We met Berta Llonch on Ilustrisima 2015 an we were instantly amazed by her work, so we didn't want to pass on the opportunity to interview her for our blog. Berta is an artists based on Madrid who published her first illustrated album in 2013 and has been combining work on illustration, fine art and mural painting since then.
How did the road began for you to get into art and illustration?
I always knew I wanted to work on the art world. Feeling a need to draw, paint and create is something that will always lead you towards that path. I feel like I never left the art world, rather than I ended in it. I wouldn't and couldn't leave!
You work simultaniously in several fields: fine art, illustration and mural painting. Is it hard trying to get those different worlds together?
No, not at all. Actually, the opposite happens. When you combine a diverse range of work (mural painting, fine art, illustration) you are constantly improving them. Working on a large, 15 meters format, and then working with markers on an A4 next week, helps me to open myself to a broad field where I can develop any kind of project.
I used to be concerned that versatility could make what I do more difficult to understand for the public. But once I stopped thinking lik that, I felt free to work on what I wanted on a diversity of fields, and without labeling myself as painter, muralist or illustrator. I'm an artist, and that means being versatile and work on any field you need to develop your art.
Where do you find inspiration for your work, and how do you melt your sources of inspiration to create a unique style like yours?
My inspiration comes from everything that's happening around me. The people near me, the new people I meet, the light of that day, or that city, or that item, or that color, or maybe a feeling or something that happened. I love beauty and I love looking for it in the nature of things. I'm interested in all the things (until they stop interesting me!). Everything has a story to tell: moments, people, objects.. but it must be authentic. The art you work with has also a very personal way to tell those stories.
What good (and bad) things do you feel the Internet and the new technologies have brought to art and illustration?
It is a huge showcase to show your work to the world. New technologies have been a big help in my career. They also allow me to know millions of art platforms, new opportunities and new artists.
And last, but not least: any advice for aspiring artists just starting up their careers?
My only advice would be to enjoy what they do, that's the most important thing.
Alberto Aucha is one of the very first paying customers of Drawfolio, and has been supporting us from the beginning of our beta version. Even if he is young and just began his career, he's already fighting for opportunities on the 3D Art and Graphic Design world. He recently took part on the production of spanish 3D animated movie "Capture the Flag" by LightBox Entertainment.
How did the road began for you to get into 3D art?
Hi! First things first, I want to say I'm so happy to have the chance to be in your blog, and I want to congratulate the Drawfolio team for the great work done during these years.
It all began when I was a kid, probably in the same way the other creative professionals did. I never stopped drawing through every stage in my life. I always took some time to relax and express myself through my drawings and illustrations.
I studied at an art school and then moved to college, where I studied the Fine Arts degree with focus on Graphic Design. I did a master course on visual production and 3D character modelling and animation after that.
Even before I got to college, my main goal was to take part in the production of an animated film one day. With a lot of work and patience, I got to do that last year! Now I want to keep growing my career and get to work on another movie, let's hope it will be soon!
Which are the artists or productions that influence you the most when animating, modelling or illustrating?
When talking about influences, it would be unfair not to mention the big names on animation. Big international movies like Inside Out (Pixar), Hotel Transilvania 2 (Sony Picture Animation), or even the spanish Capture the Flag (Lightbox Entertainment) can inspire everyone and help you set your own goals.
John Lassseter (founding partner of Pixar) has been a great influence for me from the very start. His own personal story is very motivating. Looking at artists and modellers, spanish artists like Juan Solis are very inspiring to me. For me, Juan is one of the best modellers in Spain and the world, and has worked at great productions like Frozen(Disney), Planet 51(ilion animation studios) o Tadeo Jones (lightbox entertainment), among others.
On animation, I've always been inspired by Carlos Baena, because he was one of the first spanish animators to travel to USA looking for opportunities on big companies. He has worked on films like Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, or Cars.
On illustration, I follow a lot of artists, but Ryan Lang is one of my favourites. He has worked for Disney and other big names, and his art is stunning.
You recently worked on the film "Capture the Flag" from Lightbox Animation Studio, on final rendering and technical duties. Can you tell us more about the experience there?
Yes, it was quite a technical position, not very creative, but the experience has been awesome and very inspiring. A dream come true, I didn't want it to end, although our deadlines were tight.
Our main work was to fix the camera shots and angles that the previous departments delivered to us. Using an image composition software, our main goal was to detect and fix any issue in the more than 3000 camera shots that the 3D film had.
Even if my job was a quite technical position, I learnt a lot working closely with the rest of the team on matters like illustration, matte painting, character design, story board, 3D modelling, etc. There's always something new and positive to learn from your colleagues working in an animation studio.
What good (and bad) things do you feel the Internet and the new technologies have brought to illustration and 3D art?
Well, Internet is now essential for us artists and designers to get a job. Well, actually not only for artists and designers, but for everybody!
Having your own space on the Internet is imperative for us artists, and with Drawfolio I got to reach more people through my own domain, smart templates and easy customization. Anytime, anywhere, people can find your work, talk about it, praise it and reach you for an opportunity if they are a company or studio.
For me, the bad side of the Internet is the anonimity people shield themselves on when making destructive and negative commentary. I'm not saying it for myself, as I'm not relevant at all: but a lot of films where big teams put insane amounts of effort and work during years, can be put down in no time with a few lines of harsh commentary.
That aside, new technologies grow every day to make our work more easy and productive. Lots of artists nowadays couldn't exist with technology. But as John Lasseter says in one of the Pixar documentaries: "Software is not the most important thing; the stuff you create and communicate with it is."
And last, but not least: any advice for aspiring 3D artists just starting up their careers?
Well, I'm starting up my career myself, so I don't know if I can give any advice! But I always tell myself to be positive and work day by day to reach your own goals.
Even when it seems impossible to achieve and success seems far away, you will get your reward through effort and sacrifice. What I'm going to say won't seem new, but it is pure truth: the most important thing is not to reach success, but to maintain yourself on it. And that you will only get with daily work and effort.
Don't lose faith in yourself and keep working, I keep doing it myself to win over new challenges. The 3D art world is very broad and there are plenty of opportunities to create cool stuff aside from an animated film.
We keep working to improve Drawfolio, and many times that means paying attention to small details that make easier your daily use. Today we bring you two of that kind of features:
New templates gallery: We already have 10 templates for your portfolio websites, but choosing it in the "Template" Tab of the "Appearance" section was becoming frustrating and difficult. We redesigned that tab entirely. Now finding about the current selected template and changing it is way more easy, just a couple of clicks.
Scroll to top button: In most of our portfolio templates, when your visitors have scrolled down a gallery to its end, they have to scroll all their way up again if they want to navigate to other sections of your website. If you want to make their life a bit easier, you can enable "Show scroll to top button" in the "General" tab of "Appearance". This way, a button will show on the bottom right corner to help them go back to the top navigation menu in no time.
For any doubt, question, suggestion or problem, please contact us at uservoice or write us at [email protected].
2016 is here! And honestly, we cannot think of a better way to begin this new year with you than.. a discount sale! So until 28 February you can have a 30% off discount on your first year of PRO plan.
You don't need to do anything special: the first year of all PRO plans will just cost 50,82$ instead of 72,60$.
