Modern Renaissance Interview Transcript - Issue July 2022

Hi!

In 2022, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Culturally Arts Collective for the July issue of their Modern Renaissance Magazine!

I talked with Shianne Henion about my first book covers and illustrations, inspiration, mental health, and our love for The Folk of the Air book series.

Here’s that interview!

First, I just want to say I adore The Cruel Prince and think it's so cool that you draw so many illustrations of Cardan and Jude. Was The Cruel Prince your first piece of inspiration for creating fantasy art?

I absolutely love The Folk of the Air series, and most of the illustrations you see were commissioned by a German subscription box, Chest of Fandoms. The first illustration I did for them was of Cardan and it definitely changed my art career, but if I had to pick a book that made me realise I wanted to create fantasy art, that would be Nihal of the Land of the Wind by Licia Troisi, not so much for the content, which is an incredible fantasy novel, as for the beautiful book cover illustrated by Paolo Barbieri. I bought this book in 2006 and a year later I was already sharing my (terrible) drawings of mermaids and elves on deviantArt, the largest social network for artists at the time.

Wow, so you've had a long time to progress as an artist. I'll check out Nihal of the Land of the Wind and add it to my TBR. So you've done fantasy since the beginning, it sounds like! Since then, have you taken classes in art, or are you self-taught? And when did you realize you wanted to create art professionally?

I consider myself self-taught, but I have taken a few online classes, still do, actually, because in the beginning I needed to address my weaknesses, so anatomy and colour and light, and now I like to go back to the basics or try out different techniques when I have the time. We never stop learning "how to draw".

I knew I wanted to create art professionally the moment I found out that the artists who illustrate books actually get paid! Before then, I'd always thought that art was a hobby, that animation and illustration and painting were something people 'let' you do. I was unbelievably naive! That moment of realisation came, again, in 2006, when I asked my parents to buy me a book with a beautiful blue-haired girl and embossed gold letters on the cover. I remember that day like yesterday. Paolo Barbieri's book covers changed my life.

Oh, that sounds so magical! I am a firm believer in books having the power to change our lives for the best. How did you start your professional art career? Was it with a book box subscription, or making a cover? Or was it something else entirely? I know you said you started on DeviantArt. I wonder what the art community was like for you there?

I believe that too!

My first real project was a book cover for author A.P. Mobley. Years ago, I was really into mermaids, I think I was actually drawing them every day, and Alexandria, who also loved mermaids, contacted me on DeviantArt to see if I wanted to design the book cover of her debut novel, The Helm of Darkness. It wasn't my first commission, I'd worked on private portraits before, but this was the first commercial project, a book that was going to be actually published and read by people. One novel turned into four, the War on the Gods series, with companion and short stories, and thanks to this ongoing project Alexandria and I sort of grew up as professionals together.

DeviantArt was my second home back then. The artists I followed there helped shape my own art style, some actively giving me tips and critiques. There was a sense of belonging and affinity, and competition too thanks to contests and the daily showcase of the most beautiful submissions. That community really encouraged me to work hard and be a better artist.

That sounds so wonderful! It sounds like having a community is a big part of being an artist. Since your work with A.P. Mobley, you've had plenty of commissions, some of which were for book box subscriptions. You said the illustrations of The Cruel Prince were for a German book box subscription? What was the name, and how did you end up creating art pieces for them?

Yes, Chest of Fandoms is the subscription box that commissioned most of The Folk of the Air art I've created. Monika, the shop's owner, found my illustrations on Instagram and contacted me to ask if they could use an artwork of mine on a product they wanted to include in one of their boxes, and I said yes. After that first license agreement, a collaboration started and continues to this day. In fact, I'm working on an illustration for Chest of Fandoms right now!

Oh, wow! That's fantastic to hear. I'm looking at their Instagram right now and their items look so cool! They sound like a wonderful company to work with. This next question is more geared towards your work in general. Which art piece (of all you've made) was the most personal to you? Are there illustrations that reflect a moment in your life, whether it be a political movement, romantic, or sad moment for you?

Well, I mentioned that I used to be into mermaids. There's one piece called Captured that sums up my life between 2014 and 2017. The main figure is a mermaid sitting on the bottom of the sea, her back turned from the viewer, and her tail pierced by a hook. It's a violent but quiet image and it went viral on deviantArt, but I never liked it myself. I realised that it was a cry for help only years later, when looking at the few artworks I had shared online. They were all of merfolk in dark waters, either hurt or surrounded by a dead environment. I'd gone through depression, a silent phase of bottled-up emotions that sometimes manifested themselves in my voiceless mermaids.

Apologies for the abrupt dark turn taken here!

Captured

You don't need to apologize at all! I think the way you've captured that moment is quite visceral and powerful. Depression is such a challenging thing to combat. It's inspiring that you've found solace in your art to describe it. What was it about Captured that you didn't like? Was it because it held such a personal meaning for you?

I'm not sure to be honest. While the execution isn't great – there are flaws and parts that I'd paint over today – I think I didn't like looking at it because I was in denial. There was a personal meaning and I didn't want to acknowledge it.

Right, that makes complete sense. I feel that way about many of my early pieces of fiction. Since you mentioned Captured went viral on DeviantArt, was there a moment then, or even when you've done other commissions, that you experienced a bout of imposter syndrome? If so, how did you manage it?

I used to experience imposter syndrome quite often, especially when I started collaborating with the authors and publishers I dreamt of working for. I felt like an amateur, faking my way through projects I considered too big and important to be given to someone like me. It took me years to get rid of the sensation and accept that my clients do know what they're doing if they want to hire me, and that my work is good enough. I don't know when it happened but that negative feeling was gradually replaced by excitement for the projects, and way too many ideas and problem-solving-related thoughts to have the time to feel like a fraud.

It sounds like over time you learned to truly trust yourself and your craft. I don't really hear a lot of artists talk about that internal relationship we need to establish within ourselves, so it's nice to know you've established that confidence even if it did take a long time for the negative thoughts to go away. I have one last question for you. Is there an illustration you've done that you wish you could go back and experience drawing all over again? An artwork of yours that brought gave a rush of euphoria throughout the whole process?

Yes, I think that, especially when there are negative and self-sabotaging thoughts threatening to ruin our day or the projects we're working on, it's important to trust and remind ourselves that we're being asked to do what we do for a reason.

Bobby Chiu, an artist I admire, has a YouTube channel where he posts interviews and live streams, and he often talks about stress, anxiety and mental health in general, offering tips on how to overcome these common problems.

There is! I draw Hades and Persephone quite often and this piece, inspired by the beautiful poem Prayer to Persephone by Edna St. Vincent Millay, was my first personal painting of the year. I worked on it over a weekend with no procrastination or breaks, and it was refreshing because I hadn't painted for myself in a long time. I loved rendering every single part, from the blue background and the black sheer curtains to the pomegranate and the asphodel flowers framing the scene.

– End of interview –