Anna Grigorenko - Starting From the Basics, Then It Is Easier and Faster to Reach a Certain Stage in Creativity (Artist from Russia)

Anna Grigorenko


My favorite subject for the painting is portrait. I like to convey emotions in drawing, to show the difference and diversity of human faces. Most often I draw girls, but I draw men too. I just think that the female character is closest to my feelings, which I want to convey in my works. I really like to work with an unusual light in paintings. Show different shades in shadows and highlights. Nowadays I mostly work with watercolors and it seems to me that it defines my style. Something colorful, not quite neat, something bold but thoughtful. I don't know, it's hard for me to describe it.


1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I have been fond of drawing since childhood, my mother is also an artist, so I have a passion for drawing from an early age. I painted for fun, I always liked to do it, but I never imagined that it would be something big for me. When I was in the last grades of school and I had to decide what to connect my life with, I decided that I would become a designer (by the way, like my mother at that time). 

At that time, I did not consider drawing at all as something that could bring a steady income. Therefore, I just began to study design, where I learned the basics of academic drawing. After university, I worked as a graphic designer in the office for 3 years, and at home, I drew for my own pleasure, and at the same time began to work more actively on my blog on YouTube and Instagram. 

The first year I was very interested in working as a designer, but then I started getting tired of boring work, of client’s bad sense of style. I came home after work and relaxed while drawing. And I always thought that if I quit my job, then only to freelance. And so it happened!

 

2. When and how did you decide to pursue art? 

As I said, I have been drawing since childhood, but I began to do it more consciously at the university. Then I realized that for the progress I need to analyze my work, draw more thoughtfully, study the structure of objects. At that time, drawing grew into something more for me.

The next stage in my immersion in creativity was more frequent drawing in parallel with work. Someone might think that this could drain my strength, but on the contrary, it fueled me with inspiration, the desire to do something. Still, when you are doing the same thing, you just need to change it to another. My second activity was drawing. I painted literally everything, landscapes, objects, people. I painted with different materials, but my priority was soft pastels, watercolor, and graphite.

Then I began to pay more attention to portraits and found great love in them. I began to paint portraits more and more often, and people liked it, then my blog on Instagram began to grow. My blog grew and I began to receive orders, which were enough for a comfortable life. And I immediately decided it was time to take a chance and become a full-time artist. And now that's who I am.

 

3.What kind of theme inspires you and how would you define your style and aesthetics?

My favorite subject for the painting is portrait. I like to convey emotions in drawing, to show the difference and diversity of human faces. Most often I draw girls, but I draw men too. I just think that the female character is closest to my feelings, which I want to convey in my works. 

I really like to work with an unusual light in paintings. Show different shades in shadows and highlights. Nowadays I mostly work with watercolors and it seems to me that it defines my style. Something colorful, not quite neat, something bold but thoughtful. I don't know, it's hard for me to describe it.

I used to draw just portraits, but now I increasingly want to create my own characters, add their environment. Probably I just went through my stage of studying and training in drawing portraits and now I need to add my vision to the paintings, to depict my ideas. Now I have enough skill for this and I want to grow in this direction.

More often than not, my ideas carry something light, but deep and mysterious. I combine these completely different characteristics in combining materials and techniques. For example, it can be a light watercolor, but a plot with deep colors and a mysterious character image. At least that's how I see my style.

 

4. How do you overcome a creativity block?

The only way is to be distracted by something completely different. And don't blame yourself for allowing yourself not to paint. You need to be filled with energy, impressions. After all, it is difficult to draw energy at the same time when you give it out in your paintings.

I prefer trips, some interesting activities at home, games. A couple of years ago I even made ball-jointed dolls, one of them is still not finished, I'm waiting for the next block. And at such moments I may not even think about drawing, but then after a few days, I am filled with the desire to draw. But I usually don't get into strong creative blocks because I often give myself rest.

 

5.Who is your favorite artist and why?

I do not have a specific favorite artist, I follow the work of many. Whether it's bad or not, I don't go to exhibitions, I follow my favorite artists on the Internet. And I think it's cool that in our time we can observe the work of so many people and not limit ourselves to only those artists who are exhibited in museums. 

It's just that now art has become more accessible and I don't see anything wrong with that. The only question is what quality of art each viewer considers beautiful for himself.

 

6. What message would you give to aspiring artists?

I am still a supporter of correct proportions and anatomy, and therefore I advise all beginners to learn the basics first. Construction, colors, and their combination. To start with this, and when you feel that there is enough knowledge, then you will feel the desire to bring your vision of form and color, your ideas into your works. 

Even in the process of learning the basics, we each have our own technique, and over time it starts to manifest itself more and more. But starting from the basics it is easier and faster to reach a certain stage in creativity.

 

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

I would not say that I have read many books in my life, but of all the ones I have read, Tolkien's books impressed me the most. It amazes me how complex the universe this writer has thought up, even created languages! 

These stories are amazing, mysterious, sometimes just cozy and kind. Some books are difficult to read due to the variety of fictional words, but when you start reading, you flow into this world, and for artists, this is a whole storehouse of inspiration.


Anna Grigorenko


Interviewed By - Anshika Maurya


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