Creating illustrations on commission (perhaps for someone living on the other side of the world) might seem a nightmare, especially when you find yourself having to deal with a client that is particularly picky and demanding. However, the free-lance illustrator is a job that can also offer a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment. Elisa Serio, free-lance illustrator and colorist for years, is one of GiftBuzz’s new contributors and has decided to spend some time with us in order to give us more details on what this is all about. Obviously, she has also given us great inspiration for original gift ideas to suit creative personalities such as her own.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a free-lance with occasional commissioned jobs, with clients that often live on the other side of the world?

Personally I feel lucky, as I have never had huge problems in dealing with requests from clients that come from other parts of the world. I get a lot of requests from foreigners because I promote myself mainly on international websites such as Tumblr or deviantART.

One of the issues with jobs commissioned by private clients, especially at the beginning, is that of not being able to value the actual amount of work to come: often I find myself having to work for days and days (especially if the client is confused and demanding) for very little money, due to the fact that I had thought that project required less time and attention.

Being commissioned a project depends on various elements: the “artistic flows” that are trending on the internet, the extent to which the work done by an illustrator is considered “pop” and, unfortunately, on whether or not a nickname is well-known (and this often does not correspond to the level of talent!). I have been lucky as my style is, by nature, very “pop”, therefore making it quite easy for me to have projects commissioned (although I must admit that I always get the same subjects requested). Many of my colleagues try to acquire extra projects, however they encounter many difficulties as at times their style does not go perfectly with the moment’s “stylistic fashion”. Being aware of your own level and style is something that naturally one acquires over time: in my case it has been a sort of a trauma actually, as I discovered I had to start raising prices for my work after being requested continuous changes over and over again, stressing me to tears. When a job becomes this stressful it must also acquire value in terms of money. As time passed I learned to organize myself with timing, breaks, my to-do list and now commissioned work from privates has become less difficult to handle!

Which are your favorite coloring techniques? And what do you think about digital coloring?

I try my best to move around every technique! The ones I am now more comfortable with are water coloring and the mixed technique, this is regarding the traditional methods. For me, water coloring has become a relaxing moment rather than a moment at work. Obtaining certain effects with a little pigment and some water is something I really find fascinating, so it has become a therapeutical and emotional moment. I love the romantic atmosphere that watercolors can give any picture.

The mixed technique instead is a longer and more complex process as it is a mixture between watercolors, colored pencils, soft pastels, acrylics, inks, graphite and others. In this case I don’t give myself any kind of limit and I use any medium I have in mind that can fit properly in that specific point of the illustration. If pictures acquire a romantic and tenuous touch with watercolors, with the mixed technique they acquire more energy, texture and richness.

Although traditional techniques remain my favorite ones, I have to admit that most of my time I work on digital ones, purely for work needs as it makes me save a lot of time.

As a colorist I work a lot on comics’ tables and therefore it is important I optimize timing, in this case digital coloring helps a lot. I don’t think digital coloring is “cold” compared to traditional techniques, as many of my colleagues believe, you just have to feel comfortable with it. I was born and raised with a pencil in hand and will never live without one. New generations instead have learned to draw on electronic tables since their first experiences, so they learned to create beautiful pictures with digital techniques and feel comfortable with it, at times managing to create pictures as emotional as an oil painting!

The list you created for GiftBuzz covers a wide range of products and some very peculiar choices: tell us something about what you chose to insert in the list and why you chose them.

I have always loved creating wish lists. I generally love having things under control and I write lists of more or less everything in my life. If I were to take a look at one of my wish lists from years ago I would probably not recognize myself in the objects chosen: moving on with time, living on my own and begging to work independently I realized how my desires and needs have changed.

Right now I really like bold and unusual things (especially if they have some nerdish connection to one of my favorite tv series, videogames or comics), however I don’t only focus on the aesthetics of an object but also want it to be useful. I don’t like spending money (and wouldn’t want others to spend it for me especially) for a decorative object that has no purpose whatsoever if not that of being pretty where it stands — excluding perhaps some of the action figures from my current favorite video game (which would anyway become a reference for my drawings, therefore not being purely a decorative item!).

My list is mainly constructed with my work’s tools: I am lucky as my job is my biggest passion, so I never stop looking around, exploring and trying out new tools and objects for my personal artistic production. Colors, brushes, drawing pads… I am in love with anything that relates to what I do.

Other articles that are always present in my wish list are art books and other manuals of different kinds, from those relating to animated character design to the “how-tos” related to digital painting. I would spend most of my money if I could only on these!

Narrative books (especially fantasy and horrors), videogames and electronic gadgets are also something I would add.

However, I also have a feminine and deliciously “superficial” side that makes me love shoes (better if they are wedges or boots), bags and backpacks (particularly those made in leather or vintage pieces) and dresses. I love pastel shades, oversize sweaters, lace and leggings, which I find extremely comfortable and practical. I like to dress basic and simple, and then add a touch that stands out (a pair of shoes or a bracelet perhaps).

I have taken with me from my adolescence the love for studs, skulls, the Goth culture and the Harajuku subculture from Tokyo. Therefore in my wish list it is easy to find a mixture of all these elements I have slowly collected within my life.

Which is the best gift you have ever received and which one has been the least suited for you?

I never expect to receive gifts, so I am always a bit embarrassed when I do get some. Just a small card with a couple of words jotted down meaningfully would be more than enough for me. However, if I am to speak in materialistic terms then I must say my mother is the one who has given me the best gift ever: not only she gives me her full support constantly, but she also recently bought me a professional graphic table, which literally made my drawings shine!

A really sweet gift I also received came from by boyfriend. Shortly after we met he brought back from Japan an authentic furoshiki. I like it so much that I am even scared of opening it. And more recently I received another really lovely present. One of my dear friends gave me a set of extra thin watercolors for artists, for my birthday. Those had been in my wish list for ages! I never thought I would be able to put my hands on those, due to their cost. My friend saw them in my wish list and chose to give them to me! Everyone should consider using their wish list more often, as it is a great source to get the gifts you actually want!

In terms of the least appreciated gifts instead, let me repeat that any gift I get is something special and I feel really sorry when I get a gift that has nothing to do with my personality. I mostly feel sorry for who gave it to me rather than for myself, as he wasted both time and money and this is such a pity. I don’t have very difficult tastes so I am not hard to please — a simple drawing book makes me the happiest person on earth — however I know that some people do find it difficult to pick out a gift for me.

This is why I also decided to keep a list where everyone can have access to my favorite and desired objects!

We hope this interview has been useful in getting to know this great profession in more depth and that Elisa’s list will inspire you in discovering new and interesting gifts that could perfectly suit a creative personality like hers. Keep following GiftBuzz to know more about our contributors.