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| Karolin Schnoor |
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| Karolin Schnoor |
Firstly, what’s your background and what led to you becoming an illustrator?
I've always been a big fan of illustrated books and some of my most vivid childhood memories are of the images in my favorite stories but I think this is true of most people. I was quite an obsessive reader as a child and I did feel quite strongly that the image could make or break the story for me. I also remember my mum drawing with me a lot. She made up all kinds of drawing games and this really encouraged me to think of drawing as a tool; I've been hooked ever since.
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| Karolin Schnoor |
I am originally from Berlin but came to London to do a foundation degree, not being sure of what direction to take exactly but feeling quite intrigued at the thought of doing something creative in an unknown place. I remember being completely taken in by the city and it made sense to stay, especially when I got onto the Illustration course at the London College of Communications.
During my degree there, I also took a year out to go to Paris where I did an Erasmus term at quite a traditional art school followed by an internship in Berlin. After graduating I stayed in London and I'm still here, it's such a vortex of activity it's hard to get out once you've been sucked in!
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| Karolin Schnoor |
What is your design process- how does each piece develop?
The constraint that a brief gives you can be quite exciting. Knowing how something is printed, what size it will be and where it will appear gives you a good framework. Once I know my parameters I usually think of colour first and the composition will follow.
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| Karolin Schnoor |
Once I have my idea, I will do a quick sketch and then move right on to the final illustration. Colour and pattern are very important and once I have my final piece it's just about getting the balance right. When I do my personal work and I have more time I do like introducing ideas of narrative and continuity, I like creating images in sets for instance. In terms of process, everything I do is hand-drawn and then scanned in for colouring.
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| Karolin Schnoor |
What projects do you have coming up in the future?
I've started screenprinting again, which is something I feel in love with at university so I will hopefully be producing more printed work. I'm currently working on illustrations for a tabletop range; and my work will be featured in two soon-to-be-published books which I am really excited about. In terms of design work, there are a few website projects in the pipeline and I continue to work with Myrdle Court Press, an independent publisher with a focus on urbanism.
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| Karolin Schnoor |
