Interview: Natalia Pierandrei

How did you get your start in illustration?

Starting at my earliest memories, I have always had a passion for drawing. I remember that when I was a child I spent hours drawing characters from stories and fairy tales I made up for my friends or my little sister. Literally, I was a girl with a lively imagination: the idea of taking a blank piece of paper and knowing that anything is possible, well…it was and it is amazing to me!

That said, drawing has always been something very ‘spontaneous’ and I’ve never thought seriously to become an illustrator. As a matter of fact it’s totally by chance some years ago I accepted to work on my first commissioned piece and my illustrations have been featured in collective art-books.

What inspires your work?

My work is a collage of styles and influences. I don’t have a formal artistic training and the result is my way of drawing is a sort of collection of subjects I studied, places I visited, paintings I like, novels and comic books I read, all those things that I liked and I like without any particular connexion to art, sometimes. I mean for example music and reading have always played an important part in my artistic life.

About art, I think the most relevant influences you can find by looking at my work are a passion for Art Nouveau, Renaissance Italian Painting, European comic books, gothic and classical fantasy themes, popular fairy tales and it’s self-evident I like Japanese manga very much, too.

Nature elements, I mean plants for example, are something that also inspires my work. Drawing trees and foliage and flowers is more than a simple passion. I like so much having a walk in the woods and watching all the different kind of plants you can find around. I bought and I buy lot of books about gardens and plants! I think in a past life I was a botanist! Some years ago I made up a plot for a comic book when the main character was a young woman expert in botany. The story was set in the 19th century and it was full of travels and adventures and …plants of course! I should probably find the time to work on it…if only I had time for my own projects ^_^

Finally, being a very imaginative person, I'm literally with my head in the clouds the 90% of the day, I'm easily influenced by anything!

I can see the Art Nouveau you mention. What about the Pre-Raphaelites?

Of course, I think this art movement is very intriguing and my artwork has much in common with it. Basically because of its close connexion to Italian painting of 15/16th centuries, and the passion for subjects like myths and folklore, the visual imagery associated with the use of sepia and brown coloration, the richness of details and decoration.

You seem drawn to the erotic element in Victorian art. Which written and visual influences would you cite?

About the written one my first suggestion is “The Crimson Petal and the White" by Michel Faber. It's a postmodern novel, published in 2002 and set in Victorian-era England.

Basically, I always have had a weakness for Victorian period and 19th century in Europe and of course I read the most popular novels written in those years. I think my passion for this era was born when I started reading Jules Verne’s works at 9 years old! But it's after reading "The Crimson Petal and the White" that probably the erotic element has started to be present in my work. Although it can be said that Victorian ideology was sexually inhibiting, the Victorian era produced more inventive forms of eroticism visible in aestheticzised sexual symbols where the sexuality is permissible within the category of the aesthetic. This dichotomy has always attracted me. My visual references are the most popular artists like J.W. Waterhouse, Sir L. Alma Tadema, E. Dulac, G. Doré, A. Beardsley but basically I'm fascinated by the same themes, like classical myths and fairy tales, for example.

My style is very eclectic and the Victorian ages are known exactly for their heterogeneous revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of influences from Eastern cultures and art. Finally, it's a sort of "elective affinity", you know?

What types of projects do you most like working on?

I like working on individual illustrations mostly. Images done for short stories, novels, fairy tales... those are the most stimulating projects to me. Recently, I’m attempting myself by working on different projects like illustrating tracks from music albums or graphic novels.

How would you describe your style?

Hmmm, something confusedly related to a wide range of ideas, styles, and suggestions, probably!

What's in the future for you?

I’m not a person who likes making plans of her life, in general ^_^ All I do as illustrator has done by chance, without planning anything. I literally live day by day: life is so unforeseeable! Maybe tomorrow a popular publisher will get in touch with me for illustrating a book, maybe not. Meantime I go on doing what I like, that is drawing!

Thanks for chatting with us!

For more of Nati's work check out her Carbonmade portfolio: http://nati.carbonmade.com/