The Illustrator to Adore- Evgeny Kiselev
Evgeny Kiselev is a young Russian illustrator whose amazing website we have chosen among others for one of the previous posts- 31 Russian websites that can inspire you. He’s a 28 years old handsome young designer living in St. Petersburg and inspired by India and nature. He agreed to answer several questions from DesignFloat that we hope you will find interesting. To keep long story short let’s go ahead to the interview
How did you get into illustration design?
Some time ago I was working in design studio of a small entertaining magazine and once in a month I had to prepare bright and interesting images both for the cover and pages. This is when the idea of creating collage- based photos came to my mind and I started working on a tablet…
Months after months my drawing were getting better and better and so I quit in 2004 and traveled to India to clear my soul and thoughts and got so much inspired with its ancient culture, nature, people, religion and traditions that when I got back home I dived deeply into abstract vector illustrations. Participating and winning in some online contests like ComputerLove made me sure of my skills and destination and now I just can’t stop!
Where did you the illustration science?
About 10 years ago when I was thinking of myself as a journalist I was lucky enough to work with the team of talented designers in one of the youth magazines. I was sitting for hours next to them watching how they create, same time I started studying vector programs which greatly helped me to bring my own fantastic images into life. At night and at every free moment I was studying portfolios of great designs and this is probably what I can call my designer “education”.
A new strong design community was born in 2000. It influenced me so deeply that all the journalist’s ambitions were forgotten and I decided to devote my life to graphics design.
Do you have any design awards? Have you participated in any design contests?
Frankly speaking I stopped participating in contests when I felt myself a mature designer and this happened pretty quickly. I just stopped caring what others think about my works, being myself is the most important thing for me. This is the only state of mind and body when I can “create” and no matter whether I’m working for a client or just have some idea- I’m always creating for myself.
What inspires you in your work?
Colorful and bright Asia is my main source of inspiration and I try spending there at least 2 months in a year. This spring I was in Indonesia and I saw bright violet corals in the green water with the yellow fishes and orange stars and as a result, the Snorkeling drawing was born in my mind.
As a rule, all my works are the result of my emotions and feelings in different situations.
How would you call your design style?
It’s really complicated to choose one style only and start working in this direction. My curiosity always moves me to new graphical spaces… A year ago I was fond of making complex ?haotic drawings…..
… now I work for hours on every line I make drawing ideal curves…
But still, the main object of my works are microworlds. Nature inspires me and I try to develop the Biotech-style which is the combination of microbiology and futuristic design.
Please describe your design process from the first sketch till the complete product.
Well, first of all I have to free my mind from all the thoughts and images that have no relation to object I’m creating, I call them informational or emotional garbage. All my works are abstract so it’s hard to say how I actually create them… the most important and vital for me is to believe in what I’m doing. I’m filling with the energy of this belief and then I know what should I do, in which way and sequence. This is probably what is called the inspiration, and these are the only moments when I can create.
How long does it usually take to develop the illustration?
I would say that this depends on my personal interest in this project, it can take a few hours or a few weeks…
You design magazine covers, CD covers, posters, big boards, different types of ads, illustrations for printing on fabric. Taking into account that your clients can never guess what will be the result, in which way do they give you project requirements?
We always discuss the direction to move in. Clients usually send me the samples of my previous works showing the “moments” they are interested in or they simply buy what I’ve already created. I like working with people who respect my creative freedom and are ready to pay for this.
What world famous companies have you worked with?
None too famous yet, but I’m sure I will one day. So far among my clients are Snickers…
… Miller…
Philip Morris, SanDisk, Unicef, Computer arts…
… Rojo…
… J&B, Smart.
What illustration you love most from your collection? What’s the history of this illustration?
I don’t really have a favorite one. Most of all I like works that remind me of some bright event and that is usually when I go back home from some country with my head full of images and emotions.
Are there periods when you feel blues and can’t work? What helps you?
I imagine that my tablet is the source of energy and power and I start creating…
Some tips for a starting illustrator
The most important is to always surprise yourself.
Thanks Evgeniy! You can find portfolio of this amazing illustrator at ekiselev.com.
