Your Full Name
Monika Viktoria

Tell us about you
I’m an aspiring illustrator and artist. I have a BFA from the national Art School in Sydney Australia, majoring in Copper Intaglio Printmaking.

I work in delicate layers of watercolour, in soft feminine shades and nostalgic colours. In my drawings and dreams I live deep within the woods, in a place overgrown by moss and forgotten by time, wandering barefoot in a tattered lace dress… I am inspired by lace and moss, by birds and girls, antlered creatures and long lashes. Secrets, quiet things and grey whispers. Branches and brambles, mist and fog, leaves and vines. In my art I depict an ephemereal world inhabited by coquettish girls wandering as if in a dream. Beauty that is fleeting and transient, that won’t last, that will fade.

In your opinion, what would be the secret ingredients to become a great illustrator?
I’m still searching for those ingredients! I’m trying a pinch of imagination, a cup of dedication, and a bowl full of hard work.

Where are you located?
In a rickety Paddington terrace, Sydney, Australia.

What is the most fascinating part of being an illustrator?
It is bringing my visions to life. I have so many characters dreamed up, it’s lovely to have a way to turn them into something tangible, and share them with the world.

Where do you get inspirations from?
From my life! Whether it’s drawing the girls that I know, or finding inspiration from other artist’s whom I admire, it might come from a passage in a book I’m reading, or a song lyric that moves me emotionally. I am being inspired every day from the things I see and learn.

I am very inspired by artist dolls. Beautiful, eery, whimsical dolls that look just like the girls I draw, made of porcelain or paper clay or from shreds of silk. I’ve become an avid art-doll collector, and they surround me whilst I work, like little muses from a blurry dream.

Do you promote/ sell/ showcase your work? If so, how?
I am trying very hard to promote my work online. I have an art-blog, a DeviantArt Gallery, and a Flickr page. I also have a sweet etsy shop where my work is available for purchase. I’ve been dreaming of a beautiful website for years, and hopefully that will happen this year.

I first exhibited my work in a group show in Sydney last year, and am working towards the next exhibition to be held in late May at Brunswick Street gallery in Melbourne, Australia.

What is your long range goals in your life?
To illustrate children’s books. Lots of them. And to live in a little house by the woods near a river….whilst illustrating children’s books. I cannot emphasize that enough…. It is my greatest dream in life… It sounds so simple, but it would make me the happiest person alive.

What types of assignment/ project are you attracted the most? Why so?
Something with a deadline. I work very well when I know there is a “reason” for it, like an exhibition in a few months or a looming competition date. Otherwise I’ll find side projects to distract me. I can work inhuman hours and through the most crippling hand-cramps if I know there is a deadline – my art thrives if there is an excuse for it.

Who is an illustrator that you look up to? Why so?
I am a great fan of Tony DiTerlizzi, the illustrator and co-creator of the children’s book series ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’. It’s hard to pinpoint why… I discovered his works whilst I was still very young, and at that time they seemed to embody everything I wanted to do. The fantastical worlds he created were everything I dreamt of illustrating back then, I idolised him. I now draw very differently, but will always be fond of his work for that early surge of inspiration it awoke in me.

Now my tastes have matured (somewhat!) I am a great fan of Australian artist Del Kathryn Barton, for her slightly unsettling characters. Her work is at once erotic, ugly, beautiful, intricate, childlike, unnerving, enchanting.

Describe a difficult work/ project situation and how would you overcome it?
Most of the difficulties I’ve faced with my work is stagnation of ideas, lethargy or fear. I went through three years of art school where we were constantly being asked to question what we are doing, why, what meaning we are creating, and where we see our work placed in the broader context of Art History – wow, what a way to terrify any young person into becoming too intimidated to even put pencil to paper. It took me a long time after art school to feel okay with just drawing something for the sole purpose of creating beauty or to learn from. To just draw without fear of how it will be viewed or judged. To just draw for the love of it.

What do you think about the Internet and how it is affecting our lifestyle?
I am a complete internet junkie. The internet has opened up an entire new realm for artists – a means for us to showcase our work to a huge audience. I’ve had people see my work from the other side of the globe, and write to me about their feelings and emotional response. It’s truly a fantastical thing. However, It also means all too often I find myself on the internet rather than at my drawing desk. A lot of my time is spent in front of the computer, trying to “socialise” and get my work out there, time I could be spending creating new drawings. It’s a it of a double edged sword…. with time I think I can make the two work nicely together.

If you could turn back time, how would you do things differently?
I’m at the earliest stages of my illustrating career, I can’t even fathom how I might have done anything wrong so far! I’d like to turn time forward and see if what I’m doing will lead me to achieving my goals, to give me confidence in just continuing along and being strong!

How do you keep your work fresh? Do you need to consciously adapt your style or does it progress naturally?
I think my style progresses naturally based upon new inspirations, new goals, and new techniques I learn. Because all of my models are girls that I know, each new drawing has a different mood, a different psychology, a different personality. I am learning and discovering with each piece.

The last “conscious” adaptation I made with my drawings was changing from working tentatively in pencil (carefully drawing everything out, erasing and re-drawing till the picture was perfect), to my current technique of drawing straight onto the paper with pen. It was an amazing transition. Yes I make mistakes that remain visible, but they become a part of the piece. I’m a lot more confident with just drawing, and am learning a lot.

Name 3 of your favorite (art) books/ magazines.
I love “empty” magazine – no adds, no text, just amazing illustrations and art. They survive solely off subscriptions. Frankie is another favourite, and Juxtapoz.

What is your life motto?
A quote from Matsuo Basho: I do not seek to walk in the footsteps of the masters, I seek what they sought.

In what kind of a work environment do you do your best work?
At my drawing desk. I’ve created a little nest with inspirational pictures pasted all over the wall facing me, art dolls lounging about looking whimsical, all my materials at hand.. it’s very efficient! I used to try to work outside or in parks, but find it very difficult. I prefer my cozy art nest.

What do you like the sound of? Why so?
Whether I like the sounds or not, I have a tiny zebra finch who screams her head off all day, and I live on a busy main street with cars zooming past.

Ideally… there would be a rustling of the leaves outside as the wind winds its way through the nearby forest, songbirds would stop by on my windowsill to trill, a little river would bubble and gurgle nearby…. but alas… I will have to make do with the city for a while yet.

If you have online portfolio, what is the URL?
my etsy shop: www.monikaviktoria.etsy.com
my art-blog: www.thelonglostwoods.blogspot.com
my DeviantArt: www.mayple.deviantart.com

—–

—–

[.]