Interview with Laura Angelucci

Laura Angelucci
is deep and successful illustrator from Rom.
I met her on an art residence in Calabria.

1. Dear Laura, you are a visual artist specialized in illustration. Tell us interesting facts which influenced your choice to become an illustrator.

As a child I spent hours drawing and writing stories, my mother paints too and she has always encouraged my passion.
After high school, I realized that I wanted to work in the creative sector and I enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. My course was Graphic art: many workshops on traditional printing techniques and theoretical lessons that directed me towards illustration. I wanted to tell stories and combine words with images!

2. Laura, what do you think is important to have for illustrators own style? If yes, what are "your lifehacks" to find him.

I think it is important to look at the work of other illustrators, at the beginning, this inevitably influences the style, but the more you draw, the more your voice emerges. I draw daily and divide my day between commissioned works and personal projects, this allows me to carry out aspects of experimentation.
Another important aspect to develop your own style is to contaminate yourself with other languages: for example, I love cinema and I collect folders of frames from my favorite films.
These influences make up my imagination and I try to feed it continuously.

3. What is your favourite personal and commercial project? Which technique did you use?

An image that I really like is Melancholy: it is a personal project that was awarded by the 2020 Huawei Theme Design Contest.
It's a watercolor illustration, the subject and composition are simple: an absorbed girl is holding a small bird in her hand. it's an image that opens up to different interpretations, and this is what I appreciate about illustration: the possibility of layering and creating more stories.
The last commercial project I loved making is the cover for the book Love Letters to My Transgender Daughter. The illustration is digital with flat colors and curved shapes, and I think it communicates well the bond between mother and daughter and the theme of identity.

4.Are you preferring digital or analog illustration?

Each technique communicates something different: watercolor is warm and suitable for vintage and poetic atmospheres. Digital techniques are great for playing with colors and patterns.
I try to use the technique that seems to me most suitable for the project: for example, for working with newspapers I prefer digital techniques that allow me to quickly modify the images.

5. I want to ask you from your own experience what works more by finding clients: social medias, freelance platforms, or human relationship?

Some work came to me through Behance, but Instagram works very well as a portfolio: it allows us to show details or extracts from the latest projects to the people we are interested in working with. Many of the works I have obtained are the result of meetings in fairs or festivals or presentations via e-mail.

6. Do you have moments in which you would like to give up the illustration sphere? What helps you to overcome this situation?

In the past, yes, I had moments of great discouragement because it is not easy to enter work.
It's not a simple job, in addition to the artistic ability, it requires a great promotional capacity and attention to the market.
Difficult moments exist, but they are moments! I usually set long-term goals to motivate myself, because I know that when I overcome difficulties I still have the pleasure of doing the job that I love!
I consider art as a vocation, I could not do any other job than this!

7. Laura, what would you like to wish for illustrators, artists, creative people?

I hope that the publishing industry will be healthy again, here in Italy it has been an excellent year for the sale of books and comics, even if they are sectors that will have to change to become more and more respectful of the environment.
I hope that creative works are more protected and recognized all over the world: there is a need for more color, more stories, and more points of view!