Drawing Inspiration

Bel Johnstone is a Brisbane based illustrator with a distinct style using fine hand-drawn dots complemented byline work creating tone, expression, pattern and form and has recently moved into sultry styled typograpghy . She’s also a total sweetheart and a complete babe.  Since most of us here at SPOOK have trouble writing our own names in the sand with a stick we had fellow illustrator, Colombian wild boy Diego Patino ask her a few questions and stole a sweet little time lapse video of her at work.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s something a bit dream-like about your work. Something that evokes memory. Where else do you usually find inspiration? 

I’m glad you noticed! I do try to evoke that atmosphere in my works. I like to use somewhat realistic elements and have them interacting with each other to create unconventional compositions and narratives. Inspiration comes from fragments of found narratives that I come across in books, songs, movies or lately from my own writing.

Your piece “Jump” has one of the most exciting colour choices of your portfolio. I was hoping you could use it as an example to explain your creative process from the very beginning?

“Jump” was actually the very first piece in my portfolio and the first piece using my ‘dot’ style. All my work, including my type, is hand-drawn. Most of the time I like to draw my dot work with black fineliner pens as this gives a crisp line and then scan and add colour in photoshop. I enjoy working in black from the beginning of the process and then feel my way regarding the development of colour depending on the mood I’m trying to evoke.

 Illustrators have many fixations. Why typography, in your case?

My new passion for type has grown steadily over the past year or so. I noticed that I was becoming very preoccupied with the titles for my works, then slowly those titles started to appear in the actual pieces. Eventually I found that the type was my main focus in the compositions so I thought I better give them their own stage. Just like with my images I like to have my typography evoke an atmosphere and narrative and again unconventionally interact with one another.

Tough job, tough clients and no light at the end of the tunnel,what’s your advice for fellow illustrators?

I’m not sure I’m at the advice giving stage of my career yet as I’m still finding out how things work myself. I have found that this industry certainly does have a way of testing out whether you are serious about succeeding and it’s not a career that you can approach lightly. Certainly not if you are a freelancer. As I’ve observed so far I think the key to success is hard work, originality and being everywhere at once.

Please tell me three things you must always find in your fridge while you’re working and decide to take a break?Definitely milk for my tea and coffee of course. Home-made banana bread and avocados. I’d like to say chocolate but it usually doesn’t make it to the fridge…