In order to explain something to other people, you will need to use examples they already know from their own experiences. You want to say something is easy? You say: “It’s a cup of tea!” Because you have prepared your’s millions of times and you know it is easy. That’s how our brains work.
I was researching, what was so appealing to me about Catalina’s artwork and my realisation is as following:
Catalina is using peoples routines to illustrate your mood about something
“I usually draw inspiration from common objects and routine situations.”
So what’s the whole process behind creating such an artwork?
I usually start with a series of rough sketches to give structure to a concept, then I decide which elements need to ‘pop out’ at viewers and elements that may not be essential to communicate the idea of the text.
After solidifying the composition, I choose colors. I tend to use color to communicate a fun mood, particularly saturated palettes and light values to evoke positive emotions.
Then I proceed to block in the main colors following the hierarchy established in the sketch. Finally, I use the simplest lines that can describe the characters or objects I’m drawing.
Even though I work digitally, I like to preserve the feel of a handmade illustration. I go for not-so-rigid edges, pencil textures and freehand lines.
I find inspiration in the depiction of modern urban life, and the shapes of common objects. I’m fascinated by how we arrange objects around us, and we build routine situations and meaning.