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Artist Journey: Andrés Landazabal
last updated 29 July 2021
Seeing the world in color is the gift of a true artist, and Andrés Landazabal’s journey is marked by the lesson that the world around us is not simply black and white. Through childhood inspiration and his ability to read in-between the lines, Andrés has become an artist sure of his style and hopeful for the lessons his illustrations could teach. Enjoy!
What is your favorite part of being an artist?
What I love about being a visual artist is that it allows me to express myself through drawings and images. For me, it’s different from when I’m talking or writing or playing music - it keeps me constantly looking at things through a different perspective.
Tell us a little bit about your childhood and how that played a role in you becoming an artist.
My childhood was filled with children’s books. I remember looking through those pages and being amazed by all the beautiful pictures. I don’t know exactly remember when it happened but I do know that it didn’t take long for me to start copying those images. When I was older I was introduced to the films of Disney and Miyazaki, and after that all I wanted to do was make images like the ones I saw in their films. Eventually I stopped copying and started to make my own original art. And luckily, with the support and encouragement of my parents I decided to pursue art professionally.
If you had not become an artist, what would you be doing with your life? Explain.
I would have tried to become a chef. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and similar to when I started out as an artist, being able to recreate dishes that I liked really excites me.
Is there a person or thing that inspires your creativity?
Absolutely! I find that being in nature really inspires me. I love seeing how the shapes, colors and tones of nature interact together.
Sometimes when I’m stuck on a project I take a walk to decompress, and I find myself distracted by nature. I look at a green leaf, for example, and then notice when I look closer inside the “green” there are so many other colors that I didn’t notice before. It always blows my mind and reminds me that there isn’t just one way to look at the world.
Tell us a little bit about what it was like illustrating Oliver’s Lollipop!
Being a part of Oliver’s Lollipop has been so wonderful! It was so much fun to work on and was such a pleasure to work with Allison Wortche, who wrote the manuscript, as well as the whole team at Philomel/Penguin Random House.
Here are some of my favourite spreads:
What is the greatest lesson being an artist has taught you?
Being an artist has taught me that things aren’t always black and white. There are always so many colors in-between. You might not see it right away but if you look close enough you will. Art and being an artist is subjective, there isn’t ever just one way to do something.
What message do you hope young readers gain from the books you illustrate?
In my illustrations I try to capture the little things - the things that you may not always notice right away but surround everyone in their daily lives. I feel like adding these things brings familiarity and authenticity to the pictures and hopefully an appreciation for those small details in the reader’s lives.
If you could describe your artistic style in one word what would it be? Explain.
The best word that comes to mind for me right now is Impressionism. I’ve always been inspired by the style and technique because of the subtlety of small brushstrokes, seeking form through natural lighting. And a touch of modern art and “Cartooning”.
Andrés is represented by Anne Moore Armstrong at The Bright Agency.
Miss last month’s Artist Journey blog? Click here to learn all about Nabi H. Ali! Check back each month to learn more about the featured artist, and how they came to shine so Bright!