Designer of the Week – handlettering illustrator Olga Zakharova

A fascinating walk into the handlettering world of Olga Zakharova
You know us and our obsession for typography design. So why not delve deeper into this world, with the help of a very talented illustrator, who caught our eye while browsing the very resourceful creative Market. If you know the quality level on the site, you understand how hard it is to stand out.
Well, we loved Olga Zakharova so much that we wanted to know a lot more about how she creates such charming fonts, that seem to effortlessly blend with the sophisticated background she chooses for each of them. just as expected, there is a lot of work and dedication behind every illustration, and the attention to detail is something that not all know how to master. but Olga is one of those people who turns details into real art. read the interview and see what we indicate ?
OANA: Please tell us a lot more about your art and design background. What made you become a designer?
OLGA: I was actually never planning to become a designer or an illustrator. I loved to draw when I was a child, but I never learnt how to do it appropriately and I always thought that I am not good enough in this. So I chose a different path – I became a journalist, worked for several years as a sport reporter in one of the oldest sport newspapers in Russia. then I made a decision to change profession, got my second diploma and became a psychologist. but then my spouse and I made a decision to leave Russia and went to live in Thailand – it was tough to continue what I was doing before because both of specialties require Russian language to be spoken. at that time we met some people who were earning money by creating illustrations for microstock sites. I thought it won’t hurt to try, read some information about vector illustrations on the web, opened Illustrator and created 10 vectors for an exam. I passed it from the first go and that’s how my journey started.

after that I spent hundreds of hours learning about design, illustration, logos, color, shapes, – generally everything that is somehow connected to visual arts online. I believe that education is a life-long process, so I try to learn as much as I can whenever I get a chance. and I think I am still becoming a designer.

OANA: how or when did you start illustrating on a professional level?
OLGA: about two years ago, when I started working not only for microstock sites, but for private clients and businesses.
OANA: Where does your inspiration come from?
OLGA: For me inspiration is in some way similar to love – it’s some odd sort of chemistry that is so tough to describe and at the same time so easy to feel when it’s there. It absolutely has something to make with passion, desire to speak through the drawing or design, believing in your abilities. And, of course, good cappuccino helps too.

OANA: how would you describe your style?
OLGA: Organic, with harmonious relations between negative space and objects and a bit of humour.
OANA: What tools you use? Do you go 100% digital or is there paper involved?
OLGA: My «toolbox» consist of mechanical pencil, ink pens (different sizes), eraser, light table, scanner, Wacom pen & pencil tablet, macbook. also I use regular «printer-quality» paper. I travel a lot, so I tend to have only things that I actually use.
I always start with a paper sketch. first thumbnail sketches are normally done by ink pen (so I won’t feel an urge to right every line), then I step to the cleaner version which I make with a mechanical pencil, than I do ink version and only after that I scan to. I would say that I spend 50% of time working analog. For me it’s much easier to right a lot of of things on paper. recently I’ve shared my process on the blog of my website.

OANA: Is there anything that you specifically avoid using in your illustrations?
OLGA: drawing people. I can do that, but I am never very delighted with the result. before I was self-conscious about that and even wanted to go to some «anatomy drawing» classes, but then I realized that there are so lots of things that I can draw and take pleasure in it at the same time, that I don’t need to spend this time trying to learn what I don’t like.

OANA: What was the hardest job/illustration you have ever worked on?
OLGA: probably my first job that I did for a client. The design itself wasn’t that tough – it was an infographic about a taxi company that they were meant to show to the investors to attract a lot more money. but the client made my life a living hell for some time. however it was a terrific lesson: don’t ever agree to work with a client, if from the start you feel that you are not on the same page (and probably even not on the same book, hell, you are in the different library!). everything was meant to be done «yesterday», each time I’d show him a design he would say something like «that’s wonderful, but we need to change (huge list of corrections to follow)».
TechniCal Wise Jedną z najtrudniejszych ilustracji, jakie zrobiłem, była mapa Paryża. Chciałem narysować wszystko ręcznie, więc musiałem to wszystko zrobić w określonej skali, dlatego musiałem użyć kilku artykułów A4. Chciałem też utrzymać pewien poziom „obłożenia” podczas ilustracji i trudno jest to osiągnąć, gdy dbasz o mapy, ponieważ zawsze będziesz mieć wiele interesujących obiektów w jednym miejscu, a żaden z nich w innych . Ale kiedy dałem sobie twórczą licencję i zacznę podejmować odważne decyzje dotyczące tego, które miejsca będę rysować i które przeskakuję, poszło świetnie. Tworzenie map jest jedną z moich największych pasji i chciałbym kontynuować.
OANA: Czy podziwiasz jakichś grafików?
Olga: Gdybym miał je wymienić wszystkie, to byłaby znaczna lista, więc wymienię kilka. Von Glitschka – zawsze podziwiałem jego humor i jego osobowość, które przechodzą wszystkie jego ilustracje. Steve Simpson – Wspaniały profesjonalista, uwielbiam to, jak używa przestrzeni, tekstur, kolorów, mogę patrzeć na jego ilustracje przez wiele godzin. Mary Kate McDevitt – wybitna artystka literowa, która bardzo dobrze łączy różne style w jednej ilustracji. Linzie Hunter, która robi wspaniałe i bardzo skomplikowane elementy literowe, bardzo mądrze używał tekstury i koloru.
OANA: Jakieś słowa rekomendacji dla każdej osoby, która dopiero zaczyna się jako ilustrator/grafik?
Nie bądź przerażony, aby być inny. Staraj się coś poczuć, gdy tworzysz ilustracje lub projekty – świat ma już zbyt wiele pustych rzeczy, nie stwórz więcej. Spróbuj włożyć swoje emocje w tym, co robisz, a to uczyni cię lepszym. Ćwicz każdego dnia i dziel się swoją pracą, nawet jeśli nie jesteś w 100% zachwycony – ilustracja nie dotyczy perfekcji, chodzi o rozwój i proces. uwierzyć w siebie. Jeśli tego nie zrobisz – znajdź kogoś, kto to zrobi, każdy artysta potrzebuje systemu wsparcia, nie stałbym się tym, kim jestem i nie będę tam, gdzie jestem bez męża, który zawsze mówi mi, że mogę coś zrobić, jeśli ja naprawdę chcę. Możesz też zrobić wszystko, naprawdę w to wierzę.

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