Marta Dahlig Interview

Well, I interviewed several people for my class homework thing, and only selected one (Adam Hughes), so I'm going to post the others here so these wise words won't just be hidden away in my email archives.
The first one is from Marta Dahlig.


1. When did you first become interested in illustration?
I have been painting since my earliest childhood, so painting has always been extremely close to my soul. I took interest in digital art 7 years ago, at the age of 15. Since then I have gradually left the traditional media in order to explore the digital techniques.

2. Where did you get your training or schooling?

I am purely self taught. The only art-related subjects I went through in high school, and those regarded the history of art and architecture. Painting itself I have learned by observing the artworks of artists I admired and trying to figure out their techniques. I am a believer of "learning by doing" - it was all a mater of trial and error before I started making progress.

3. How did you get started in the business of illustration?

To be honest, it all came very naturally. I started displaying my artwork on various internet forums from the very beginning, in order to receive some feedback and improve at a quicker rate. With time, as my works got better, I started receiving my first commissions from private individuals. It only took a couple of months more for me to get my first commercial commission (I was lucky enough to cooperate with one of the biggest European publishing houses), and since then it all happened very fast - more and more commissions came and I quickly found myself drowning in work :) I can't say I complain, though!

4. How do you go about self promotion (websites, mailing, source books etc)?

Well I didn't ever do self-promotion conciously, e.g. submitted links to any linking services nor did I buy banners and such. In fact, I still don't have my own website (even though I own a domain name)... :) The publlicity and promotion all came naturally with the Internet galleries I submitted my works to (most specifically - deviantart.com). They were my source for feedback and attention-catchers in one. The more I developed, the more people visited my site.

5. What advice would you give a student entering the field of illustration?

I would say: Do not to copy anyone else's style just because it proved successful. Even though the field of digital art is big and broad, going the safe, already explored ways isn't really going to get you anywhere. Try to question everything you see and ask yourself, how can painting you admire be improved, what are they lacking, how could they be more original or more captivating?
A mixture of ones style is, in the end, a mix of things you admire enriched with your own sensitivity, emotions and thougths.

6. Would you have any general tips or ways to improve oneself in illustration?

There is only one tip, I think: be open to people. Be open towards opinions - positive as well as the negative feedback. Do not let groundless criticism down you, but appreciate every word of constructive criticism you get. After all, noone i perfect and none painting flawless - realizing that will help you expand your horizons towards new points of view and thus new levels of improvement.