LEANDRO CASTELAO (Illustrator) (dissertation interview)

As part of my research for my final major Project i contacted Leandro Castelao, an illustrator from Argintena. i have desided to include in within my design context as i feel his answers are appropriate to my design practice

the answers to my questions were sent by, on:

Leandro Castelao (info@leandrocastelao.com.ar) 04 febuary 2010

here are some examples of his work:

INTERVIEW

1. what are your main influences on the style of illustration you produce?

There are some artists or styles that influence me in the "aesthetic channel" and some others caught my attention because of the way they work, they project, they live, etc.

What I mean is that I consider some musicians or writers or filmmakers as influence, not just artist or designers/illustrators.

I like to see a lot of things and try to reveal how they are made. That was one of the main knowledges the career of Graphic Design gave me. Seeing everything and analyzing it too.

However I have some some names I admire a lot:

Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso (cubist age at most), Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron, Futurismo (Fortunato Depero), Bauhaus (Albers), Kandinsky, London Underground, Paul Renner, Alick Ritchie, Vintage ads, etc, etc, etc.

2. Do you believe that graphic design and illustration have rules which need to be followed in order to have successful outcomes?

I don't know about rules. I think there are process and they have rules. But they are all different. I believe in paths... And steps. You need an objective and try out your own path.

3. Do you believe a designer should change there style from project to project. or should they keep consistency within there work?

I think about that very frequently. As a designer, I'm supposed to be open to styles and they are connected with an objective for communicating. However I was studying 20th Century History of Arts at the University a couple of years ago and I've realized that each artist I admire has his own "hand", his own way of producing/working and that was definitely a personal style. And they all remain in time. The fact is that today there are lots of techniques you can work with... from computer effects, to printing methods.. a lot! And maybe a lot is too much! So I believe in personal styles... In personal points of view.

4. Your Work has a very unique feel to it.

Can you provide me with and advice you may have on creating an extremely

successful style of illustration?

mmm... I'd like to say something that could help someone. I like to use my imagination a lot but I know it's not that easy to do a commission in some kind of personal code that no one can understand, so I do some tricky thing... I try to do some basic shapes, colours, lines to let people understand the thing I'm trying to do and then once I see it's understandable to everyone I start doing my own thing... And my imagination starts to have fun!