Charlot Kristensen

C harlot

Kristensen

When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors?

Initially I didn’t have an interest in art, despite the fact that my mom was studying to become a fashion designer and my father an architect. My passion for drawing really first kicked in at the age of 9. I had been trying to draw for a long time, and I think I made the mistake of focusing on topics that didn’t interest me. It was actually my poster of the iconic Disney characters, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, that first inspired me. From that moment I discovered that I always had a thing for cartoon characters. My family never discouraged me from practicing art. They were very supportive and I think that helped me pursue it further.

What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences?

I would say a happy one, I spent a lot of time making others smile and laugh. I loved everything about magic and strongly believed in it. I think I still do from time to time. I was also obsessed with drawing, it was like I was possessed. When I think back I can’t really remember much else apart from that ha...ha.

I grew up in Denmark, in a small town called Haarlev. However, at the age of 15 I moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where I spent a good deal of my teenage years. I now live in Dublin.

My art has been influenced by so many things that I can't pinpoint what exactly defines it. When I discovered Anime and Manga (Japanese cartoons and comics) it was all I ever watched and read. Some of the styles I took after were series like Naruto, Inuyasha, Hana Yuri Dango and Ouran Highschool Host Club. The animation movies by Hayao Miyazaki, such as Princess Mononoke and Kiki’s Delivery Service, have also been a huge inspiration and still is to this day. However, in the later years I ventured more into cartoon styles such as the Graphic novelist Bryan Lee O'Malley, the illustrator and writer of Scott Pilgrim and Seconds. And current inspirations have been illustrators such as Celia Lowenthal, Hannah Christenson, Phobs, Minna Sundberg, Mildred Louis, Kali Ciesemier and Owen Davey.

Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you?

I used to get very hung up about having a style, sometimes to the point where it felt restrictive. You would set rules for yourself and stick to those guidelines without compromise. It always felt freer not to worry about it. I think that attitude helped me take in new influences all the time. I wouldn’t worry that I was doing something quite different every time I worked on a new piece. Obviously with time you do create habits in your art, that sort of become your trademark. Without realizing I found that people would recognize my art style. So yea I would say it definitely came naturally.

What markets does your work appear in? newspapers, magazines, galleries? How did that come about?

Because a lot of my art is focused on narratives, I do a lot of work that suits magazines or galleries, I’m also a big lover of comics and graphic novels. So I would focus on doing art that falls into that industry. Most of the work I’ve been

fortunate to get has either been through mutual contacts or from people who’ve found my work via Instagram or Twitter.

How has the advent of the computer affected your work? Do you work traditionally or digitally or both?

Digital art has definitely changed the way I approach art. I was lucky enough to get a copy of Adobe Photoshop 6 back when I was 15. Up 'til then I was only working in pencils, I never used paints or colours, but with Photoshop, a lot of that changed, I wouldn’t say it was easier to work with colours in the program but it felt more adventurous. With traditional paints you have to understand the principle of mixing colours, with digital software you can just hand pick them. Back then I did all my work with a mouse so the refined strokes I'd developed with the use of pencils didn’t really transfer over. I had to rethink how I was going to create clean drawing. Since then I’ve mostly worked digitally but I’ve lately found enjoyment in

using gouache paints. Maybe it’s because I can use it in a similar way to how I create my drawings digitally. My work has a flat feeling to it and I feel I can achieve a similar effect with gouache.

What tools do you use when you’re painting ? And why?

My main tool is Adobe Photoshop CC but I’ve also begun to use an app called Procreate. It helps me work on thumbnails, roughs and more advanced work on my iPad. However Photoshop is really where I finish things up. I use these tools because they are good painting tools. Photoshop is really advanced and offers countless brush settings, while it was originally built to support Photographers, it's really popular among illustrators and CG artists. My favorite thing about it are the brushes designed by Kyle T Webster, they are known to be the best brushes on the market and can really mimic traditional mediums such as inks, oils and watercolors. All of my work would have been created using the gouache brushes.

What is your book Black Women in history all about? Does it feature women from all over the world? Is the experience of Black women in Europe comparable to the experience of African American women?

The book depicts nine black women who defied stereotypes despite the time they lived in. Some of the pieces include figures such as Josephine Baker, Tony Morrison, Mae Jemison and Queen Nanny. Most of them are from America, with the exception of Queen Nanny. The book was created as part of my final major project at University, so I had to keep it short, but I plan to extend it to include more black women from all over the world.

While there are similarities in our struggle to beseen in both Europe and America, there are some differences. African Americans were taken by force from their ancestral land, and even though they’ve been native in America for centuries they are still treated as second class citizens.This is obviously because the institutional system that was built back during slavery and segregation has not changed a lot.

Page from a comic book called "The Curls"

On the other hand, black people in Europe mainly migrated from their home countries. However the countries that arrived from were mostly past colonies of European countries. So while they have a stronger sense of their African identity than the African Americans, they are still met by a system that was built on racial structures. I would say there are definitely far more black people being targeted by police and ending up in prison in America, but we do see similarities here in Europe, although not as many. Either way I think being a black women whether in America or Europe poses similar experiences. e.g. the stereotype of the angry black woman, or the sexual fetishism of black women happens across the board.

Tell me about Orange Nest. What’s it all about??

Orange Nest is an online art shop founded by my partner and I. We sell prints, postcards, badges and books. While it’s still in its early days we hope to explore the idea of printing illustrations on products such as tote bags, tea towels, teapot sets, lamps, pillows, lunch boxes and many other items. We’re also planning to reach out to other artists and print their works on products to add variety to our shop.

What’s does your process entail? Start to finish. Can you give us a short step-by-step?

I try work from thumbnails or really quick roughs, but more often than no t I’ll begin straight away with shapes and colours. I find this process easier as it allows me to figure out where to place things and what colour scheme to go for. This process can go through many changes as I’m not really working with a guideline.

Once I’m pleased with my shapes, I work to refine them. Every single subject like hair, features, clothes, skin, backgrounds are broken down by multiple layers, some of my work can consist of 100 layers. This helps me change things later on. e.g. if I need to move or resize the character(s), it can save me a lot of time. Furthermore, the colours I pick in the beginning will most likely be changed again. So with layers I can select, say, the hair and change the hue and contrast. Once all the subjects have been refined I like to add small details such as highlights or decorations in the image.

What do you do to promote yourself to get more work?

As a Freelance Illustrator you have to work a lot harder to be seen. That means keeping up your social networks with regular updates. Apart from that you have to network a lot. Reach out to other people in your industry and engage with them both online and publicly. Going to conventions and art fairs is also important as people will remember you more when they’ve met you in person. Collaborating with others can go a long way too. I’m part of an art collective called the Drawn Chorus Collective. We plan exhibitions together and produce books and art prints. This has definitely helped me getting more exposure.

What’s the future hold for Charlot? Any ultimate goal?

I would like to expand the Orange Nest from an online shop to a physical one. I also want to create a lot of graphic novels and contribute more to social issues I care about. Lastly, I would love to be able to fully live off my art one day.

You can find out more about Charlot and her online store at http://www.charlotkristensen.com - Editor