Monika Filipina is a very talented new addition to our Plum Family- read about her life as an illustrator below!
Where
do you live/work?
I
live in my hometown Torun in Poland with my husband, son, and two cats in a loft
apartment where I work in a small studio space on the attic.
What
do you like about living there?
Torun
is a lovely city with beautiful old town, where you can find lots of cafes and
restaurants.
Our
place is really charming too but gets super hot in the summer! I like working
from home. I enjoy my studio space and the fact that I am free to start and
finish work whenever I want to. It also means that I can wash the dishes and do
the laundry while working (not really).
What do you love most about being an illustrator?
Everything.
Ever since I can remember I loved to draw and dreamed that one day I will be
able to make living out of it. I love drawing, painting, books and being
surrounded by beautifully designed things. Being an illustrator means that I
get to do what I love for most of the time. I can also do it wherever I want
to. Sometimes we go away to the woods with my family for a couple of weeks and
I am free to take my work with me there.
It
also means that I can have huge children’s books collections with no shame.
How do you work – what are your techniques?
I
usually use gouache paints and colour pencils, but I also love incorporating collage
into my illustrations. I have recently started to work a little more in
digital, but I still prefer raw, hands on techniques.
What
is your favourite thing to draw and why?
Cats.
They make fantastic models and every cat is such a character!
Do
you have a particular favourite character that you’ve illustrated?
This
changes, but that would definitely be an animal of some sort. I usually get
attached to the character I work on at the particular moment. Currently my
favourite is a little mouse.
What
or who are you most inspired by?
I
get inspired by many things - nature, animals, children, holidays, funny
situations, books. I believe that everything in our every day life can be
inspiring. When I feel that I particularly need some inspiration I like to take
a break, go for a walk in the woods or coffee in the old town.
Do
you have a favourite illustrator?
There
is a few that I particularly like - Marta Altes, Oliver Jeffers, Beatrice
Allemagna, Kate Hindley, Benjamin Chaud.
What
do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not illustrating?
I
like yoga, fitness and reading books. On
the weekends I enjoy traveling with my husband and son.
How did you get into illustration?
I
always dreamed of being an artist. From a young age I took art classes and
finished art high school, but instead of applying for University of Arts, I
suddenly stopped believing that my dream would ever be possible. I tried to
study Political Sciences and Polish philology which I both found extremely
boring. I decided to go to Scotland to work over the summer. At the time I
really missed art so after the summer, instead of going back home I went to
college and took art classes. When I found out that in the UK it is possible to
actually study ILLUSTRATION that was it! I knew I had to apply. I did not
really believe in myself this time either so by the time I got my acceptance
letter back I was already home! That meant, that once again I had to pack everything and move back to the
UK. Right after my BA got my first illustration job and decided to take an MA
course in Children’s Books Illustration in Cambridge.
What
are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators?
Believe
in your dreams, never give up and draw as much as possible.
What
were your favourite books when you were younger?
I loved "Winnie the Pooh” and "Just so Stories”. I also grew up with Harry
Potter and read every book a couple of times.
What
was the last book you read? What did you think?
What
are your aspirations for the rest of 2018?
To
complete the deadline and to do a little bit more travelling before the summer
is gone!
What’s
your ultimate dream?
I
would love to move to a greek island and focus on working on my own picture
books!
