UPDATE // Trouw news article (Patreon)

Last week I was interviewed for an article in the dutch newspaper Trouw! I figured it might be fun to share here. I translated it into english, here it comes: 

Previously, her work had been on display in a few coffee places. Now, with her exhibition in Storyworld, she now has her first official museum exhibition under her belt. Her work has been printed out and displayed in the Storyworld approach: from sketchbook to finished product.

A museum is an uncommon place to find her work. Why hang it on the wall when it’s available worldwide through the internet? Loish doesn’t refer to her own work as ‘art’ in the traditional sense. She associates ‘art’ with original artworks, or limited edition prints. “What I make can be seen by anyone, and is easy to purchase and own.”

Amongst other things, van Baarle designs characters for games. She aided in the creation of Horizon: Zero Dawn’s Aloy. She has 1.7 million followers on Instagram, mostly from North and South America. Her personal work, which is she is best known for, consists mostly of dream-like and colorful illustrations of women - but she doesn’t have her teachers to thank for that.

“During my studies, my teachers looked down on my style. They felt it was too easy, too girly, and too manga-influenced. I found it hard to navigate those situations. I found a way to create work that kept my teachers happy and keep doing my own thing on the side, inspired by Disney and Mucha.”

She found encouragement for this style on Deviantart. She built up a following there: fans who enjoyed her work and encouraged her to continue. “This saved me,” she says. “When my own immediate environment didn’t see a future in my personal work, I was able to turn to the online communities I was a part of. 50 years ago, I would have had to adapt my style more, or have to fight harder to be able to work in my own style.” 

Loish calls her own work “semi-realistic digital art.” This style is gaining traction thanks to online communities, and events like comic cons. “Also, things are more mixed these days: movies are translated into apps, comics are translated into games.”

Her advice for digital illustrators is: draw what you enjoy drawing. And share it. “These are things I wanted to hear when I was young. And now I can help others with this message.”

Did you guys also experience discouraging voices as you were trying to find your own style? I feel like a lot of artists go through this at some point or other.