Interview with Anna Hermsdorf

1.) Describe your influences.

I am a studied designer and deal a lot with the visual. As a platform I am mainly inspired by Instagram and Pinterest. I am influenced above all by other artists from various fields: Tattoo, digital illustration, graphic design, Japanese pop culture, less the people from my own ranks who also work traditionally. I love bold colors and shapes!

2.) How do you curate your color palettes?

Starting with the theme, I think about which colours I see or rather feel for the motif. I work very intuitively. I think about which colour plays the main role and then which colours would suit it and support the main colour, for example with a contrast, like complementary contrast, warm-cold and so on. What also works well is when I search for "color palette" at Pinterest. Since I do my pre-sketch digitally, I can play around with the colours until I like them and then I sit down and mix the inks!

3.) Describe your typical work week.

I'm a full-time art director in an agency, which means I don't get home until 7 pm in the evening. If I'm still fit enough, I sit down and carve or print, but it's more fun on weekends when you have plenty of time. And I take that time! If I could, I would dedicate much more time to linoleum printing!

4.) What does your research process look like? (finding inspiration, sketching, etc.)

The idea for a motif either comes up by itself or I actively search for it. Most of the time I start at Pinterest and create a theme board. There I pin everything that has to do with it. Illustrations of other artists, real photographs, colour palettes. By 20-30 pictures I can get a good idea of my own picture. I work a lot with metaphors in my work, so I need a little more input on how to translate a theme accordingly. After a few pins I start sketching on the iPad or on paper, I decide spontaneously. Most of the time I already look for the colors. Parallel to drawing I leave the Pinterest Board open to get inspired by it which is pretty easy on the iPad!

5.) Who are the people who push you and guide you?

I am very ambitious, so I am the person who pushes me the most. I consume a lot of art through Instagram, and most of the time it immediately sparks in me the desire to become active. I'm a very "digital person“ and enjoy it a lot, but I also feel the pressure behind social media. It's a huge opportunity to reach other people and get them excited about your art, but you also need to keep going to expand your reach and not lose it. For me I still see a healthy balance between pressure and fun, so I'm grateful for the opportunity that Instagram, for example, offers.