Illustrator Presentation

For my presentation I chose to interview both Emiliano Ponzi and Jon Klassen. With this project I decided to go with Emiliano Ponzi. Emiliano is based out of Milan,Italy and his work has strong graphic qualities and use of repetition. He uses a Wacom computer and the Corel Painter software to create his pieces.

                                                                      "Dandelion"

                                                                     "School of Fish"

                                                                         "Hoarders"

                                                 "The World's Most Influential Companies"

                                                                        "Butterfly"
                                                      
                                                           Interview Questions and Answers

 1)  What's your favourite website/magazine/book/publications for
 inspiration?

I do not have a favourite book or web resource in this sense. I guess
all could be "inspiration", a picture on google, on a magazine as a
novel or just  a memory.

 2) What was your favourite professional assignment that you ever
did ?

The best assignments are both those where everything go great from the
firts step as those where you struggle a lot to find the right feeling.
I remember one I did in late 2010 for the New York Times op-ed, they
need final in 24-48 hours because it's a daily section, everything
goes very well from the first feedback to the published image. It was
picked for the 2010 notable op-ed art.
Guess anyway all of us think the perfect assignement is still to come,
should be a combo of "great topic+ great art director+ great results+
great money".

 3) What do you do when you can't come up with ideas?

we are artists...maybe, we are pros...sure! It means that we need to
do a job with the same attitude that  a lowyer or an account manager
does,so we have to produce even if it's a bad day or if the buket of
ideas is empty. Here it comes our pro side to rescue us. We start
looking around on books or web, reading the assignements over and over
finding at least a tiny suggestions for the image, trying to look at
the issue with a different prospective (sometimes is just a matter of
point of view) and eventually, at least we could reuse an old idea
with a new make up.
Sometimes from assignements that look boring or impossible to
represent we come up with meaningful and beautiful illustration
capable to win awards or deserved to be exposed. Because we start the
work with no expectations.

 4) Whats the best advice would you give an aspiring illustrator/
 student?

Do not follow trends, take a look at the market but do not build your
style based on mainstream illustration. Be a citizen of your world 
but grow your own touch able to have the communicative strength to go
beyond trends.

 5) How do you advertise yourself/get work ?

Years ago I would have responded that doing a great job is the only
and best way to advertise yourself. Now I think It become partially
true because there is an enormus quantity of images around, especially
on the web, and it's more difficult to come up from the crowd. So sure
doing great stuff is always fundamental but also showing and putting
it under the nose of people we want to work with is pretty important.
Doing masterpieces in our studio is not so effective as doing very
good illustrations in front of a client.