Featured Artist: Andy Westface

Featured Artist: Andy Westface

DBH: Where are you from?

Andy: Hello, I was born and raised in Hong Kong. And I'm a freelance illustrator based in Hong Kong now. I really think it’s one of the coolest cities of china, here are so many skyscrapers, and it’s the city that never sleeps.

DBH: How would you best describe your art style?

Andy: I think I'm a big fan of simplicity in vector art, I love that simple but clear and strong feeling so much. So I always try to use the simplest design of character, composition, and colour that can show my feeling to deliver a message. And I have a little habit, I love to re-process and simplify the images which I see, and it’s really helpful to my design and illustration works. I love to using animals elements in my artworks, it’s because of their purity and sincerity. Every animals has her own personality and attitude, we can learn a lot from them, which may help us to be a better people. The most important point though is that they are so cute, and I’m so delighted that I can put them into my artworks. I hope people will like them. And I love the color palette of rainbow so much, I really love it’s bright, joyful and colourful feeling.

DBH: Where do you find your inspiration when creating your art?

Andy: In fact, I like to observe and find points of inspiration so everything can become the themes of my artworks. This inspiration can come from a movie, can come from the daily news, can come from conversations between my friends and family. And sometime I can get some great inspiration from the view out the window from a restaurant or in a car. When I get something, a moment of inspiration, I’ll jot down a words or a quick sketch in my sketch book instantly.

DBH: When did you know you wanted to make a career in the art world?

Andy: I started to draw when I was a child and I loved sketching on my school books all the time. Since my high school graduation, based on some personal reasons, I have tried few type of jobs not concerned with art or design. But I feel it does not suit for me, in my heart I was tempted to try to create something different. Therefore I chose go back to the school and majored in illustration and graphic design. Afterwards I was the art director of a local graphic design company for two years. And now I like to be a freelancer since I can be ” The boss of myself “, and I truly love to be an freelancer illustrator so much.

DBH: What does a day of creating artwork look like for you and how to you start your creative process?

Andy: Although I always keep to draw something every day, It’s hard to say, I think it’s depends on what condition. If I have a very clear idea and image in my mind, I usually can complete the works in few hours or a day. But if not, these kind of pieces can take me a week or month. When I got some idea, I usually start to work after mid-night, with some music and a coke : )

DBH: What artist (either current or past) do you most admire and why?

Andy: I like Joan Cornellà in Spain, his drawings invoke a lighthearted sensibility and an extremely dark sense of humour. I like Blanca Gómez in Spain, her works is instantly recognisable as clean and simple with a twist, unique, full of colour and quirky illustration. And I like Yoshitomo Nara in Japan, his works is deceptively simple. Peopled with entities that call to mind toddlers or infant animals with their balloon heads, persimmon pit-eyes, and pinprick noses, each work is a peek into a world that seems eerily familiar. Their works were inspired me very much.

DBH: What's the best advice that's been given to you as an artist?

Andy: I’m a budding artist myself, but I think learning how to build up your own style is the most difficult thing to work out when becoming a great illustrator. No one can tell you a shortcut to find the way, trying and practicing should be the key to opening the door of success. And I am still trying my best to establish my own style now. And I would say the following to other artist: “It always seems impossible until it’s done”. You should start your illustration career as early as possible and no matter what the results are, just do what you really want.

Featured Artist: BirdBlack

Featured Artist: BirdBlack

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!