Elaborate and complex doesn’t have to mean busy
and cluttered. Sometimes a simple palette and careful
construction can create an intricate image, rich with
detail and sentiment.
Illustrator and cofounder of the T-shirt brand
VelvetBanana, Gary Fernández is based in Madrid,
Spain, but currently lives in Vancouver. He travels
frequently and says his journeys provide him with
more knowledge, new stories, textures and points of
view to enrich his work.
“I feel lucky to have the opportunity to travel
very much and work wherever we are without difficulty. That’s probably the best part of being freelance
and having technologies available: I really love highspeed
Wi-Fi!” says Fernández. “Before starting as an
illustrator, I worked as a graphic designer for a few
years. It was great to have different points of view
and to have a better idea of what art directors are
looking for in your work.”
“I love working on the details. I like the precision
of the lines and love the idea of working as fine
as possible,” says Fernández. “I believe in the magic
power of the ornate, as well as good compositions.
It’s visual poetry.” He describes his style as futuristic
art nouveau with a big dose of surrealism and symbolism:
“Actually, I’m not too interested in defining
my work in one way. I love hearing people give their
own interpretation of my work.”
“Ordinary actions help me to build the story.
Every day you see normal things, and they have a
special beauty. That’s what I’m looking for. Then, the
things change to a surrealistic context. … I love the
idea of making visible the invisible side of the world
and myself,” explains Fernández.
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A feat of feet
Inspiration comes
to Fernández from
“the street, books,
newspapers … walking
around is the best
source of inspiration
for me, as well as
music. I like to see the
hidden side of ordinary
things.” Image
5811502, liquidlibrary,
www.jiunlimited.com
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It's intuitive
“I don’t have formulas.
I just try different
combinations [of colors]
and choose what I
feel looks better in the
specific work. Even in
commercial works—where I’m working
with a tight briefing—I’m always working
with my intuition,”
offers Fernández.
Image 10320438,
liquidlibrary, www.jiunlimited.com
(download free
image at www.dynamicgraphics.com/downloads)
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