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Jul 28, 2016

Subsign Spotlight #014

with Diana Barbu

We at Subsign want to contribute to the global creative community, thus the Subsign Spotlight initiative was born. We will bring you interviews and shine the light on a person (or collective) who has shown creativity and courage via their work.

While surfing the big wave that is the internet we managed to stumble upon an artist that is from our home country and has a very lively and colorful style of illustrations. Ladies and gents, this week we give you Diana Barbu.

Subsign: Before we get things rolling, let’s get acquainted. Tell us a few things about yourself.

Diana: Hello, my name is Diana Barbu and I am currently shifting between Bucharest and Targu Jiu, Romania — shifting between the bitter-full chaos of the capital and the blissful silence of my hometown. I am a 24 years old self thought illustrator and graphic designer and at the moment I am experimenting with various media, trying to build a steady personal style whilst consuming a great amount of visual information.

Also, I’m in the process of building the biggest personal children’s books collection and dreaming of signing one as an illustrator one day.

Subsign: What was your childhood like? Do you think your experiences from childhood have influenced your present creative endeavors?

Diana: My childhood was very explosive. I have always been an energic child trying to make something great out of nothing. I drew very little when I was a child but I have always been drawn by visual arts. For example, I played around with portrait photography since teenage until my third year of college, therefore I have used Photoshop for 10 years now. I started illustrating more serious pretty late after finishing college but using adobe software helped me a lot.

Subsign: How would you describe your work style?

Diana: As I said before, I am consuming a lot of visual information, I spend hours digging art and finding artists and this process really influences me a lot. My purpose is to have a clear, recognizable style that’s why I am playing with different media and right now I am really shifting from digital to analog because digital is not very rewarding and fulfilling for me as drawing by hand is.

Subsign: Can you share with us how your creative process works?

Diana: An idea flourishes after something beautiful has touched me deeply: a movie, a book, a song, an artist work or a theme I get obsessed with. First I lose myself in the black hole of internet, then I start sketching on paper, then vectorizing and finally adding the last details in Photoshop.

Subsign: How does your work station look like?

Diana: My desk is quite tidy because I get a little psychotic if things aren’t in order. Pretty unusual for a creative person, huh? Well I believe that the design of every day objects inspires us a lot so that’s why I try to suround myself with beautiful things only.

Subsign: What is your favorite work you have done so far?

Diana: I am superexcited about a project I am currently working on right now for some cool guys — Hop Hooligans. I am illustrating their beer labels that are very quirky and funny and smart. But for now it’s a secret. Also my “Interconnections” series is a corner stone in my artistic evolution.

Subsign: Who do you admire as a visionary?

Diana: I admire Freud a lot for the psychological explanations he has found regarding human behavior. I am very interested in how our childhood experiences shape the rest of our lives.

Subsign: What advice could you give to someone starting out in the creative field of work?

Diana: Don’t let anyone tell you what to do or what you’re good at. Go with the flow, experiment and If you love something from the bottom of your heart than that’s the thing you are supposed to do. I haven’t studied art in school, I haven’t graduated an art college, I just followed my heart and if I love illustration then I am going to freakin’ do it no matter what.

Subsign: If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

Diana: There are a lot of things I want to try lately: screen printing, lino-cut, ceramics, sewing and gardening.

Subsign: Can you recommend for our readers a book ,a song and a movie?

Diana:

Book: Kurt Vonnegut — Welcome to the monkey house

Song: Leon Bridges — River

Movie: Breaking the waves

Subsign: If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for?

Diana: I can’t really decide between a Marie Antoinette party or a 60’s party but I’m sure it would be just for the sake of fun, no specific reason. And when I say 60’s I mean more like mad men 60’s rather than hippie 60’s. Everyone would be fancy and well-mannered but at the same time very open-minded, fun and cheeky.