Miranda Meeks is an illustration student from Utah, studying at the BFA Illustration program at Brigham Young Univerity.
She has a ferocious and enviable talent that I'm sure we'll see in print very soon..
Figure drawing is a big thing they emphasize here in school. Not only do you learn how to draw a person, but you learn all about designing an image, how to simplify complex problems, etc. They also push looking at other illustrator’s work, so that you know the trends and patterns in the illustration field.
It’s hard
to tell where traditional painting ends and digital begins with your work. Do
the two intertwine? Do you have a preference?
I combine digital and traditional all the time in my work. I feel like the two can really benefit from each other. I do work more often digitally than traditionally, and a few of my pieces are entirely digital, but that may slowly shift in the future as I experiment more and more with traditional media.
Your blog switches suddenly from a predominance of life sketches to a series of highly accomplished and imaginative illustrations. Have you had work published? If not, have you had interest from agents or editors?
I think the switch was influenced mostly by the classes I was taking at the time. In school, we start out with lifedrawing, then we move into illustration as we progress. I haven’t had work published yet, but I hope to soon! Currently, I am doing freelance work for an app company and I also am illustrating online courses for the university.-
You have a delicate, muted palette that at times lends more to fine art than illustration. Do you have a process for dictating colour schemes? Do they come organically as you paint or do you have a pre-conceived idea of how the finished picture will look?
I have an idea in my head of what general direction I’d like to go with color before I start, and it usually changes a little (sometimes a lot) as I’m working on a piece. As I began collecting and looking at art that inspired me, I noticed that most of the color pallettes were muted and neutral-driven, so I began incorporating that into my work. It feels very natural to me.
The quality of some of your illustrations leads me to think that a successful career in illustration for yourself is inevitable. Have you given thought to how you would handle some of the more mundane rent-paying commissions, as opposed to say having complete artistic freedom on a project?
I think even the most professional illustrators have been faced with this dilemma at some point in their careers, and learning to flow with it is a valuable skill. Whenever I get a not-so-inspiring commission, there are a few things I can do. When outlining the project and creating thumbnails, try to somehow include subject matter that you care about. If you can’t do that, maybe find a way to get excited about the color, or shapes, or design of a piece. I also find that the hardest part about creating something you aren’t passionate about is just getting started in the first place. If you can just start working on it, you’ll usually get into the flow of it. Also, listening to audiobooks is awesome! It helps the time go by a lot faster.
You follow a lot of art blogs. Are there any illustrators not yet in the mainstream that you think the world should know about?
I work with a ton of amazing illustrators that really inspire me. Some of them are Hana Lee and Alyssa Tallent - they’re both incredible and I hope everyone gets a chance to see their work. I also recommend checking out João Ruas, an illustrator from São Paulo.
Sometimes, work as an illustrator is plentiful and you find yourself in the position of having to turn down commissions. Other times, work is scarce and you find yourself working on a commission that you might otherwise disagree with ethically. Is there anything you think you wouldn’t illustrate?
Yes, definitely. Growing up, we were taught to have high values, and I wouldn’t want any of my work to reflect otherwise. If an artist found themselves faced with being commissioned to illustrate subject matter that they found distasteful or ethically questionable, or by a company that they wouldn’t want their personal name attached to, then it wouldn’t be worth doing it for the money, no matter how much the client offered. Don’t ever exchange your values for something as temporary as a paycheck.
Do you have a favourite piece in your portfolio? What can we expect to see from you in the coming months?
Well, I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but I really enjoyed creating “The Gardener.” I have been trying to get more ambiguity into my work lately, and anytime I get a little closer to this, it makes me excited. In the coming months, I suspect I’ll be doing more typographic work, and possibly more work utilizing traditional media as well.
Tons of things! I really love interior design, stop-motion animation, music (lately it’s been The Tallest Man on Earth), etc. Life experiences and breaking out of your normal routine can also be invigorating. I’m glad you ask this question because I feel that once an artist breaks out of just looking at art alone, it can rejuvinate their work and be really inspiring.
As always
– describe yourself with a song, movie and book.
Oh wow, what a good question! Perhaps for the song, I’ll choose “Fireworks” by Animal Collective. The lyrics are crazy and random in that song, and sometimes being an artist, I feel like the thoughts in my head are kinda like that (I’m sure other artists can relate). For the movie, let’s go with “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” I love the screenplay and I find the aesthetic of the film really appealing. For the book, maybe “The Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. Not only do I love Brett Helquist who illustrated it, but I love the way it’s written and I wish I was as witty.
Thanks to Miranda for being such a sport. Don't forget to check out her website and blog
Your blog switches suddenly from a predominance of life sketches to a series of highly accomplished and imaginative illustrations. Have you had work published? If not, have you had interest from agents or editors?
I think the switch was influenced mostly by the classes I was taking at the time. In school, we start out with lifedrawing, then we move into illustration as we progress. I haven’t had work published yet, but I hope to soon! Currently, I am doing freelance work for an app company and I also am illustrating online courses for the university.-
You have a delicate, muted palette that at times lends more to fine art than illustration. Do you have a process for dictating colour schemes? Do they come organically as you paint or do you have a pre-conceived idea of how the finished picture will look?
I have an idea in my head of what general direction I’d like to go with color before I start, and it usually changes a little (sometimes a lot) as I’m working on a piece. As I began collecting and looking at art that inspired me, I noticed that most of the color pallettes were muted and neutral-driven, so I began incorporating that into my work. It feels very natural to me.
The quality of some of your illustrations leads me to think that a successful career in illustration for yourself is inevitable. Have you given thought to how you would handle some of the more mundane rent-paying commissions, as opposed to say having complete artistic freedom on a project?
I think even the most professional illustrators have been faced with this dilemma at some point in their careers, and learning to flow with it is a valuable skill. Whenever I get a not-so-inspiring commission, there are a few things I can do. When outlining the project and creating thumbnails, try to somehow include subject matter that you care about. If you can’t do that, maybe find a way to get excited about the color, or shapes, or design of a piece. I also find that the hardest part about creating something you aren’t passionate about is just getting started in the first place. If you can just start working on it, you’ll usually get into the flow of it. Also, listening to audiobooks is awesome! It helps the time go by a lot faster.
You follow a lot of art blogs. Are there any illustrators not yet in the mainstream that you think the world should know about?
I work with a ton of amazing illustrators that really inspire me. Some of them are Hana Lee and Alyssa Tallent - they’re both incredible and I hope everyone gets a chance to see their work. I also recommend checking out João Ruas, an illustrator from São Paulo.
Sometimes, work as an illustrator is plentiful and you find yourself in the position of having to turn down commissions. Other times, work is scarce and you find yourself working on a commission that you might otherwise disagree with ethically. Is there anything you think you wouldn’t illustrate?
Yes, definitely. Growing up, we were taught to have high values, and I wouldn’t want any of my work to reflect otherwise. If an artist found themselves faced with being commissioned to illustrate subject matter that they found distasteful or ethically questionable, or by a company that they wouldn’t want their personal name attached to, then it wouldn’t be worth doing it for the money, no matter how much the client offered. Don’t ever exchange your values for something as temporary as a paycheck.
Do you have a favourite piece in your portfolio? What can we expect to see from you in the coming months?
Well, I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but I really enjoyed creating “The Gardener.” I have been trying to get more ambiguity into my work lately, and anytime I get a little closer to this, it makes me excited. In the coming months, I suspect I’ll be doing more typographic work, and possibly more work utilizing traditional media as well.
Outside
of art, where do you draw inspiration from?
Tons of things! I really love interior design, stop-motion animation, music (lately it’s been The Tallest Man on Earth), etc. Life experiences and breaking out of your normal routine can also be invigorating. I’m glad you ask this question because I feel that once an artist breaks out of just looking at art alone, it can rejuvinate their work and be really inspiring.
Oh wow, what a good question! Perhaps for the song, I’ll choose “Fireworks” by Animal Collective. The lyrics are crazy and random in that song, and sometimes being an artist, I feel like the thoughts in my head are kinda like that (I’m sure other artists can relate). For the movie, let’s go with “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” I love the screenplay and I find the aesthetic of the film really appealing. For the book, maybe “The Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. Not only do I love Brett Helquist who illustrated it, but I love the way it’s written and I wish I was as witty.
Thanks to Miranda for being such a sport. Don't forget to check out her website and blog
