A fascinating walk into the handlettering world of Olga Zakharova
You know us and our obsession for typography design. So why not delve deeper into this world, with the help of a very talented illustrator, who caught our eye while browsing the very resourceful creative Market. If you know the quality level on the site, you understand how hard it is to stand out.
Well, we loved Olga Zakharova so much that we wanted to know a lot more about how she creates such charming fonts, that seem to effortlessly blend with the sophisticated background she chooses for each of them. just as expected, there is a lot of work and dedication behind every illustration, and the attention to detail is something that not all know how to master. but Olga is one of those people who turns details into real art. read the interview and see what we indicate ?
OANA: Please tell us a lot more about your art and design background. What made you become a designer?
OLGA: I was actually never planning to become a designer or an illustrator. I loved to draw when I was a child, but I never learnt how to do it appropriately and I always thought that I am not good enough in this. So I chose a different path – I became a journalist, worked for several years as a sport reporter in one of the oldest sport newspapers in Russia. then I made a decision to change profession, got my second diploma and became a psychologist. but then my spouse and I made a decision to leave Russia and went to live in Thailand – it was tough to continue what I was doing before because both of specialties require Russian language to be spoken. at that time we met some people who were earning money by creating illustrations for microstock sites. I thought it won’t hurt to try, read some information about vector illustrations on the web, opened Illustrator and created 10 vectors for an exam. I passed it from the first go and that’s how my journey started.
after that I spent hundreds of hours learning about design, illustration, logos, color, shapes, – generally everything that is somehow connected to visual arts online. I believe that education is a life-long process, so I try to learn as much as I can whenever I get a chance. and I think I am still becoming a designer.
OANA: how or when did you start illustrating on a professional level?
OLGA: about two years ago, when I started working not only for microstock sites, but for private clients and businesses.
OANA: Where does your inspiration come from?
OLGA: For me inspiration is in some way similar to love – it’s some odd sort of chemistry that is so tough to describe and at the same time so easy to feel when it’s there. It absolutely has something to make with passion, desire to speak through the drawing or design, believing in your abilities. And, of course, good cappuccino helps too.
OANA: how would you describe your style?
OLGA: Organic, with harmonious relations between negative space and objects and a bit of humour.
OANA: What tools you use? Do you go 100% digital or is there paper involved?
OLGA: My «toolbox» consist of mechanical pencil, ink pens (different sizes), eraser, light table, scanner, Wacom pen & pencil tablet, macbook. also I use regular «printer-quality» paper. I travel a lot, so I tend to have only things that I actually use.
I always start with a paper sketch. first thumbnail sketches are normally done by ink pen (so I won’t feel an urge to right every line), then I step to the cleaner version which I make with a mechanical pencil, than I do ink version and only after that I scan det. I would say that I spend 50% of time working analog. For me it’s much easier to right a lot of of things on paper. recently I’ve shared my process on the blog of my website.
OANA: Is there anything that you specifically avoid using in your illustrations?
OLGA: drawing people. I can do that, but I am never very delighted with the result. before I was self-conscious about that and even wanted to go to some «anatomy drawing» classes, but then I realized that there are so lots of things that I can draw and take pleasure in it at the same time, that I don’t need to spend this time trying to learn what I don’t like.
OANA: What was the hardest job/illustration you have ever worked on?
OLGA: probably my first job that I did for a client. The design itself wasn’t that tough – it was an infographic about a taxi company that they were meant to show to the investors to attract a lot more money. but the client made my life a living hell for some time. however it was a terrific lesson: don’t ever agree to work with a client, if from the start you feel that you are not on the same page (and probably even not on the same book, hell, you are in the different library!). everything was meant to be done «yesterday», each time I’d show him a design he would say something like «that’s wonderful, but we need to change (huge list of corrections to follow)».
TechniCal-klog en af de sværeste illustrationer, jeg har gjort, var et kort over Paris. Jeg ville tegne alt for hånd, så jeg var nødt til at gøre det hele i bestemt skala, og så var jeg nødt til at bruge få A4 -papirer. Jeg ville også opretholde et vist niveau af «belægning» gennem en illustration, og det er svært at opnå, når du tager dig af kort, fordi du altid vil have en masse af de interessante genstande på et sted og ingen af dem i andre . Men når jeg gav mig selv kreativ licens og begyndte at tage dristige beslutninger, der vedrører hvilke steder jeg ville tegne, og som jeg ville springe over, gik det godt. Oprettelse af kort er en af mine største lidenskaber, og jeg vil meget gerne forfølge det videre.
Oana: Er der nogen grafiske designere, du beundrer?
Olga: Hvis jeg skulle navngive dem dem alle, ville det være en betydelig liste, så jeg vil navngive nogle få. Von Glitschka – Jeg har altid beundret hans humor og hans personlighed, der kommer gennem alle hans illustrationer. Steve Simpson – Fantastisk professionel, elsker, hvordan han bruger rummet, teksturer, farver, jeg kan se på hans illustrationer i timevis. Mary Kate McDevitt – fremragende bogstaver, der formår at blande forskellige stilarter på en illustration meget godt. Linzie Hunter, der gør fantastisk og meget komplicerede bogstaver, brugte tekstur og farve meget klogt.
Oana: Nogen anbefalinger til enhver person, der lige er startet som illustratør/grafisk designer?
Vær ikke bange for at være anderledes. Prøv at føle noget, når du skaber illustrationer eller design – verden har allerede for masser af tomme ting, skal du ikke skabe mere. Prøv at sætte dine følelser i det, du laver, og det vil gøre dig bedre. Øv dig hver dag og del dit arbejde, selvom du ikke er 100% glad for det – illustration handler ikke om perfektion, det handler om udvikling og proces. tro på dig selv. Hvis du ikke gør det – find nogen, der vil, enhver kunstner har brug for et supportsystem, ville jeg ikke blive den jeg er og ikke være, hvor jeg er uden min mand, der altid fortæller mig, at jeg kan gøre noget, hvis jeg virkelig vil. Du kan også gøre noget, jeg tror virkelig på det.
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