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Featured Artist Interview - Muriel Frega
BY
Muriel Frega
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A freelance illustrator from Argentina, Muriel Frega's works are fired with a vibrancy that sparkles with imagination. The boldness in her strokes juxtaposes vivacious colors, sparking a flurry of expressive graphics one could almost be mesmerized by. But the candy colors belie a stronger subject Frega embarks on frequently.
As an illustrator, most of Frega's works focus on women, illustrating for books, the latest of which was called "Reinas, un libro para mujeres" (Queens, a book for women) edited by VyR editoras. These stories of different women, different ages, different ways of life are slowly brought to life through her work in the universe of vector shapes.
Here we go!
TAXI>>Who is Muriel Frega? What distinguishes your work from other illustrators?
Muriel>>Well, let's see...She's an illustrator from Argentina, who studied fine arts, so her background is based on graphic techniques (engraving), and what liked most of it was the enormous possibilities of results. Loves to share projects with other artists, because feedback during work the best way to learn from others, plus the fact that is fun and encouraging.
Now..I really couldn't say what distinguishes me from other illustrators.. I think we all have a lot of things in common, there are more coincidences than differences..i guess...
TAXI>>The play of color is very prominent in your illustrations. Has this use of colors always been your way of expressing your emotions in your illustrations?
Muriel>>Colours express not only emotions, they can even make you smell fragrances or taste flavors. For me they are the most important thing in a visual work. In movies, comics, drawings, paintings, photographs, performances, anything...The way they are combined, how they work with the rest of the elements (or do not work...) enhance the whole.
Most of my ideas begin with a colour, I may read a text and have no clue of what will it be, but the first image are just a combination or 2 or 3 colours. My last project was a comic, and begun that way, read the plot (an adaptation of a novel by Carina Maguregui), and the colours popped up: pink, burgundy and acid green. Based on those colours The Scarecrows were born.
TAXI>>Your illustrations for Biblioteca Imaginaria accentuate the celebration of life and portray child-like innocence. What is the main concern when it comes to designing for children?
Muriel>>The main concern when illustrating for children is not to forget they can understand a message, an opinion, though many people think it has just to be decorative, colorful and fun. Children are able to think and learn from everything they interact with, even without being conscious of it, they feed from everything they consume, so I guess the idea is to offer them things, images to make them grow and develop their abilities and creativity, not to quiet their interests.
Things get difficult when a design or illustration for children is more a product than a toy or book, there, it has to fulfill some marketing needs that may not get along with what a children really needs or enjoys. But maybe as long as both things can live together is not that bad....
TAXI>>I love the surrealism in your portrait illustrations, it almost seems as though the emotions in your subjects are tangible. What are some of your expectations in your work process, from the selection of models to the end product?
Muriel>>Thank you! For my personal work, as those portraits, my expectations are not to have expectations, just let the work lead me as far as I can get, and once there try to jump a little bit further. For that series itself, it started playing, as an excuse to learn some techniques ( how to solve a vector image only with fills and strokes).
I just worked with those friends I met in my everyday life, not scheduling the meeting. Took the pictures (many of them) and selected the best shots, then added or changed things until the composition was okay, everything in grayscale so far, and after that draw them with vector shapes. All full and plain colours, no gradients, no transparencies.. just fill and stroke.
TAXI>>You mentioned in your portfolio that you “focused at first on engraving techniques as xylograph and lithography”. How has your understanding in these traditional techniques helped in your illustrations especially with the growing ease of digital media tools?
Muriel>>They helped me a lot. From the wise use of colour, to taking the most of the disadvantages, plan things from the beginning, follow specified steps, have a method of work. And combination of both is great because you can mix the best of them, use graphic textures from a litho print and make your own "texture bank". Traditional techniques feed digital tools, helps they work in a most personal way, broadens your imagination, gives you a strong structure to base experimentation.
TAXI>>It is important that designers have a distinct style and it is evident that you have developed a style of your own. But how much of this style would you compromise in order to balance the demands of a client and your personal preference?
Muriel>>If the demand can lead me to acquire new things, or dares my imagination, I may say yes, but if it is based on trying to copy someone else's style, the answer will be no. Anyway most of art directors refer to you own work when they make the demand, what may happen is that they ask for some old style I stopped doing (like digital engraving) , there depends on the risks they want to take if something different comes out...
TAXI>>With that being said, as you have been in the industry for such a long time, how different is Muriel Frega then and now?
Muriel>>Very different. At the beginning I was balancing on very thin line between art and illustration, for commissioned works it was expected the soul of the art works but wouldn't let me have the freedom to explore and fail (no time and budget for that)... and art works were taken as cold and illustrative. The feeling that things didn't get along was growing, so I just took the time to make them work together, so they could have a feedback and communicate. I could achieve that and so far I can have commissioned ex-libris by very traditional collectors who want a digital creative artwork, illustrate stories just because I like them, or do illustrations for text books.
TAXI>>You work mostly with vector shapes and graphics. Is there a possibility we will see you working with other design elements, say, in the next five years?
Muriel>>Yes of course! I started working with oils and acrylics, then graphic traditional techniques, after that digital elements.. The best part of the last one was : No brushed to clean after working! just 2 seconds to shut down the computer and that's all.
But now that you mention it... I haven't tasted the 3D experience yet... objects and/or sculpture maybe? I can't imagine. The only work I made very different this year was a drawing with ball point pen and colour inks...I thought some more would come out, but nothing yet...maybe in summer, with some more time and a relaxed mind.
TAXI>>I'm sure everyone would love to see your current working space. How about showing it to us?
Muriel>>Okay, it's a bit messy, I've been working a lot this week. There it is, my computer, my desk, my toys, my pencils... And there's my last work, the one I mentioned before.
TAXI>>Okay, before we end, where would you like a TAXI to take you to now?
Muriel>>mhmhmh let me think...My first thought were many places in the world(Brazil, Ireland, India, Canada) but I could go there in a plane or a bus...this TAXI is more creative, so... please take me To the infinite and beyond!!
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
As an illustrator, most of Frega's works focus on women, illustrating for books, the latest of which was called "Reinas, un libro para mujeres" (Queens, a book for women) edited by VyR editoras. These stories of different women, different ages, different ways of life are slowly brought to life through her work in the universe of vector shapes.
Here we go!
TAXI>>Who is Muriel Frega? What distinguishes your work from other illustrators?
Muriel>>Well, let's see...She's an illustrator from Argentina, who studied fine arts, so her background is based on graphic techniques (engraving), and what liked most of it was the enormous possibilities of results. Loves to share projects with other artists, because feedback during work the best way to learn from others, plus the fact that is fun and encouraging.
Now..I really couldn't say what distinguishes me from other illustrators.. I think we all have a lot of things in common, there are more coincidences than differences..i guess...
TAXI>>The play of color is very prominent in your illustrations. Has this use of colors always been your way of expressing your emotions in your illustrations?
Muriel>>Colours express not only emotions, they can even make you smell fragrances or taste flavors. For me they are the most important thing in a visual work. In movies, comics, drawings, paintings, photographs, performances, anything...The way they are combined, how they work with the rest of the elements (or do not work...) enhance the whole.
Most of my ideas begin with a colour, I may read a text and have no clue of what will it be, but the first image are just a combination or 2 or 3 colours. My last project was a comic, and begun that way, read the plot (an adaptation of a novel by Carina Maguregui), and the colours popped up: pink, burgundy and acid green. Based on those colours The Scarecrows were born.
TAXI>>Your illustrations for Biblioteca Imaginaria accentuate the celebration of life and portray child-like innocence. What is the main concern when it comes to designing for children?
Muriel>>The main concern when illustrating for children is not to forget they can understand a message, an opinion, though many people think it has just to be decorative, colorful and fun. Children are able to think and learn from everything they interact with, even without being conscious of it, they feed from everything they consume, so I guess the idea is to offer them things, images to make them grow and develop their abilities and creativity, not to quiet their interests.
Things get difficult when a design or illustration for children is more a product than a toy or book, there, it has to fulfill some marketing needs that may not get along with what a children really needs or enjoys. But maybe as long as both things can live together is not that bad....
TAXI>>I love the surrealism in your portrait illustrations, it almost seems as though the emotions in your subjects are tangible. What are some of your expectations in your work process, from the selection of models to the end product?
Muriel>>Thank you! For my personal work, as those portraits, my expectations are not to have expectations, just let the work lead me as far as I can get, and once there try to jump a little bit further. For that series itself, it started playing, as an excuse to learn some techniques ( how to solve a vector image only with fills and strokes).
I just worked with those friends I met in my everyday life, not scheduling the meeting. Took the pictures (many of them) and selected the best shots, then added or changed things until the composition was okay, everything in grayscale so far, and after that draw them with vector shapes. All full and plain colours, no gradients, no transparencies.. just fill and stroke.
TAXI>>You mentioned in your portfolio that you “focused at first on engraving techniques as xylograph and lithography”. How has your understanding in these traditional techniques helped in your illustrations especially with the growing ease of digital media tools?
Muriel>>They helped me a lot. From the wise use of colour, to taking the most of the disadvantages, plan things from the beginning, follow specified steps, have a method of work. And combination of both is great because you can mix the best of them, use graphic textures from a litho print and make your own "texture bank". Traditional techniques feed digital tools, helps they work in a most personal way, broadens your imagination, gives you a strong structure to base experimentation.
TAXI>>It is important that designers have a distinct style and it is evident that you have developed a style of your own. But how much of this style would you compromise in order to balance the demands of a client and your personal preference?
Muriel>>If the demand can lead me to acquire new things, or dares my imagination, I may say yes, but if it is based on trying to copy someone else's style, the answer will be no. Anyway most of art directors refer to you own work when they make the demand, what may happen is that they ask for some old style I stopped doing (like digital engraving) , there depends on the risks they want to take if something different comes out...
TAXI>>With that being said, as you have been in the industry for such a long time, how different is Muriel Frega then and now?
Muriel>>Very different. At the beginning I was balancing on very thin line between art and illustration, for commissioned works it was expected the soul of the art works but wouldn't let me have the freedom to explore and fail (no time and budget for that)... and art works were taken as cold and illustrative. The feeling that things didn't get along was growing, so I just took the time to make them work together, so they could have a feedback and communicate. I could achieve that and so far I can have commissioned ex-libris by very traditional collectors who want a digital creative artwork, illustrate stories just because I like them, or do illustrations for text books.
TAXI>>You work mostly with vector shapes and graphics. Is there a possibility we will see you working with other design elements, say, in the next five years?
Muriel>>Yes of course! I started working with oils and acrylics, then graphic traditional techniques, after that digital elements.. The best part of the last one was : No brushed to clean after working! just 2 seconds to shut down the computer and that's all.
But now that you mention it... I haven't tasted the 3D experience yet... objects and/or sculpture maybe? I can't imagine. The only work I made very different this year was a drawing with ball point pen and colour inks...I thought some more would come out, but nothing yet...maybe in summer, with some more time and a relaxed mind.
TAXI>>I'm sure everyone would love to see your current working space. How about showing it to us?
Muriel>>Okay, it's a bit messy, I've been working a lot this week. There it is, my computer, my desk, my toys, my pencils... And there's my last work, the one I mentioned before.
TAXI>>Okay, before we end, where would you like a TAXI to take you to now?
Muriel>>mhmhmh let me think...My first thought were many places in the world(Brazil, Ireland, India, Canada) but I could go there in a plane or a bus...this TAXI is more creative, so... please take me To the infinite and beyond!!
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.