Interview with illustrator Dana Ferris
Inspired by movies, music and all things anime, Brisbane cartoon illustrator Dana Ferris is now launching her art upon the world. Dana recently completed the Diploma of Animation at Southbank Institute of Technology and is currently working on a few freelance projects.Dana works best in front of her computer, with a Wacom Intuos 3 to draw straight into Photoshop. This way she can experiment with colour and tone to keep each piece fresh and different to the last. When talking about her work, Dana often reflects on some advice from her Dad when she was starting out drawing. He said that her pieces were each looking too similar – and Dana makes it her goal to have each piece as different but also more improved than the last!
She is most interested in character design, and the way the body can show expression, the different varieties of facial shape and proportions. So many of Dana’s pieces are centred around one or two characters and how they interact.
When discussing her artwork, Dana mentions…
I love creating happy artwork, there’s enough negativity in the world so I don’t see why I should add to it with my art. Colours play a big part in my artwork, they can either make or break an image but when they’re right, it’s magic.
Check out Dana’s website, blog and Facebook page to see her latest work. Read on for more from Dana below…
How have you got to where you are today?
I wasn’t overly creative when I was young, but I remember that I used to make up lots of stories in my mind. When I was 12, I brought home a Book Club booklet from school that was full of little anime drawings. For some reason I felt like drawing the figures, so I did.
When I finished and showed my parents, they were astounded that I had drawn these images free hand. There was a ‘How to draw Manga’ book inside the Book Club, so my parents bought it for me. Since that day I haven’t stopped drawing.
My dad played a rather crucial role in the way I draw now. He was the one who convinced me to change my drawing style by telling me that all my pictures looked the same to him. At the time I wasn’t too happy with him for telling me this, but I’m glad he did – who knows what my art would be like now if it wasn’t for that.
When I finished high school, it was obvious to me that the only thing I wanted to in my life was draw. I completed a 2 year animation course at Southbank Institute of Technology in 2008 which has definitely helped me to improve. Since then, other artistic jobs have helped me improve and grow as well.
In a few words, describe yourself…
Odd, imaginative, positive and smiley. Yeah, I smile a lot.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
Mainly commissions for now, just finished one of the Farmer Rob Show and Mazland Photography and Make-up.
As well as commissions, I teach ‘How to draw manga’ art classes during the school holidays for the SHAFT program. I finished a project a couple of months ago so I’m waiting for that to be released; when it does I’m hoping for some big changes to come. Till then, I shall wait.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
I listen to music or a movie while I work, keeps my brain entertained if I’m colouring or doing line work. Being fresh in the morning helps as well as taking breaks and having a cup of tea.
For some reason I’ve never been the type of artist who can just do little sketches on paper. When I start an image I usually go in with the mind set of completing a full artwork. Nowadays I rarely work on paper, it’s all done on my computer which is bad, I know, but it’s where my work gets done.
If I’m in a funk then I’ll work on another part of the image or just do something else for a while. I work on the computer all day so it’s essential that I give my eyes a break now and then, exercise is a good way to stop any head aches you might get from looking at a screen for too long.
What or who inspires you?
The wonderful thing about being an artist is that nearly anything can inspire you to draw. I have an Adam Hughes art book called Cover Run: The DC comic art of Adam Hughes that I adore and look at when I get stuck.
Disney has been a huge inspiration with the way they tell stories, as well as Pixar. Glene Keane, a Disney animator, is another artist who’s work inspires me. His abilities to give characters life makes me want to become a better artist.
Music is another inspiration, I’ve based a couple of artworks on songs by some of my favourite musicians like Darren Hayes, Owl City and Mika. Following other artists on Deviantart helps with getting the creative juices flowing.
What are you most proud of?
I made a 2-minute 2D animation in my last year of TAFE, it was a lot of hard work and took a really long time to do but I did it.
The other thing I’m most proud of is the project I mentioned above. I worked incredibly hard on that, more so than my animation, and it was so far out of my comfort zone that I’m rather shocked how I got through it. My ability to change my style is something else I’ve grown to be proud of, it can be mighty useful sometimes.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional trumpet player! I used play in primary school and was pretty good at it too. Then when I started drawing and became more focused on art. At the start of high school I got braces, it made it very hard to play a trumpet so I quit.
