Make My Holiday 2016

EDIT 11/18/16: A huge thank you to everyone who put their names down this year -- we'll be announcing the pairs tomorrow!

It is that time of year again! We are all finishing up end-of-year projects, gearing up for the holidays, and plotting our goals for the new year! Which means, it is also time for MAKE MY HOLIDAY 2016!

This is our fifth annual holiday art swap - you can sign up to make a new piece of artwork and make a new friend, as you create and swap work with another artist from around the globe!

It is easy to participate. Everyone who signs up before November 16th will be partnered! Write your name and email in the comments below. All of the pairs will be publicly announced on Friday, November 18th.

Example:
Lindsay Nohl
hello@lightgreyartlab.com

Everyone is welcome to join in - it is all about collaboration and spreading the love around the holidays! In the past artists have created a wide range of work including small paintings, photographs, hand-knit ornaments, drawings, zines and more.

The only rules are: 1) That you must make something for your partner -- don't leave them hanging! 2) You also must coordinate with your partner so that each of your wonderful pieces of artwork arrives before the New Year! When you receive your artwork, you should take a photo and send it our way- we would love to see the new pieces!

Artist Interview with Celia Lowenthal

Meet Celia, a New York-based illustrator, who recently graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2016 with a degree in Illustration and a minor in Literary Studies. Last year, she was also the recipient of the 2015 Will Eisner Scholarship Award from the Society of Illustrators.

Celia's work is characterized by her incredible use of color, and her ability to make overwhelmingly believable settings and narratives. Her work stems from her interests in history, ancient literature, mythology, folklore, textiles, and costumes. We've had the pleasure of working with her in our current exhibition Tiny Homes, and also in our upcoming exhibition Midnight! Below, you'll receive a small peek into her practice, inspirations, references, and processes. For more of her work, check out her website here, or her other links below the interview!

Take a look and enjoy!

What does your studio/workspace consist of? Do you have any objects or collections that are always close by wherever you’re working?

My studio is a desk and some storage in a shared space! It's nothing fancy; this is the first real studio I've had and I'm still decorating! I work at home a lot too, so my art and costume books are staying at home for the time being.

I'm not much for tsotchkes, but since my studio is kind of stark I've put a little fairy garden tree on my desk for some visual warmth. I think it's cute and it's where I hide the stand for my tablet pen when I'm not using it. Otherwise, when working I've always got to have a) music b) caffeine and c) an ever-growing pile of books, planners, and other items of dubious usefulness cluttering up my desk. Can't work without them!

Your works always seems grounded in a tangible historical setting (both in setting and narrative), what is your favorite time period(s) to ground your work in? What are your favorite resources for researching those historical periods? Do the narratives in your work come from the setting or vice versa?

I love this question, but honestly, I don't know if I can pick a favorite! I had not expected to associate time periods with children, but there you go. Clothing-wise, Northern Renaissance after Lucas Cranach the Elder may be my favorite, but in terms of setting I think I like late medieval/early Renaissance heraldry and armor best. I love the trappings of tournaments; one of my favorite references is the Nuremberg Tournament book, which is conveniently available to view in its entirety on the Met Museum website! Most of my reference research happens on museum websites or WikiArt.

Usually, the setting is either a) not my invention but rather the setting of the source material or b) a choice I make part way through planning a piece, provided that I am the source material myself. When it's a narrative piece I'm doing from scratch, I usually start with a vague idea for a setting, but it's not the picture's backbone so to speak. It'll often change and is usually just decided by whatever I'm feeling like drawing at the time. So while thumbnailing on Tuesday I may be in a surcoat mood, but on Thursday doing the lineart I might be jonesing for some dagged sleeves instead!

Can you walk us through your process for creating? What does your typical workflow look like in regards to creating artwork?

Everything I do starts as a scribbly thumbnail in my sketchbook. Some pictures I have a very clear mental image of and the thumbnail is just a record of it; some pictures are only discovered in the thumbnail phase. From there I take the thumbnail into Photoshop, blow it up, and do a sketch on top of it. I'll then either start doing line-work right there if it's a digital piece, or I'll print the sketch out and transfer it to watercolor paper with my Lightbox if it's not. Watercolor pieces I usually do in black and white and add color digitally, because I tend to fiddle with colors a lot!

Can you tell us more about your piece for the Tiny Homes Exhibition? What was the story that inspired it? Why did it stand out to you?

The story behind my piece is pretty mundane; I just moved out of my first apartment on August 1st, and it was very emotional. I'd lived in plenty of dorms before that, and so I was really wondering why this experience was so different, and why this apartment felt so much more like 'home' than those dorms. Someone else has probably moved into it by now and that kind of spooks me, to be honest!

I wanted to make something that sort of visualized the process of tenants coming and going in the life-cycle of an apartment. I both feel haunted by the apartment that was, and also like I haunt it myself, now, probably to the extreme consternation of the current tenants: this is how the visual of a haunting ghost came in! In this case, it may be the 'home' that died, rather than the inhabitant. Or maybe, a new and unrecognizable 'home' lives there under the care of its new occupants!

Celia's artwork for Tiny Homes, Light Grey Art Lab 2016 — Celia's artwork for *Tiny Homes*, Light Grey Art Lab 2016

Were there any significant moments while creating the piece for the show?

The movers delivered my furniture? That was a little surreal, making a piece that was about this move out of Baltimore and receiving all my stuff in the middle of it! It added further to the catharsis. The desk now in my studio is actually two desks from my old apartment put next to one another: I had used one, and my roommate used the other! You can tell which was mine from all the teacup rings.

Do you have any exciting projects you can tell us about?

I've got some comics stuff that it's maybe too early to talk about, and something related to Icelandic sagas that I'm super stoked for! On my own time, I'm working on beefing up my portfolio/print shop and planning a couple of short comics I want to do for the small press circuit. I'm still trying to figure out my illustration practice in my new and strange post-college life!

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of art making? Do they influence your artistic practice? What is your artistic community like?

This will sound bad, but I didn't pursue my hobbies that much while I was in college? I honestly never had time during the school year, and of course during breaks I would be too tired. Now that I've graduated I'm trying to get back into reading for fun -- lately, I've been reading 'Egil's Saga' and Dostoevsky's 'Devils' -- and learning embroidery, but I'm a huge workaholic so taking time off still feels kind of unnatural to me.

My artistic community is mostly my friends from MICA, who have all dispersed (tragically) since graduation. It's great to have other young artists for friends; you're all in the same uncertain freelance boat together, and you're all still game to get sent WIPs over Facebook Messenger and give crit every once in a while. Sometimes I even send WIPs over Snapchat! What a time to be alive.

What's your favorite project that you've had the chance to be a part of?

This isn't quite a project, but I had a really interesting and formative experience at Konstfack during my study abroad. It was a very small class and a tight-knit group, but the Swedish students were super welcoming and all the work felt really collaborative. I got to do some things I would never have done at MICA and I learned a lot: it really broadened my perspective and changed some critical things about what I thought I wanted to do in illustration. It was one of those milestone moments that I'll look fondly back on in sixty years, presumably in a rocking chair, and wax poetic about in my lengthy memoirs.

Where can people find/follow your work?
Website
Tumblr
Behance
INPRNT
Instagram

Thanks a ton for sharing, Celia!

Artist Interview with Ileana Soon

Meet Ileana, an illustrator/designer from Borneo, Malaysia. Ileana attended the University of South Australia where she graduated with a degree in Applied Finance in 2009. She later made her way to Los Angeles, where in 2016 she graduated with a BFA in illustration from Art Center College of Design.

She makes work influenced by her love of traveling, impactful movies and stories, and the experiences/adventures she's experienced in life so far. Last year, she had her work featured in Creative Quarterly Issue 41, and she also received a Bronze medal from Society of Illustrators West. This year, she's had work featured in the Tapirulan Illustrators Contest, the World Illustration Awards, and the 3×3 International Illustration Show No. 13.

In the interview below you'll have the chance to gain some insight into her work, process, and her love of traveling. Also, make sure to swung by her website for more examples of her work.

What does your studio/workspace consist of? Do you have any objects or collections that are always close by wherever you’re working?

Depending on where I am working, my workspace consists mainly of my computer and Cintiq/tablet. I work off my laptop which makes it easier for me to bring my work everywhere I go. If am working at home, my space is typically surrounded by markers/pens, the books I am currently reading (I read a few at a time), post it notes, a deck (or a few decks) of cards and a journal that has a list of everything I need to get done on a given day.

I see that you have a huge love for traveling, what are some of your favorite places that you’ve ever been and why? How did they resonate with you?

How much time do you have? (laughs) Thank you so much for asking this by the way! I am so happy that this shines through in my work. I do not think that I have ever had a bad experience traveling around any particular place in general. Traveling is such an immensely rewarding experience and every city/country has a flavor and energy that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. People are lovely almost everywhere you go.

A few places that come to my mind…

Hong Kong - The food in Hong Kong is just incredible! The city feels like a giant ball of energy - it's sights, sounds and smells constantly crying for your attention.

Jerusalem - There is nothing quite like it, but I do not think that I can quite describe it either. The intersection of faith, politics, and history shows a lot throughout the city.

London - I absolutely love everything about London, what I love about it the most is visiting all the museums London has to offer. There is simply inspiration everywhere. Also, I try to catch a play every time I visit the city at The Shakespeare Globe, which is always nice!

Scotland - I think Scotland is such a wonderful place to visit. Edinburgh is a lovely city, it's not too big, but it's not small either. Also, visiting the Scottish Highlands was such an amazing experience as the Scottish landscape is ruggedly breathtaking. My fondest memories visiting Scotland revolve around the simple act of sitting in a warm cafe with my friend waiting for the rain to pass, whilst staring out into the sea at Portree. Those simple moments help me to appreciate how lucky I have been to have been able to travel at all and see all the beautiful things this world has to offer.

Australia - I spent my formative university years in Australia, and 4 years is a long time in which to see an entire country. Australia is fantastic in almost every way: the people are wonderful, the food is a great melting pot of cultures, the landscapes range from very dry to tropical. The quality of life in Australia is great. My fondest memories revolve around a road trip my friends and I took to the Outback; it is amazing how small you and your problems can feel in the universe when you are surrounded by nothing else for miles.

Salzburg - I love The Sound of Music with a passion. So besides going on The Sound of Music tour, Salzburg really surprised me because it was more beautiful than I had ever imagined. I remember having had the fortune of glimpsing a new married couple coming out of a church and seeing their small group of their family and friends celebrate by letting balloons float up into the air. Set amidst the backdrop of its picturesque mountains, it was really magical.

The landscapes in your work seem to always have this incredible sense of scale, space, and setting, what’s your favorite / most coveted source(s) of inspiration during the course of creating artwork? How many of your landscapes draw on your personal experiences while traveling?

Oh! Thank you so much again! My main source of inspiration for my personal pieces are almost entirely based on an experience or feeling I have personally encountered during my travels (ratio of 90:10). I am not a good photographer, and it is very hard for me to capture in words how it felt for me to visit a particular city/country. It is almost as though through the creation of these images, I somehow create opportunities for myself to relive these moments and keep the memories of my travels alive.

Can you tell us more about your piece for the Tiny Homes Exhibition? What was the story that inspired it? Why did it stand out to you?

Whilst researching this concept of what it means to call a place a home, I chanced upon stories of scientists surviving for months on end in the harshest climates in pursuit of their work. Inspired by this, I wanted to explore what ships and temporary tents mean as homes to these brave souls, amidst their work.

Were there any significant moments while creating the piece for the show? (things like challenges you overcame, happy accidents, or unexpected surprises, etc.)

Hmmm, whether I realize it or not, I almost always seem to paint exactly what I am feeling at a particular moment in time. Painting this created all these internal questions: When do you start calling a place a home? Is it a place you settle down into, or is it a place you aspire to be at? Is home a place where you have roots?

Do you have any exciting projects you can tell us about?

Whenever I have the time, I am currently working on a personal project to adapt the story of Romeo and Juliet to my hometown of Borneo set in the 1920s. Hopefully, I will have some paintings to show for it in the future!

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of art making? Do they influence your artistic practice? What is your artistic community like?

I love watching movies and tv shows, but then again who does not? As by now, I am sure you realize that I love to travel! I have also been a big fan of magic (conjuring) since I was a child, and love to watch magicians and magic shows. My sleight of hand has deteriorated (unfortunately) since I have not been practicing much since I went to art school (laughs). Additionally, I read a lot, and the prospect of constantly learning/growing is something that is very fulfilling emotionally.

My artistic community is wonderful and is predominantly made up of the friends I went to Art Center with. Everyone is super talented and very nice (and very kind) and I count my lucky stars every day that I can call them my friends.

What's your favorite project that you've had the chance to be a part of?

In my graduation class, we had an opportunity to create a book collective of all of our work. It stands out as a memorable project as we worked together to highlight our strengths, instead of competing with each other on our differences. It was also a great honor to be in a book along with all of my super talented friends, I assure you they are the superstars of tomorrow (if they are not already!)

Where can people find/follow your work?

Website: ileanasoon.com
Instagram: Ileanadraws
Tumblr: ileanadraws.tumblr.com
Behance: https://www.behance.net/ileanac

Artist Interview with Luisa Uribe

Meet Luisa, a freelance illustrator from Bogotá, Colombia. Luisa graduated as a graphic designer from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, when illustration courses were scarce, but was always convinced that’s what she wanted to do. Luisa also has a MA in Art and Design from the University of Loughborough and has been working as a freelance illustrator for 12 years.

She enjoys working on children’s books and from time to time she works on advertising, editorial illustration and animation. The most recent projects she has been a part of have been nominated for the Lápiz de Acero award, the most important design award in Colombia, and last year her work was selected to be part of the Iberoamerica Ilustra illustration catalog, a prestigious selection of Spanish-speaking illustrators working in children’s literature. Currently she lives in Bogota, Colombia with her boyfriend and her cat Nina.

You can read more about her practice below and see more of her projects on her website here:

One of Luisa's pieces for Illustrations selected for the VI Catálogo Iberoamericano de Ilustración 2015

What does your workspace look like? Do you have any collections or items you keep close to your workspace for inspiration?

I work from home, in a room that is half my studio/office and half my boyfriend’s fly tying bench (he’s an avid fly fisherman and ties his own flies). There’s a big window in front of the drawing table that looks onto the terrace and the city beyond, which makes for a great view when I need a break from the screen.

I’m a messy person, so there’s always a lot of stuff around. There’s a place for sketching next to the computer so I can work on paper from time to time, and I have a growing collection of picture books (my favorite thing in the world!) so there’s always one or two around depending on what I’m working on at the time. I also keep a box on the table for the cat, who has to see what I’m doing all the time.

Where do you look for inspiration? Do you have any favorite movies, TV shows or books? Are there any blogs that you follow, which ones? Are there any artists you look up to and why? What do they do?

I love children’s books of all kinds, but most of all picture books. The unique combination of text and image makes for exciting new ways of telling stories, and there are some amazing authors/illustrators working on these types of books right now. These are the artists I can think of right now, that I’ve been coming back to for inspiration:

They all have books worth investigating!
Shaun Tan, Beatrice Alemagna, ATAK, Isidro Ferrer, Blexbolex, Laurent Moreau (genius!), Isabelle Arsenault , Jon Klassen and Carson Ellis.

There’s also Flying Eye Books, the children’s imprint of Nobrow Press, for great modern picture books.

Could you walk us through the process of how you create one of your illustrations? Ideation, sketch phase and final illustration? Do you have a preferred media, or a favorite/indispensable art tool?

I usually spend too much time thinking. When I start sketching I already have , more or less, a clear idea of what I want the illustration to look like, and if I have the time I try to develop the concept a bit more on paper. If not, I do everything on the computer. After I manage a decent thumbnail I work on the full size sketch, defining details. Then, I work on flat shapes and final color - every shape a separate layer. Finally, I add lines and shading/texture. I cannot live without my tablet, but I like pencil the most, when I have time and freedom to choose.

Thinking about duality and the juxtaposition in artwork, could you tell me about what you created for the Never Odd or Even exhibition? Why were you interested in this subject, and what inspired you to create this piece? Do you have any in progress photos of this project that you could share with us?

I’ve always wanted to make a variation on a playing card, a piece that works upside down but with a more complex concept than just a reflection of the same image. At first I wanted to work with different patterns and two opposite ideas, but in the coloring stage I decided to keep it simple and use a limited palette. One side represents day/human nature, and the other night/wild or animal nature. In the end you can put either face up, it’s just two sides of the same thing.

*Luisa's piece 'Instinct' for Never Odd or Even, 2016*

A lot of your work creates a very adventurous narrative, does that come from your life experiences? Does your traveling and living in different places inspire some of the settings and landscapes you create? Do you have any favorite children’s books that inspire you to create narratives in the magical and fantastical?

I’ve always had a bit of trouble living in the real world. Ever since I can remember I’ve loved stories and books of all kinds, and I used to raid my parent’s library looking for things to read, even if they weren’t age appropriate. When I was in middle school, I discovered fantasy (The Lord of the Rings and such). It was a revelation that immensely complex worlds, completely different from our own could be built and shared, and we could be a part of them even if only for a bit inside our heads.

I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to travel and study abroad, which is not something a lot of people get to do, and it has opened my mind to the way other people live, and to their different stories. I think one of the reasons why I love fantasy and adventure so much is that it’s an escape from the usual narratives and experiences of violence and injustice that permeate Colombian society, even though as an upper-middle class woman living in the capital I’m shielded from the harsher realities of living in this country.

As for books, I have to obviously mention the original escapist fantasy, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Right now, I’m a fan of Laurent Moreau's Jour de Pêche and A Quoi Penses-Tu? and it seems I’m close to attaining every book illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.

Could you tell me a bit more about what your creative community is like? I’d like to hear about how you reach out to other artists and collaborate either in Colombia or in other parts of the world. What have your experiences in different communities around the world taught you about collaboration? Do you have any particular experiences that are special to you in the collaboration of books or other projects?

We have a flourishing illustration community here in Bogotá, something that did not exist years ago when I was in college. There are a lot of initiatives, workshops and events that pop-up around art, illustration and literature, created and cultivated by young people that take advantage of social media and new spaces like galleries and such around the city. I think something that distinguishes us from other communities is that we manage to produce so much with quite little, most of the time resources are limited and there’s not a lot of institutional support.
I can think of two examples of collaboration: One, I was happy to be a small part of this project called Color Piel (in English would be “flesh tone”), a collection of stories put together by Wilson Borja, a fantastic Colombian illustrator and artist. It highlights the experiences of people of color, and the different ways in which systemic racism affects their everyday lives. These kinds of projects are not possible without collaboration and people coming together. And two, a couple of old friends and I have made this tumblr page: Three Human Beans, where we do mash-ups of two different concepts and see what comes out. It’s been funny and weird and a good exercise, even if it doesn’t work every time.

Do you have a favorite project you have previously worked on and why? What makes it unique from the others? What would be your dream project? Is there anything you haven’t done yet that you would love to work on?

Actually, the embroidery piece I did for LGAL’s Patches + Stitches exhibition comes to mind. I would not have discovered embroidery and how much I like it if I hadn’t been a part of it! It was fun to do something in a completely different medium.

My dream project would be the picture book I’m starting to work on and I’m hoping to finish by the end of the year. It would be my first book as an author and something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

Can you talk about any upcoming or current projects you are really excited about?

Sure! Aside from the book I just mentioned I’m working on an illustrated version of Snow White for a British publisher; I was very happy to be given the chance to do a fairy tale, they’re always fun to do. I also just finished illustrating the Spanish edition of a MG book from a well-known American writer, and I was quite pleased with how it turned out, which doesn’t happen so often.

*Luisa's piece 'Little Trees' for the LGAL Stitches exhibition, 2015*

Anything else you would like to add?

I think that’s about it! Thank you!

Where can people find your work?

Website: www.luisauribe.com

Behance: www.behance.net/luisauribe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lupencita for photos and everyday stuff

Tumblr: http://lupencita.tumblr.com for a bit of everything

Thanks a ton, Luisa!

Tiny Homes – Artists Announced!

We are pleased to announce the group of artists who will be joining us for the upcoming Tiny Homes Exhibition. The exhibition will be opening September 15th from 7-10pm and will include new works by 70+ creatives from around the world. The show explores the concept of space, intricacies of dwellings, and what the meaning of "home" may hold for each of us.

Participating artists:
Alex Mitchell, Alex Moore, Alexia Tryfon, Alice Yang, Ameorry Luo, Andrew Kolb, Angela An, Angela Rizza, Anine Bösenberg, Ann Ryan, Anna Dvořáčková, Anne Lambelet, Ashley Mackenzie, Aster Hung, Becca Farrow, Betsy Bauer, Bonnie Branson, Catherine Unger, Celia Lowenthal, Chase Van Weerdhuizen, Chelsea Kenna, Chervelle Fryer, Darla Okada, Dione Charmaine Kong, Dominique Pere, Elisabeth Baumgartner, Emma DuFort, Emmeline Pidgen, Forrest Burdett, Gica Tam, Heather Franzen R., Hollie Mengert, Ileana Soon, Jackie Ferrentino, Jay Rasgorshek, Jeremy Luther, Jesse Riggle, Jessica Cheng, Joe Casanova, John Soleas, Jon Marchione, Jon Westwood, Katherine Henri, Kelsey King, Kendall Quack, Kristin Siegel, Kristina Carroll, Lachlan Herrick, Lara Paulussen, Laura Salgarolo, Leigh Ann Gagnon, Lillian Lai, Lindsay Blevins, Louie Zong, Lynn Scurfield, MÄ Harel, Marisa Seguin, Michelle Lamoreaux, Mira Ko, Mirelle Ortega, Molly Walsh, Natalie Dombois, Nicholas Kennedy, Nicole Xu, Noël Clark, Pablo Rivera, Philippe Poirier, Pierre kleinhouse, Rachel Suggs, Reno Nogaj, Roxann Cole, Samia Ahmed, Sean Dockery, Stacy Fahey, Sunita Balsara, Susan Park, Sylvain Calvez, Varsam Kurnia, Veronica Cerri, Victoria Maderna, Will Kelly, Yan Qin Weng, Yinfan Huang, Z Akhmetova

Artist Interview with Geraldine Sy

Geraldine Sy's work Fashion — Geraldine Sy's work *Fashion*

Meet Geraldine Sy, an editorial and freelance illustrator living and working in Cebu, Philippines. Geraldine studied graphics and media at a local Cebu college, and currently works as an illustrator at Weekend Magazine. Her artwork is known for its gorgeous and vibrant color palettes, well-integrated narrative, and playful environments!

Geraldine's work has been featured by clients such as Wineist and Tesco One Magazine and displayed in DesignUbec's Art + Design Exhibit 2014 and 2015. Last year she was also selected as one of Photoshop's 25 Under 25 artists for Photoshop's 25th anniversary.

We also had the pleasure of working with Geraldine in our current exhibition Botanica. Below you can get some insight into her process and inspirations! Also, be sure to look here for a ton more of her work!

What is your studio/workspace like? Do you have any objects or collections that are always around while you're working that you feel are important to your practice?

My 'studio' is really just a corner of my apartment where my computer and art supplies are, but In my desk I keep this small frog sculpture that creates a croaking sound when you run a stick through its ridged back. I stumbled across it at a shop and just knew that I had to have it.

Geraldine Sy's work How to Befriend a Mountain for Weekend Magazine — Geraldine Sy's work *How to Befriend a Mountain* for Weekend Magazine

A lot of your work seems to explore landscapes and the interactions that we as people have with them. Is that a large interest to you? Was there a specific moment where it became a subject of interest for you to explore in your artwork?

I have always been in awe of nature and the beauty of nature! Most of the literature and art that I admire has a direct connection to nature, it's an inescapable part of being human. The natural world and our interaction with it was a subject that came up again and again when I created work, and now it has become a big part of my work. I believe that our habitat and its health are things that should be taken seriously.

What is your process typically like for creating your artwork? How do you handle your work flow from ideation, to image, to final piece of artwork?

All of my work starts as a sketch on paper, I've never been able to draw properly directly on a screen or tablet. Usually when an idea erupts from my head, I write it down on a small notebook and sketch it when I have time. Then, I scan and use the computer to color and finalize the artwork. My favorite part of creating is drawing on paper when an idea is very malleable and there are offshoots of one idea that I can eventually expand and work on.

Geraldine Sy's work An Ominous Tree for Botanica, Light Grey Art Lab 2016 — Geraldine Sy's work *An Ominous Tree* for B otanica, Light Grey Art Lab 2016

Can you tell me a bit more about your piece for the Botanica exhibition? The lore that you incorporated into the piece is incredibly interesting, what made you want to illustrate the subject that you chose? Does the subject hold any weight with you personally?

When I was growing up, we had a large tree in our yard and all the old folks say that the tree was haunted -- that other beings lived there. There were stories that some of my relatives actually saw these beings in the flesh! I personally take these stories with a grain of salt, but this myth made the idea of a relationship between the paranormal and trees as something natural to me. As a Filipino, these kinds of folklore are very common, and trees become revered beings that deserved respect. Superstitious people would say 'tabi-tabi po' (pardon me or please let me pass) when passing by an eerie tree or place as a way of seeking passage from any paranormal entities that live there. I decided to illustrate the concept because I think that it is an fascinating aspect of my culture.

Were there any significant moments while creating the piece for the show?

I don't know if you could call this a challenge, probably not, but deciding on a color palette for a piece is an endless process for me. I could be coloring for hours and still not be satisfied. So I think it's really helpful when you have an external source that could look at your work and tell you if it's ok or not. My boyfriend is this person for me, so I ask his opinion a dozen times before I turn my work in.

Geraldine Sy's work Dog-Walking for Weekend Magazine — Geraldine Sy's work *Dog-Walking* for Weekend Magazine

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of art making? Do they influence your artistic practice? What is your artistic community like?

I have always loved to read. I have a growing library at home, and most of the books I read are adult literary fiction. I think reading has helped me tremendously as an artist – it makes for some mental exercise – and, I like drawing about the books and articles that I have read. Most of the artwork I do actually ties in with a piece of writing.

Geraldine Sy's work Bookends, Personal — Geraldine Sy's work *Bookends*, Personal

What's your favorite project that you've had the chance to be a part of?

There's a lot of projects that were really fun for me, like the Photoshop feature and Behance reviews, and also this great honor of being a part of Botanica! But really, just being around creative people and interacting with them is very exciting for me.

Geraldine Sy's work Mayari — Geraldine Sy's work *Mayari*

Where can people find/follow your work?

You can find me on:
Instagram: @gerri.sy
Behance: geraldinesy
Tumblr: geraldinesy
Facebook: GeraldineSy.Illustrator

Thanks Again, Geraldine!

Artist Interview with John DeLucca

Meet John DeLucca, a Cleveland-based illustrator originally from Woodbridge, Virginia. At a young age, John decided that he couldn't imagine doing anything other than illustration as a career. After high school, he attended the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, graduating with a BFA in Illustration.

John is currently working as a designer at American Greetings by day, and a freelance illustrator by night. He's done work for bands like Andrew W.K. and Makeup and Vanity Set. Over the last few years he has worked closely with The Protomen, a rock opera band who writes music loosely based of the video game Mega Man. His work is known for incredible amounts of detail, believable world building, and characters that are overflowing with personality! We've had the pleasure of working with John on several projects in the past such as: BOSS RUSH, Rolemodels: The Battle For Vyk'Tornaahl , and his work is currently on display in the ROBO Show!

Below you can read about John's inspirations, process, and favorite robots! You can also find more of his work on his tumblr here.

Take a look and enjoy!

What is your studio/workspace like? What are your favorite materials to work in? What are your favorite/most coveted reference resources?

We have a room at home we’ve designated as 'The Studio' but it’s really more of a storage/guest room, so I do most of my work at a desk and a computer in our living room. As of right now, I mainly work digitally, but early on I painted in oils. Recently, I’ve played with pen & ink and watercolor, but it’s hard to deny the ease of manipulating digital work. It’s both a blessing and a curse, because while it’s incredibly easy to adjust color or composition, the pursuit of perfection can eat up a lot of time.

In a similar manner, when it comes to reference, searching in an analog format just devours time. So, I do pretty much all of my referencing online. It’s such a powerful tool for finding just the right thing. Additionally, I’ll also photograph my own reference using myself or others as models when I need a specific pose or perspective.

John DeLucca's work "Magus" for BOSS RUSH, Light Grey Art Lab and GlitchCon 2014

A lot of your work is centered around incredibly believable characters and environments that seem to come from a real time period and place. What are some of your favorite time periods to make artwork from? Any specific kind of history you're most interested in exploring?

So, I feel like a bit of a fraud here. My love of certain historical eras stems directly from my love of film, and more specifically, genre films. I’m by no means a history buff and my affinity for certain periods tends to be aesthetic. I am very detail oriented, though, so authenticity is important to me and I do spend time researching the subjects or time periods I will be illustrating. I love the look of WWI; the uniforms, the vehicles, even the battlefields themselves have such a unique feeling about them. You can tell the nature of warfare was evolving radically just by looking at it all. The Old American West and Feudal Japan are also among my favorite settings both aesthetically and because both periods operated by rules that are so far removed from society as we know it today as to seem almost alien. History is a master of world building, I guess!

What is your process typically like for creating your artwork? How does your workflow move between ideation/research and putting an image down on paper?

I don’t really like process work, so I spend a lot of time in my head working out the composition; trying to avoid doing a lot of sketches. I’ll do a few sketches, pick the one I like best, and start refining it a bit. Around this point, I try to figure out the details by collecting reference and occasionally doing additional sketches if I have to work out the design of a character or object more fully. Once I figure that stuff out, I do my final drawing. Sometimes, I’ll draw different elements of the composition separately and combine them digitally. For example, I drew the soldiers and the robot separately for my ROBO Show piece so I could be sure that I got the scale I was hoping for. Then, I just go in with color and work that bad boy to death.

John DeLucca's work "U.S.S Paul Bunyan" for the ROBO Show, Light Grey Art Lab 2016

Can you tell me a bit more about your piece for the ROBO Show? Any specific inspirations, challenges, significant moments while creating it? You chose to ground the piece in the realism of WWI, what influenced that decision?

So, this piece is one of a series of work I’ve had beating around my brain for a few years now. I wish I could remember exactly what put it there, but illustrations of robots in historical contexts aren’t exactly new ground. However, I never really felt that other work I’d seen was really nailing it (not to say I did, necessarily). The robots didn’t feel like they belonged in that era; they didn’t feel “authentic”. So, I challenged myself to answer the question “what might this actually look like”? In my research of the war machines of the era, I noticed a lot of hard edged blockiness and straight lines so I brought those into the design. In the early stages of roughing the robot out, I just had a block for the head. Thinking it sort of looked like the bow of a ship, I rolled with the idea that it was basically a walking battleship, and things just started falling into place.

John DeLucca's cover for "The Cover Up" by The Protomen

Are robots something you think you'll continue to explore in your artwork? Any favorite robots? Any favorite real life machines?

This is a whole can of worms, right here. I will absolutely continue doing work featuring robots. I’m a huge fan of robots and have been since I was a kid. I grew up watching Voltron, Gigantor, Transformers, and Robotech, and I’ve been seeking out media featuring robots ever since. I have a pretty good collection of robot toys from vintage to modern, from imported to domestic. The four posters I have hanging in my cubicle at work are Voltron, Terminator, Pacific Rim, and Robocop (I know Robocop is actually a cyborg, don’t start with me). I love robots. If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to say the Veritech fighters from Robotech. They have such a well considered design. They’re the most believable transforming robot I’ve seen.

Do you have any exciting projects you can say anything about?

I’m currently working on my first graphic novel written by my friend Milo Miller. It’s sort of a hyper-violent, biker revenge story. It’s going to be awesome!

What's your favorite project you've ever worked on?

Is it cheesy to say that it was this one? As a totally self-directed art assignment that gave me motivation to bring to life an idea that has been knocking around in my brain for a really long time, the ROBO Show was basically the perfect project.

John DeLucca's work (from Left to RIght) "The Captain", "The Empath", "The Android" — John DeLucca's work (from Left to RIght) "The Captain", "The Empath", "The Android"

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of art making? How do they spill over into your artwork?

I’m an avid film viewer, and honestly, it doesn’t spill, it gushes over into my artwork. It’s actually difficult for me to not just do movie fan art all the time. It’s the same story with video games, really. I’d love to be able to make the intersection of film and illustration into a career somehow. My dream is to work with Mondo or one of the many other great places producing licensed poster art.

Where can people find/follow your work?

They can follow me at johndelucca.tumblr.com or @johndelucca on twitter.

Thanks a ton, John!