Design Federation

Interview with Chris Nielsen

You may already have seen Christopher Nielsen’s works in magazines and newspapers, but if you haven’t you are in for a treat, as they are truly sublime!

What is your name and where are you located?

Christopher Nielsen. Surry Hills, Sydney.

Where did you learn your craft?

On the job! From other illustrators generous enough to share their craft.

Have you always been focused in this particular area?

I studied literature but knew that making images was what I really wanted to do.

What is your artistic medium of choice? Why that medium?

Mainly acrylics but I’ll use whatever it takes to get an image to work. Sometimes I tweak stuff in photoshop.

Whose work do you relate to most? Who inspires you?

I’m inspired by the other guys in my studio. I also get pepped up by people like Nate Williams and Gary Baseman who get out of the box and blur the line between what’s considered illustration and what’s called “art”. I’m a big fan of outsider art, Mexican art, Japanese prints, vintage signage and packaging.

Your style is quite unique, is it a benefit or hindrance that people can easily recognise your work?

Definitely a benefit. Your style needs to stand out as a brand that an art director can visualize immediately in his or her mind.

Has style or work ever been “bitten” and passed of as someone else’s?

There’s a little bit of that going around.

The new Batman film (The Dark Knight) was the best movie of all time (IMDb), or overrated?

I have a new baby boy so anything that takes longer that an hour to complete in one go has been eliminated from my life. I’ll let you know what I think about it in a few years.

Born

How important is music in your life?

Very. I play in a band called The Ramalamas and listen to it for inspiration all the time. Couldn’t survive without it!

Electronic Piracy is…?

Cheeky.

In the big scheme of things, how important is design, whether it be good or bad?

People have no idea how important it is until it’s gone. It’s the first priority to go out the door in tough times but people don’t realize that their tall buildings and wine glasses would fall over without it.

What are some websites you like to visit daily?

www.drawger.com
www.illoz.com
www.illustrationmundo.com