Masterclass with Andy J. Pizza
“Storytelling gives you a competitive edge”, says Andy J. Pizza. He is leading The Finnish Illustration Association’s masterclass this November.
Author-illustrator Andy J. Pizza will lead The Finnish Illustration Association’s masterclass this November. Two-day online masterclass consists of a public lecture and a workshop for members during Thursday, Nov 21st and Friday, Nov 22nd.
Andy J. Pizza is a New York Times Bestselling author-illustrator. He has done many books for children and adults such as “Invisible Things” and “A Pizza with Everything On it”. He is also the creator of the popular podcast Creative Pep Talk.
Here is how Pizza answers questions about illustration from his home in Columbus, Ohio:
How did you become an illustrator?
I got passionate about indie band merch and screen printed posters when I was in high school. So I went to school for design and illustration in the North of England at the University of Huddersfield.
When I got out of school I took whatever opportunities I could find in London to try and connect with others. Live drawing events and stuff like that. I also just emailed hundreds of blogs and tried to get my work out there.
Eventually I started to get real freelance jobs come through. Since then I’ve done a podcast called Creative Pep Talk for the past ten years and started publishing kids books. Both have helped diversify my practice and bring in new opportunities.
What inspires you at this moment?
The craft of storytelling is endlessly fascinating to me. I love creatives that geek out about that element of the process. I love dissecting something that really works and figuring out why it works.
What other (illustration-related) projects are you working on?
I’m always doing client work and working on books. Right now I’m really enjoying illustrating the episode art for the award winning Radiotopia podcast “Weight for It” by Ronald Young Jr.
What do you think, what kind of skills an illustrator needs these days?
I think something that will really give you a competitive edge is substance and storytelling. Storytelling isn’t magic. It’s a craft that anyone can learn. Styles come and go. But when an illustrator really has depth, it’s timeless. For example, in the picture book world, Eric Carle’s and Maurice Sendak’s work never goes out of style, and I think that’s because it’s grounded in humanity and substance over style and trend.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be an illustrator?
The best piece of advice I can give is to quit thinking about illustration as drawing and think of it more like “writing with pictures”. Balance your visual art chops with learning to tell stories and how to create effective symbolism.
And why pizza? What does it mean to you?
Have you had pizza? Come on! It’s only the food of the gods!
Article: Johanna Saine