Picture Perfect: Trickster profiles eye-catching illustrators from here and there. The first one in line is illustrator with animation skills or animator with illustration skills, Liisi Grünberg from Estonia.
Your first drawings as a kid?
I enjoyed copying images from books and learning from adults. It was fun to draw with my mom—she showed me how to construct cats, princesses, and cakes. Cates and cakes became recurring motifs.
Is illustration a tool or an art form, and why?
There are educational illustrations that have a very specific function, as well as illustrations the artist creates to express themselves. You can make statements like "Art is a tool for communication." Generally, when people start discussing what art is and isn’t, I zone out and wish people were making f-art jokes instead.
What do you think about when you draw?
While planning a drawing, I need to concentrate on the choices I’m making. Afterwards, while inking and such, I like to listen to podcasts, audio dramas, or watch YouTube videos in the background.
How did you find your style?
I decided to blend elements from here and there that I like—particularly black and white comic art, like that of Kazuo Umezu. Before that, I thought you had to find something very unique to yourself, as if it’s more authentic that way. I liked the illustrations I made, and it seemed people responded well, so I kept going with it.
Color or line?
Line :)
Character or situation?
I don’t know.
Your favorite artists?
In Estonia, I enjoy Kris Lemsalu’s art exhibitions. There’s a lot of humor and interesting textures to look at.
Your favorite films? Name at least 3.
The Thing by John Carpenter, Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki, and THROAT NOTES by Felix Colgrave.
Your favorite places in Estonia and the world?
Paljassaare is a great oasis of nature in Tallinn. Sometimes, I want a change of scenery from houses and cars. The beach there is kind of cold, so it doesn’t get too crowded. It also sometimes smells like poop, but it’s okay.
Advice for beginners?
The best way to learn is to make new things, so if you have the option, don’t get stuck on polishing that one thing. Also, working in an art field is hard without a safety net. I’ve had the option to be unemployed with no big economic consequences, so I was able to keep going.
What do you need to have a productive workday?
A repetitive structure, like waking up at the same time each day, and the feeling that I don’t have unfinished tasks lingering in the background.
Do you think of drawing as work or as fun?
You could divide it into work I do from my own initiative and work I do on commission. The latter can feel more like a struggle. But drawing has many dimensions, like any other activity. If you think about eating and cooking, for example—you could do it for sustenance, pleasure, learning, company, comfort, or whatever.
Have you ever been stuck creatively, and how have you dealt with it?
For sure! I’ve tried changing direction a little bit—either in what I’m making, how I’m making it, or in my surrounding life. It seems like all artists go through periods of thinking of becoming a gardener or a librarian. There have been evenings when I’ve gone to job listing sites, full of self-pity, and browsed jobs for a person with no formal education.
How do you combine your different skill sets and professions? Is it helpful to be multitalented, or do your different professions sometimes compete with each other?
Having the option to work in different fields helps with burnout. It adds variety. When I feel stuck with animation, I look for work as an illustrator and go back to animating when possible—and vice versa.
Please make a little drawing of Trickster as a fantasy movie character.
