Meet the Maker: Illustrator Elliot Kruszynski

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what your work involves:

Hello! My name is Elliot Kruszynski I am a London based illustrator and printer. I work on lots of different projects which is fun because normally it means no two days are the same! For my commercial work, I mainly produce things digitally and then for my personal work and prints I hand make everything.

How did you first become interested in art, and how has this lead you to where you are now?

I was interested in drawing since I was a child! I have very vivid memories of practising drawing Pokemon at school and trying to be the best at that. I wasn't particularly good at much else than drawing at school so I naturally gravitated towards going to College to do a Foundation Diploma in Art- opposed to a university degree. Here I learnt illustration was an actual job that I could potentially do and just went from there!

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in quite mundane normal everyday things. I like to take them and make them happy and fun and inject some personality into them. Creativity is about taking inspiration from everywhere and getting stuck in. I don't like to plan stuff out because creativity is a state of mind – it's not about right or wrong, and it certainly isn't a qualification. I'm excited to be working with Reeves to show how everyone has a creative side and the benefits of embracing this.

What tools could you not work without?

An obvious choice but a pencil! I'll always draw out in pencil first what I'm going to be working on, whether it's a new print, painting, or commissioned work. I love Reeves products as there is a great variety of colours which means I'm not limited to what I can create.

How do you go about designing a new piece of work?

Firstly I will probably look at a bit of subject matter and then start sketching out really small compositions, after that, I usually work what the final image should look like in my head. Then I will get working on it, whether it's digital, a painting, a drawing etc and draw it on a large scale. I don't like to be too descriptive when I'm thumbnailing compositions because I can then add in little extras as I go to make it more interesting for me.

What art trends have you spotted this year?

I don't think it a trend for specifically this year but people generally are going back to old techniques to make work, as opposed to digitally. Even if this means digitally making something look hand made. This has also caused a massive increase in people making and selling prints, zines, basically physical art people can own.

Tell us about a piece of work that you are particularly proud of:

For the last year, I have partnered with Reeves to help ignite their new mission to inspire people to unleash their creativity. We've been around the country, London, Manchester and Dublin hosting events where anyone can join us to get creative. My designs were brought to life at the events through an animated flipbook and postcards which attendees could personalise with the huge range of Reeves products. It's great to be part of something that gets people to find their creative side.

Most recently I painted my first large scale mural last year for Etsy's London headquarters. It was huge and the most ambitious thing I've ever done. It took 5 days and a lot of help my friend, but we got there in the end and I was really happy with it!

What are 3 tips that you would share with a budding artist?

1. Don't get too caught up in looking at other peoples work and wanting it to look like theirs. Everyone is unique in what they output so embrace it
2. Make lots of work, even if halfway through something you don't like it. Just keep trying lots of things, it's only going to make you better!
3. Take advantage of the fact that you probably run your own schedule, take breaks in the day, go for a bike ride, cinema etc. Work when it feels natural and right to.