Veerle's blog

It's been more than a month since I last had an interview published here so it's high time to get back to it. I'm sure you will not regret seeing the work of our next guest as it is very inspiring.

Hi There! My name is Jacob Souva. Born of two loving and artistic parents, I was always drawing things for the sole purpose of having them immortalized forever on the fridge. Thankfully, Mom and Dad valued the making of art (even if it consisted of random scribbles that would never look like a mandolin playing platypus, or whatever the topic was at that moment) and encouraged me with kind words. I later discovered the joy of Maurice Sendak, Bill Peet, and Dr. Seuss at the library and fell in love with illustration. Middle school cemented the love, when I found out that the ability to draw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could make you popular (if but for the moment). All of these early memories of illustration drove me to Syracuse University, where I received my BFA in Illustration.

After a brief hiatus away from the profession, I decided to jump into the world of freelance illustration and design. I enjoy the challenges of rendering ideas into images and love working with other creative people. I live and work from my home in Binghamton, New York. I have an amazingly supportive wife who pushes me to really pursue what I love.

A million stories

The first thing I noticed when visiting Jacob was the elegantly-designed site. It's rare that illustrators pay attention to Web Standards as most of them just opt for Flash. His site shows you can create a standards based site that matches the portfolio perfectly. Talking about his portfolio, I really digg his loose, sketchy style. Most of the work contains evocative imagery and pulls you right into the story that's behind it. The finished pieces always use a very attractive color palette that bring out the energy of the art.

Open for Interpretation

What interests you most in an illustration?

I think that the concept is really what makes an illustration. I'm always pulled towards the rendering or creating stage of illustration, but generally the concept or communication stage (usually in the beginning) is vital. The art I love the most is usually a great concept, illustrated in a beautiful way.

Emergency in the Woods

Can reveal a little bit of how an illustration comes together (from coming up with the idea till finished piece)?

My process has been tweaked a lot from when I first started. I've been narrowing and refining things to best suit my strengths and my aesthetic. I start by brainstorming the concept, usually on paper with thumbnails and key words. Once I've picked one that I'm most happy with, I usually knock out a bigger thumbnail with more detail. Sometimes I get ideas for lighting and color at this stage, a very good sign that things are progressing well.

The next step is a drawing in blue pencil. It's lighter and I like how fast it flows on the surface. I then take a good old number 2 pencil and formalize my line over the blue. I don't mind mistakes or mishaps, because I really like my illustrations messy and imperfect. It adds character.

I scan my drawing in at a fairly high resolution and bring into Illustrator for shape building. This stage is not fun, as the Pen tool and I have a long history of disagreements. (I have really enjoyed some of the changes in CS3, however.) After I get things built, I drag shapes under my drawing in Photoshop. I really like the combination of sharp, clean vector images with messy pencil drawings. From there, it's a whole lot of masking, color tweaking and collaging textures and images in. I really enjoy this part!

The Captain Kirk

What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

I find a lot of inspiration in music. I have a pretty wide selection of stuff I listen to. Plus, my business is a combination of illustration, graphic design, and web design. They all require different skill sets and proficiencies, so I try to keep a healthy balance. I also like to cook. It's relaxing and creative in a completely different way.

Two Fish

Did the Internet influence your work?

Yes. In college we spent a lot of time looking at traditionally created illustration. I realized I didn't like to paint so finding other illustrators that work digitally helped me find my style and process. There are so many talented illustrators and designers out there that it's helpful to be challenged and motivated by their work, daily. The almost instant feedback on my own work is helpful in many ways too.

Help

What's your ultimate dream project as an illustrator?

That's a tough one. I'd really like to create illustrations for organizations that are doing good things in the world. I also would love to do more music packaging with bands and musicians I admire. Of course, creating art for children's books would complete the circle, as that's where I was first exposed to some brilliant illustration.

Pick Your Phobia

Baseball Goes Backwards

More examples on Two Fish Illustration & Design, Jacob's site.