Meet the Artist!

Our second Q&A features our artist, Candice Broersma. You can also get to know our composer here and our writer here.

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What are your aspirations?

There’s an endless jumble of ideas floating around in my brain. Sharing as many of those ideas (the good ones, at least) as possible is a start.

Career-wise, I want to illustrate and the more fantastical, the better. We’re talking anthropomorphic insect people, flying eel-beasts, and re-imagined myths. I thoroughly enjoy inventing worlds and the process behind bringing them to life. This type of content leads me to the realm of fiction literature with its many opportunities for world-building.

The most dapper of anthropomorphic insects, my character Monocle Mantis.

Book covers and narrative spot illustration are specific areas of interest for me. I also love to apply whimsical illustration to other areas of commercial art, including advertisement and visual development for entertainment.

Another aspiration for me is connecting with my audience and other creative minds. I want my work to make them feel the same feels I have when I find a piece of music, a painting, or a book that blows my mind. Not being able to see (most of the time) how people respond to my work makes it even more special when I successfully complete a client commission and get to witness their delight. Illustration is a form of communication to me, so I am on a constant quest to improve how I “speak” to people.

What inspires you?

People, carnivorous plants, the latest deep-sea discovery, hazelnut spread, the Word, Victorian fashion, Hayao Miyazaki, automatons, clouds, Cirque du Soleil, John Williams’ theme for Hook, hobbits, Gustavo Dudamel’s hair…

Gustavo’s hair. Every follicle on fleek.

Who is your favorite:

Artist: I will narrow it down to one of my favorite deceased illustrators from the Golden Age, J.C. Leyendecker. His handling of the brush stroke is exceptional. With one fell swoop, he can describe the wrinkle on a sleeve with clarity and precision. With a few more swoops, he creates dimension through a careful tracing of contour. Each individual he paints is a slight caricature that brings out their personality and enhances story-telling. Lets admire his craftsmanship, shall we:

One of J.C. Leyendecker’s sketches.

For a more complete list of my favorite illustrators, visit my ever-expanding Pinterest page.

Writer: C.S. Lewis’ writing had the greatest impact on my imagination as a youngling and still does. I remember burning through the Chronicles of Narnia in elementary school, eager for the next adventure to the world with talking animals. I even named my pet hamster Reepicheep. Reepicheep.

Composer: John Williams wins this one. I do also love the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Takashi Yoshimatsu, Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and many, many others. However, John Williams’ film scores give me that tingly sensation and fills me with wonderment time after time. His musical themes so well encapsulate a film’s story that I feel immediately transported when listening to them.

How do other art mediums influence your work?

My illustration, “Thumbelina”. This time around, it’s the tiny human to the rescue.

Music has had a very direct influence on my creative process. I play clarinet and studied music in my undergraduate, which has made me aware of the technical aspects of music as

a medium of communication. I transfer much of my approach to picture-making from my time as a practicing musician, especially when it comes to creating work with an emotional impact. In music, we talk about dynamics, articulation and tempo–all of which have their equivalent in the visual arts.

Both music and writing are starting points for my illustrations. Most of the work I make builds upon an existing written or musical narrative. For example, I have made a few musicians’ recital posters that compliment and expand upon the music in their programs. I have also taken literary fairy tales like Thumbelina and created an illustration with my own spin on what happens after “The End”.

If you could inhabit a fictional universe, which would it be?

I would probably inhabit Narnia.

Illustration by Pauline Baynes from Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.