Maria Bogade is an animation artist and children's book illustrator from Ludwigsburg in Germany. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about being a daydreamer, getting sidetracked and her favorite artists.
What are your themes in your work?
The themes vary a bit, but I think it is always a story I am telling and mostly there are kids involved. Sometimes fairytale themes sneak into an image, depending on the project I am working on. I really like to play with backgrounds and characters that are in action in some way. Sometimes I end up finding myself playing far to long on an environment and dreaming myself into the scene, but in the end I hope that helps my illustrations.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Life is the biggest source when it comes to getting inspired. Sometimes it's a scene you get to observe on the street or family and friends. Daydreaming is another big inspirational source. I've been a daydreamer for as long as I can remember. I often dream through a story over and over before drawing it to get a feeling for the characters and what the scene, I set the characters in, will look like.
Did you ever want to do something else besides art?
Not really. I've always wanted to do arts in one way or the other. I got sidetracked, when thinking I would never be good enough, but in the end I ended up were I am now and I have to say, it is good. I struggle like every other artist with my art, never being satisfied, but that is the motor that keeps us going and growing.
Is it hard being an artist today?
I am not sure whether it really is hard. Of course there are a lot of talented people out there, but that is something I truely treasure as this can also be inspiring. I think if you work hard and have a style that serves the market you want to work in, you can make a living from it. Also the internet with all it's platforms to sell and promote your art is something that surely can help. I do see a lot of artists selling their artwork online and it seems to be working pretty fine for them. So maybe being an artist is just as hard or easy as it ever has been.
Do you have favorite artists?
Yes I do, but I am so bad with names. I really like Shaun Tan's art and Oliver Jeffers'. But their are also artits like Christopher Denise, Alina Chau, Manu Arenas and many many more that inspire me and make me feel like I have a long way to go yet. And there are the old masters, that leave me with awe. John William Waterhouse, William Turner and Carl Spitzweg are three of my very favourite and I admire their gift, especially the way they dealt with light in their paintings.
What are your current projects about?
One project though is an ongoing side project I do with Australian writer and poet Jennifer Poulter, a wonderfully talented person. Like most of my projects it is a picture book we are working on, that will be finished soon. The poem Jennifer wrote tells about life and leaves me with an enormous amount of freedom, when it comes to illustrating it and telling a story alongside the poem visually. I really enjoy it, as the story I get to tell in the illustrations is a little different to the one being told in the poem but they accomplish each other.
