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)».
TechniJednou z nejtěžších ilustrací, které jsem udělal, byla mapa Paříže. Chtěl jsem všechno nakreslit ručně, takže jsem to musel udělat všechno v určitém měřítku, a tak jsem potřeboval použít několik papírů A4. Také jsem chtěl udržovat určitou úroveň «obsazenosti» po celé ilustraci a je těžké toho dosáhnout, když se staráte o mapy, protože vždy budete mít spoustu zajímavých předmětů na jednom místě a žádná z nich v jiných . Ale jakmile jsem si dal kreativní licenci a začal dělat odvážná rozhodnutí týkající se toho, na která místa bych nakreslil a která bych přeskočil, šlo to skvěle. Vytváření map je jednou z mých největších vášní a ráda bych to dále sledovala.
Oana: Nějaký grafičtí designéři, který obdivujete?
OLGA: Kdybych je měl pojmenovat všechny z nich, byl by to podstatný seznam, takže jmenuji alespoň některé. Von Glitschka – vždy jsem obdivoval jeho humor a jeho osobnost, která prochází všemi jeho ilustracemi. Steve Simpson – úžasný profesionál, miluj, jak používá prostor, textury, barvy, mohu se dívat na jeho ilustrace celé hodiny. Mary Kate McDevitt – vynikající umělec s nápisem, který dokáže velmi dobře promíchat různé styly na jedné ilustraci. Linzie Hunter, který dělá úžasné a velmi komplikované písmo, používal texturu a barvu velmi moudře.
OANA: Nějaká slova doporučení pro každého jednotlivce právě začínají jako ilustrátor/grafik?
Nebuďte vyděšeni, že se liší. Pokuste se něco cítit, když vytváříte ilustrace nebo vzory – svět má už příliš mnoho prázdných věcí, nevytvářejte více. Zkuste vložit své emoce do toho, co děláte, a to vás zlepší. Cvičte každý den a sdílejte svou práci, i když s ní nejste 100% potěšeni – ilustrace není o dokonalosti, jde o vývoj a proces. Věřte v sebe. Pokud ne – najdete někoho, kdo bude, každý umělec potřebuje systém podpory, nestal bych se tím, kým jsem, a nebudu tam, kde jsem bez svého manžela, který mi vždycky říká, že můžu něco udělat, pokud já opravdu chci. Můžete také dělat cokoli, v to opravdu věřím.
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