ink and a nib as per Emily Flake's tutelage, but when I went to present my cartoons Bob Mankoff said to me "Why do all these drawings look so muddy?" (I don't want to present Bob as unsupportive. He has been a true gem to me and gently steered me in ways that ensured I had a career.) But needless to say I changed my artistic tactics. I'd also like to get better at watercolours, because I get asked to make wedding invites, and that feels potentially lucrative.

Tool I wish existed: Not explicitly a drawing tool, but I would love a Mary Poppins style bag/storage container to keep old bits of paper, drawings and unread New Yorker magazines. Like what is the plan— am I meant to just keep collecting these forever? 

Tricks: Because there is so much rejection as a cartoonist, I suggest finding an additional motivating factor when the love of a cartoon or idea does not extend beyond your own sweet mind. When I started out, I was going through a break up, and found it energizing to imagine how much I would come across as *thriving* if I got a cartoon in The New Yorker (I cannot confirm whether the relevant persons also consider(ed) me to be thriving). Motivation can be so useful! Prove your bullies wrong. Have a nemesis. Pretend you're curing a disease with your cartoons. This may be unhealthy advice — do not run it by your therapist.

Misc: Isn't it insane how the Apple Pencil charges on the iPad pro? I cannot believe this was approved.

Website, etc.

Website

Prints

Instagram

ARTIST INTERVIEW Elena Birkenwald

Tell us about yourself and your art specialties.

My name is Elena Birkenwald. I am an artist living in Germany, where I followed my husband almost 30 years ago. Originally I am from Odessa in Ukraine (the Soviet Union back then), a city which has produced a large number of legendary classical musicians and artists.

Like most of the children at the time, I also have been raised to become a musician. Specifically, I learned to play the forte-piano and was practicing hours every day since I reached the age of five.

Parallel to my musical education, I started to take private art classes with some of the most significant professors in the country, like Andrey Sokolov.

How long have you been an artist, and how did you get started?

I don’t remember my exact age, but I became interested in art at a very young age. I started to play around with pencil drawings but soon discovered acrylic, oil, and pastel. I also can’t recall what exactly brought me into the art space. I guess it was a hobby like for so many children, but I did not lose interest in it ever.

For sure, what fascinated me and led to me exploring the journey was the ability to play around with colors. To see how they work together. How they transition into each other, how they merge.

How would you describe your art style?

Usually, I create a layer of colors at first. This is my foundation, which I then cover with various patterns. I like to call this very personal style “Art Tattoo”. The shapes often resemble musical elements, faces, or feelings.

Are you working on any art projects right now? What should we expect next from you?

Last year I came up with the idea to paint cases for smartphones. At this point, I have finished 200 absolute unique cases with all different paintings on them. The cases have turned out to be absolutely stunning. Not only are the motives gorgeous but also the build quality is on point, to say the very least.

The project has become a family business now, and we launched an extraordinary store. Extraordinary, as every product is in stock only once, obviously, and managing this in terms of software turns out to be not easy.

Here is a video of the creation process.

What/who inspires you to create your artwork?

In the first place, my inspiration comes from nature. I observe the game between light and shadow, the change of colors.

Objects themselves also tend to inspire me. When I see an item, I perceive it differently than others. I don’t notice the way it is, but how it could be.

That’s also how I ended up painting instruments and cases, for instance. These things initially talked to me. They wanted to be more. They wanted to be granted a deeper meaning.

What’s your favorite accessory or tool you use in your art-making process?

Colors. Not as a material, but in their purest form: Actual colors. Whether it’s going to be pastel, acrylic, oil, or even something else depends on the work that lies ahead. I also love to use a painting knife.

Do you use Photoshop or anything like that in your workflow? How does it help?

I am a traditional artist. I have thought to try digital tools, but I came to the conclusion that these new tools are not for me, and that’s alright.

What advice do you have for somebody who wants to get started in the arts?

Watch life vigilantly. You don’t need to search for motives actively, they happen to be around us already all the time. If you want to create something, just do it. You will develop your own style by time.

What would you like to be doing in art 5 years from now?

Not much more than now. I’d love to see my cases massively succeed. I am also looking forward to exploring more objects as a canvas for my art. The most important thing here is simply to be able to do art at all. That is the most beautiful that can happen to me.

Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of your art. What other hobbies or careers are you working on?

I have a general interest in any handcraft. My most recent hobbies are sewing and knitting, where I try to create my own clothes. Closely related is embroidery.

Further, I love to experiment with paper and felt. Last but not least, I mentioned my extensive background in music. Therefore it must be unsurprising that I still play on the piano and do so on solo concerts as well as on chamber music concerts.

Where can we find your work? Any websites or social media we can check out?