Welcome to my
monthly interview feature! I’m so excited to be interviewing all the fabulous
artists, illustrators and designers I’ve meet over the years (both personally
and virtually!) and sharing their artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets
Worm. Look for a new interview on the first Tuesday of every month.
This
month I’m jazzed to be chatting it up with supa-duba-star Illustrator, Lauren
Lowen. I was first charmed by Lauren’s quirky style, during a session of Lilla
Rogers’ MATS online class, and then I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Lauren
last year at Surtex. Her booth and tiger shirt were totally rocking! Lauren Lowen currently
works as an Illustrator in Nashville, TN, and is represented by Jennifer Nelson Artists. A graduate from the
The Rhode Island School of Design, she has taught illustration at various art
colleges and previously worked in the giftware and stationery industry as a
designer before returning to her illustration full-time. You can visit more of her artwork here.
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| Here's the supa-duba-star herself! |
Q: Last year was your
Surtex debut and now you have plans to return again this year. What will
you do differently? What will you do the same?
A: It’s so crazy to think
it’s getting to that time of year again! Last year I was pretty conservative
just because I had a lot to learn the first time around and didn’t want to
overcomplicate things. This year I will do more with my actual booth design
(disclaimer: don’t plan to be amazed. I’m probably still going to look pretty plain
compared to other people!) Last year I learned what clients really liked about
my art and what they wanted to see more of, so that will help me focus my
portfolio this time around. As for keeping the same, I wasn’t afraid to be a
little offbeat last year, and I think that helped me stick out. My plan is to
let my quirky side shine again!
Q: Give us the scoop on
your artistic process—concept to sketches to finished art—how does it all come
together?
A: Whether
it’s client work or a personal piece, it always starts with a line drawing. If
I decide to paint it, I use gouache on silkscreen paper. If I’m working
digital, I ink it and then scan it into Photoshop. From there I have several
libraries of brushes and textures I can use via my wacom tablet. In fact,
sometimes the digital stuff ends up looking more painterly than the actual
painted work! Working both ways is a great way to experiment and prevent
boredom from settling in.
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| Bears with beards—the outdoors never rocked so hard before! |
Q: How has your time
working in-house at CR Gibson influenced your approach to freelance
illustration and art licensing?
A: I
figured the best way to learn about the industry was to be a full-time employee
at a company and learn it from the inside out. I learned how manufactures
worked, what the challenges were for the creative teams, how marketing played a
role in the process, and how art was selected for projects.
By the
time I left, I obviously had a much better understanding of the logistics of
the field as well business matters like pricing and such. I also learned that
my quirky sense of humor and style was not always seen in the industry, so it
made me more confident showing that side of me to future clients.
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| Party time with a tiger—oh, yeah! |
Q: Your artwork has a very
hip and modern sense of humor with your luchadores, beards and pirate santas!
Where does that come from and what continues to inspire it?
A: Thanks!
I’ve always enjoyed characters and entertaining people, so I think those two
elements come together to create that wackiness in my art. When I was younger,
I was a huge fan of comics like Calvin
& Hobbes and The Far Side. The Far Side especially had this very
bizarre humor when you think about it. There weren’t really “jokes” or punch
lines. Instead, Gary Larson made these one-panel comics that would take a
simple premise and turn it upside down. I think there is something like that
going on in my work. I think “Ok, Santas. Santas have beards. What else has
beards? Lumberjacks do…and pirates…and hipsters,” and before you know it I have
a collection based on different silly Santa characters like that. I think my
best pieces are always the ones that excite me even a week or two after the
initial idea. For inspiration, I look at what’s going on in pop culture and see
how I can poke fun at something or reinvent it. Visually, I’m attracted to
street art, folk art…anything heavily stylized is fun to me.
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| LOVED these guys at Surtex last year! |
Q: You have taught art students at numerous colleges. What advice do you give them about how to promote themselves and land actual clients in life-beyond-art-school?
A: I love
teaching! It’s so hard to try and summarize a whole semester in a few
paragraphs, but here are some of the most common things I say to my students:
Don’t label yourself too
much: Many
people miss out on opportunities just because they focus too much on a specific
market while being completely oblivious to similar fields that they are well
suited for. If you’re a children’s book illustrator, for instance, why not look
into creating art for children’s music albums or children’s magazines? Try to
step out of your comfort zone and you’ll probably find a few “cousin markets”
perfect for your portfolio.
It’s OK that your art
doesn’t work for every client known to mankind: My work isn’t right for
everyone out there. Similarly, it’s ok if your work isn’t going to find a home
with every single client in the world. Instead of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades
in order to please every art director, focus on the art you enjoy creating and
market it to those people who truly have a need for it. You’ll be happier and
saner.
Don’t try to do every
social media platform out there: Blogs, Facebook, instagram, pintrest, twitter, newsletters,
youtube… the internet has given us a lot of options when it comes to promoting
our work. Maybe part of the problem is that it has given us too many options and we feel a little
overwhelmed when marketing ourselves. When it comes to social media, pick 1-3
to start with and do them well. You can always adjust or add more, but having
too many outlets that end up getting ignored can make it look like you aren’t
active in your career.
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| Geek chic cute bunny spring florals! |
Q: What do
you anticipate being both the advantages as well as the challenges of being
formally represented as an illustrator?
A: It
really hasn’t been that long since I’ve joined Jennifer Nelson Artists, but I’m
extremely excited about all the projects coming our way. As far as challenges
go, I’m getting use to managing more projects. In the past, I was working on
one or two jobs at a time and then would move on to the next one. Well, now
there are several things to keep on top of! You have to roll with it and switch
gears suddenly if an opportunity comes out of nowhere, especially if the deadline
is a quick one. The huge advantage for me is having the business side of my art
simplified. I really do enjoy marketing and promoting my work, but I recognize
that it eats up a lot of time. With an agent, I’m now able to focus more on the
important part: creating the art!
Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: I’m not 100% sure, but I envision it with Bloody Marys, a good brunch, and hanging out on a patio with friends and my husband just relaxing the day away.