Q&A with Illustrator Daniela Sosa
1.What types of children’s books did you read as a child? Were any your favorites?
Igrew up in Romania in the 90s and I had a lot of beautifully illustratedchildren’s books, some of them translated from Russian. There was a specificillustration style in that period and I think it shaped my taste and preferencefor that certain look, and I find myself sometimes going back to those books tofind inspiration and remember why I found them so captivating.
Ialso got some British children’s books (they were very rare at that time )which I really loved, as they had a very different look from the ones that Iwas used to. My favourite was probably the Little Story Teller series , theyfeatured many short stories and each was illustrated by a different artist.This was my first encounter with British culture and though it was a very vagueconcept at that time for me - a distanced country somewhere, I believe this iswhere my fondness of Britain begun and I am sure it subconsciously played arole in my decision to more here.
2. Take us a bit into your creative process; what illustration art medium and tools do you use?
Imostly use Photoshop to create my illustrations. However, I have recentlystarted a master’s degree at the Cambridge School of Art and I’ve beenencouraged to experiment with a lot of traditional mediums as well - gouache,coloured pencils and printmaking - and I’m really enjoying it! I am trying toincorporate some of these techniques in my digital illustrations.
3. How long have you been an illustrator?
Istarted to work as an illustrator for video games in 2013, after I graduatedfrom university. I’ve learned a lot in the 3 years of working there and in 2016I finally took the decision to switch to freelance. I was quite unsure of howit was going to work, but now, after 3 years, I can say that it was a gooddecision.
4. Have you authored or collaborated on any books, if so, what are they?
Ihave illustrated several books so far, but haven’t written my own yet. It’ssomething that I would really like to do one day, but I think I still need togather more life experience. Some of the recent books I have illustrated are aseries of board books for Cottage Door Press, a book about baseball publishedby Albert Whitman and I just finished a detective story for young readers forStripes Publishing.
5. How do you deal with artist’s block if so?
Artist’s block is very common inthis profession and this is a reassuring thought for me - that all illustratorsgo through it, even the most experienced and successful ones.
I’ve been able to overcome all the blocks I had so far, so I don’t worry about it too much, as I know it will eventually pass. Sometimes I do get the feeling that I will never have a good idea again, but then I just need to take a break, do something else, distance myself from work. Another thing that works for me is to draw something that is easy and that I enjoy - for example girls in cool outfits. I find it relaxing and it usually gets me excited about illustration again.
Originally from Romania, Daniela now lives and works in Cambridge with her husband and is completing an MA in children’s book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art.
Creating a magical mix of the ordinary and the unusual, Daniela enjoys highlighting subtle detail and finding beauty in everyday life. She gets inspiration from nature, books and observing the world around.