Interview with Nathanna Érica

I have always loved to draw, ever since I was very little but it was about five years ago that I really started to consider a career as an artist. Initially, the big plan was to follow on my parents' footsteps and become a lawyer - I even graduated from Law school -, but after I had finished it, it dawned on me that Law wasn't my passion at all. I was born to be an artist. My family always encouraged me no matter what, so that made everything considerably easier.

The three most invaluable aspects to me when working on a new project are (1) the design itself, an initial sketch to help me put on paper the idea that is floating on my mind; (2) the color palette I’ll be using for my design and (3) the artwork’s composition, which is the combination of the design and the colors. My central theme is trying to make all my designs visually appealing with strong vibrant colors. Technology helps me with the sketching process, but I usually start with a graphite sketch, so my reliance on it is only up to a point. Depending on the design, if it’s made with mixed media, technology is used to make the final adjustments and corrections on the artwork. If it’s a digital design, then it’s all made with software. My approach to a new project is often filled with excitement and anxiety haha!

At the beginning of the whole process, I feel a bit anxious because of the many challenges I have to deal with until the artwork is finished. The composition, the color palette, the art style, all these aspects need to be carefully thought of. Once things are well underway and there is at least a semblance of a design coming together (ha!), then I get to feel a bit more relaxed.

I’ve always had a vivid imagination (or so my family says!) which I believe played a big part in my decision to ultimately become an artist. Also, I like to think that my background in Law is very useful when taking up a new job with a company, or any job, actually. Knowing one’s rights is essential and for someone who is still navigating these new waters, it can be a valuable asset. Of course, we don’t need to study Law to become a good artist, but in my case, this extra knowledge was and still is very important to me.

The past five years have been unbelievable in terms of growth. I never attended any art school before I decided to pursue a career as an artist, so I had to learn so many things in so little time. I think social media helped me a lot during my growth path, specially because it connected me to people who were interested in what I was sharing. That is something which I’ll always be immensely grateful for.

My biggest advice would be that they should listen to their hearts way sooner than I did! I always had that great inclination towards arts in general, but it took me five years of Law school to realize that I didn’t want to follow any legal career. I’m very grateful for all that I learned during those years and for the friends I made along the way, but I think it would have been nice to be preparing myself to be an artist for longer than I have.

I still find it difficult to see myself as a successful, professional designer. I feel like I’ve only just begun, so I’d tell other designers what I tell myself: patience and dedication to your craft are essential. Find what you love doing the most, start by doing what your comfortable with and then try to expand it outside of your comfort zone. I started working only with paper at first, but as I’ve been exploring other techniques, I found that there really isn’t anything we can’t do if we just put our minds to it.

I usually start my business mornings going through my emails in order to organize my priorities. Lately, things have not been exactly boring, but whenever I feel like a task is somewhat a bit dull, I tune up my favorite playlist and get right to it! The biggest “little” thing that makes me happy is enjoying every step of the process of creating a new artwork and knowing that I’ll wake up the next day and get to keep working on it.

I don’t really keep up with design trends. I have my personal style and I like to create artworks that reflect that. I love working with traditional media, most notably paper, and I’m also deeply influenced by the midcentury style of children’s books illustrations so one can easily see that the latest trends are not really my major source of inspiration (laughs). I’d stick with creating a collection that is purely my own, although I’m always open to new ideas.

I believe that a well-designed project can be considered good or successful when it achieves its purpose. When it conveys the message that the designer intended to express. Each design has a different message to convey, so that is a very subjective question which I’m in no way qualified to answer!

Oh, I always think there’s still one last touch to add when I’m near the completion of my design. For me, it’s so difficult to say when the design is completely done, but I guess we should stop at some point! I believe there will always be a way to improve it but we can’t keep working on a single project forever so after a reasonable amount of time dwelling on it, it’s better to move on. Sometimes I wish I had more time to fix some of my older designs and I’m tempted to improve them but it’s also nice to see the evolution as the years go by.

I’m really satisfied and proud of my design for the Christmas official stamp I designed for Correios do Brasil, which is Brazil’s main postal service. The challenges were more related to deadlines but other than that, I had complete freedom to explore the many possibilities of the theme I was given (the story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier) and so it was a very satisfying experience overall.

I have several artists that I look up to. Even though their main field was Animation and Illustration, I really love the works of Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, J. P. Miller and Marc Davis. Also, Walt Disney’s nine old men are one of the greatest sources of inspiration to me and it would have been wonderful if I had had the chance to talk to them!

I was born in Brazil and my love of colors, different textures and patterns have certainly been determined by the fact I grew up in this diverse and challenging society. Music is definitely a big part of my creative process. I think that good design, just like art in general, is extremely necessary for a society’s development, especially in a country like mine. We have many problems to overcome, such as poverty, famine, corruption, and art is often seen as something superfluous, so I feel that winning an award such as this is incredibly important in order to promote the idea that only through education and culture can we bring relevant advancement to our society.

As a freelance artist, I work alone most of the time. One of my biggest dreams is to work in an animation studio, where all the artists need to work together and teamwork is the most important aspect. I don’t know how “easy” I am to work with (ha!) but I suppose one of the challenges of growing up and being an artist is to put aside our egos for a moment and learn to be more empathetic towards one another.

Last year I was contacted by Come Unity, which is an organization whose mission is to partner with East African communities to develop sustainable solutions to poverty in underdeveloped countries, and I was so happy to be asked to donate one of my artworks to help them raise money during their annual online auction. I find it extremely satisfying to know that being an artist gives us the chance of at least trying to bring a little more beauty and happiness to the world and to know that many fellow designers are deeply involved in such a worthy cause makes me incredibly proud. I’m still at the beginning of my professional life, but philanthropic work is something I care about as much as my work as a designer and I hope I have the opportunity to do both for as long as possible.

I can think of many benefits of being a part of design awards and competitions, but mostly the fact that they give the designer the opportunity to share their work with others and touch people’s sensibilities, which - speaking for myself – makes it all worthwhile. All this has been so thrilling! I’m extremely happy to be Designer of the Day!

It all started out of curiosity, really. I was recently fresh out of college, and I considered art to be a hobby. But when I saw that perhaps art was what I was supposed to do all along, I changed my whole perspective. I became a designer because it’s what I really love to do!

I definitely chose it. Or better yet, it chose me.

I design mainly illustrations. It’s something that I like to do a lot, so I’m pretty content with it!

Oh gosh, I should be the person asking that of one of my idols! I suppose I’d tell them what I tell myself each morning: keep your chin up, get through the day by trying to make the most of it. Don’t entertain those thoughts of “I’m not good enough”, “I can’t do this”, “what if…”. It’s so easier said than done, but like exercising our muscles, we need to constantly fill and train our brain with positive thoughts. I know I do!

I think that a good designer gets the job done but a great designer immortalizes the message they want to convey.

I believe that a well-designed project can be considered good when it achieves its purpose. When it conveys the message that the designer intended to express. Each design has a different message to convey, so that is a very subjective question. There are certain aspects to be considered, of course, such as functionality, creativity, the degree of its impact on society etc., which ultimately can helps us determine whether the design is good or not.

I’d love to redesign the covers of the Lord of the Rings book trilogy. Or The Hobbit, or The Silmarillion haha! Any of Tolkien’s works, to be honest. I live for those stories, and I have been I love with them since I was eleven years old.

I wish I had the time to continue to work on my graduation film. It’s an original story that I developed for a three-minute short film, but I’d love to be able to expand that project someday.

I’ll have to tell you that once I figure it out! What I have experienced, however, is that persistence is key. I believe it's the acknowledgement that we are always learning new things, the determination to keep going forward and constant practice. Draw everyday!

I think it’s essential to try to draw every day. Practice makes perfection.

I’d have become a lawyer or something else in the legal field. I actually finished Law school, believe it or not (and l even have my bar association card!).

It’s an extension of the artist’s soul. It takes so much courage to show to others something that is so close to us, and to design something is exactly that. It’s the visual expression of one’s identity.

My family, no doubt! Mom and dad for life!

My own determination and the unwavering support of my family, for sure.

The greatest obstacle was probably the fact that I never really got the time to study in an art school. I had to learn everything by myself.

I want to be able to make people’s day a bit brighter and colorful. It’s one of the reasons I love working with illustration so much.

I’m currently working on my visual development portfolio, during most of the time. I’ve also found a literary agent and she’s helping me put together my first picture book. To be honest, there are plenty of exciting things happening right now and I can’t wait to see where they will take me!

In a way, all my works give me the satisfaction of seeing them evolve from a messy sketch on paper to a finished artwork. I don’t think I can choose a favorite; they all are very dear to me.

It usually takes me one week. Ten days at the most. Depending on the project, it could be some couple of weeks.

Oh, it all usually starts with some very rough sketches. Really, it’s such a mess at first!

I use it to make some final adjustments and corrections to my paper artworks. When painting a digital illustration, technology is essential for me to achieve the final result.

I have a Wacom touch and I draw on it using Adobe Photoshop.

Probably something along the lines of “why didn’t I thought of that?” haha!

I really don’t know. I work mostly alone, so really no idea. But I’d say it should be someone who’s open to suggestions and willing to listen.

If I’m being honest, whenever I start working on a new project, I don’t have that much time to interact with a lot of people about said project. Most of my friends are lawyers, so there’s also that!

I have many “The Art of” books, I love those! I love seeing the concept pieces and thought process behind our most beloved animation films. So much inspiration!

This is something that will always be an ongoing process. Baby steps, learning a little bit of this and a little bit of that every day, and being patient. I’m mostly self-taught, so I had to take the harder path.

This one is easy! Audrey Hepburn, no doubt! How I adore her! I’d give anything to just be able to tell her how important she was and is to so many people, myself included. I grew up watching her movies and wondering how such a graceful person could ever have even existed in the first place!

This is my first award ever, so I’ll let you know once the penny has actually dropped!

I love magenta, and every hue of purple! Places, places…well, I love to travel but I’ll always long for the comfort of home. I really like fish and chips haha! Winter is my absolutely favorite season. Favorite thing as an object? I love my music player. Hmm, I don’t have a favorite brand, but I’ll say that I generally love all the brands that are concerned with the environment and don’t use animals like guinea pigs.

Keeping myself constantly motivated is not always easy. As an artist, I feel like our day-to-day insecurities and anxieties can be very detrimental to creativity and they have a huge impact on productivity so I try to keep these emotions at bay, try to focus on my physical and mental health with positive thoughts and meditation, in order to have the best day possible and get the work done. My greatest motivation is knowing that I get to do what I love most of the time!

Absolutely not! I always loved to draw but it wasn’t until recently that I started to dedicate myself completely to a career in the creative/artistic field. I must say that I have a hard time labeling myself a “great designer”. I feel like I’ll always have tons of things to learn.

I really couldn’t say. Things are progressing faster than ever, in pretty much every aspect of our lives, so any prediction would be just a shot in the dark. However, I try to keep being hopeful, hoping for a better world for the future generations, despite knowing that if we don’t act today, right now, there’s little point in just wishing things will get better.

I’d like to just take a moment to thank you all for the opportunity to share some thoughts about my work. It means the world to me and to think I’ve actually come all this way is something more gratifying than anything I’ve ever experienced.

My design studio is pretty much just myself (with the invaluable help and support of my friends and family, of course).

It’s an extension of the artist’s soul. It takes so much courage to show to others something that is so close to us, and to design something is exactly that. It’s the visual expression of one’s identity. If we add that subjective aspect to the functionality and relevance expected of an object, I believe we can have an idea of what design means.

I really like creating my own art, which is basically pretty much all I’ve been doing lately in order to complete my visual development portfolio. Illustrations are my one true love, so that’s what I like to design the most!

This Tiny Little World set of illustrations was my favorite even before I knew I was going to be awarded for it, so it’s definitely my favorite piece now!

One of my first designs was a logo made with paper cutting and collage for a lovely boutique called Monika Rose San Francisco, in 2016. I had never designed a logo before, and it was so fun and challenging to create it using only paper and gouache.

My favorite material is paper, absolutely! As much as I love drawing and painting on my computer, I always come back to basics, which, in my case, is paper collage.

Artists are very sensitive people, and being a Highly Sensitive Person, I need to be free of anxiety in order to unleash my creative powers. It’s not always easy, but a good playlist and a 30-minute walk usually help me put me in the right mindset for a new artwork!

Oh, the composition and the color palette. I like to spend a bit more time on these aspects before I start working on the art itself.

At the beginning of the whole process, I feel a bit anxious because of the many challenges I have to deal with until the artwork is finished. The composition, the color palette, the art style, all these aspects need to be carefully thought of. Once things are well underway and there is at least a semblance of an artwork coming together (ha!), then I get to feel a bit more relaxed.

Relief! Oh gosh, so much relief and joy! I can get pretty stressed out when working on a new project, but once it all starts to fall into place, it’s so nice to get that wonderful feeling of accomplishment wash over me.

I believe a design is successful when it achieves its purpose. When it conveys the message that the designer intended to express.

I think that aspects like functionality, creativity, the degree of its impact on society etc., can ultimately helps us determine whether the design is good or not. I like the idea of the “ten principles of good design”, according to design legend Dieter Rams: he said that design should be innovative, make a product useful, be aesthetic, make a product understandable, be unobtrusive, be honest, be long-lasting, be thorough down to the last detail, be environmentally friendly and involve as little design as possible.

As an artist, we have the ability to evoke people’s emotions, which is, for me, one of the most rewarding aspects of this career. Art is such a sublime form of communication and we own it to society to use it as tool to help fight the good fight.

I’m pretty terrible at predicting things, but I’d say that we are going towards virtual reality and designs that are more related robotics and other technological advances. It’s just a guess, but we are probably heading that way!

I never had my artworks exhibited before, so this is all pretty new to me!

I’m very inspired by the movies and TV shows I watch. Classic animation films also played a huge part in my development as an artist and I guess all this shows in my style.

My style could be seen as a mixture of vintage children’s illustrations and early animation movies. This is a style I have always found fascinating and I try to constantly explore it.

I live in São Paulo, Brazil. My city is one of the biggest and busiest in the country, and living here certainly affects the way I create my designs. I was born in a very colorful and diverse country, and I think my fascination for color and diversity can be seen in many of my artworks.

Being a freelance artist, I haven’t had much experience in working with companies. Although I have done work for some companies, I’ve retained some freedom to create what was asked of me. I hope to also experience the dynamics of working inside a company, being an employee rather than working independently. I think it will help me grow a lot professionally.

I believe that companies are interested in artists who can relate to their brand, who can bring their own unique styles to the table and help them grow their intellectual property. I think social media can be a very useful tool in helping young artists display their body of work and make this connection between the designer and the company.

The project usually starts with reference research before the initial sketches. The second part is sketching some ideas and then copying the graphite sketch to the papers used for the creation of the artwork. After that, it is necessary to put the pieces together, like a puzzle, in order to create the 3D effect of these illustrations. Once the art is finished, it is ready to be photographed and printed.

I have some fashionable lamps on my desk and a very exotic pair of scissors called Phi, that I bought from Italy (yay!)

I usually start my business mornings going through my emails in order to organize my priorities. After I sorted out what I need to do first, I tune up my favorite playlist and get right to it! At the moment, I work from home, so I need to pay attention to not get too involved with work and forget about the other aspects of my life.

My biggest advice would be that they should listen to their hearts way sooner than I did! I always had that great inclination towards arts in general, but it took me five years of Law school to realize that I didn’t want to follow any legal career. I’m very grateful for all that I learned during those years and for the friends I made along the way, but I think it would have been nice to be preparing myself to be an artist for longer than I have.

Being a designer is no different from other professions, but I could list some of the positives as: we get to work with what we love; we get to put our creativity and imagination to some good use; we get to draw for a living, basically. As for the negatives, I’d associate them with the fact that, being a freelancer, we can easily blur the lines between our business hours and the rest of our day. There aren’t really fixed working hours, so we have the risk of being burned out or just plain stressed out. I can’t really speak for those artists who work in a company, but the demands of the job and the many rushed deadlines can be listed as slightly negative I think.

I believe my golden rule is to go with instinct. We can think of several “do’s and don’t do’s” when working as a designer, but in the end, each project is different and the only constant is our experience.

I would venture to say that an imaginative mind is essential to anyone who wishes to work with design. Other than that, it’s practice, practice, practice.

I use a lot of colorful papers, my trusted pair of scissors, gouache, color pencils, sketchbooks and a copy of “The Nine Old Men”. The software I use the most is Adobe Photoshop, and I’ve just started playing with my iPad Pro.

I really need a constant reminder to separate my social life from my professional life, because being a freelance artist can totally blur the line that separates my business hours from the rest of my day. It’s the burden of loving what you do, I suppose.

It usually takes me one week. Ten days at the most.

People often ask me if my artworks are made with digital or traditional media. The layered papers and the overall 3D look of my paper pieces make people wonder if they were digitally created or not.

I think I’m about to experience it, in the next few weeks. I’ve recently been contacted by a company that basically offered me my dream job, so I guess my most important job experience is yet to come!

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with HarperCollins Publishers, Blue Dream Studios, Storytime Magazine, Correios do Brasil, Birdo Studio, just to name a few. There’s also a big one to be added soon! Things to come!

I love illustrative designs, the kind that allows me to tell a story using just visual elements.

I have many plans, but my biggest one is to have the opportunity to work in an animation studio. Among other things, I’m working on my first picture book, so let’s see how that goes!

I am a one woman army haha! All by myself, except when I’m freelancing for a company/studio, in which cases I need to follow their instructions and/or work with a team of artists.

I have so many projects in progress right now! Apart from my freelancing work, I’m currently working on my visual development portfolio, which comprises of many different styles of art, such as life drawings, painted backgrounds, character model sheets, and every visual element that is needed for the animation industry.

They can send me a message on my website (nathannaerica.com) or email me at nath.hanna.erica@gmail.com. My Instagram (@theartofnathannaerica) is also open to comments and suggestions!

These have been some pretty comprehensive questions! Nothing to be added! I’d like to take a moment to thank you all for the opportunity to share some thoughts about my work. It means the world to me and to think I’ve actually come all this way is something more gratifying than anything I’ve ever experienced.