Marta Andreeva

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Where did you grow up and when did you say to yourself: ‘’I want to be an Artist’’?
I grew up in Sofia, the capital of the small but beautiful Bulgaria. Drawing has always been a huge part of who I am, ever since I could hold a pencil in my chubby little arms. I think that I wanted to be an artist from a very very young age, as drawing was the thing I enjoyed doing most. It was always a dream of mine to be able to earn my living with it. There were a couple of times in my life so far that I questioned myself whether it really was what I wanted to do (I think mostly because of fear that I would fail), but I am glad I ended up pursuing my dream and not giving up on it – it is better to try and fail, than not try at all, right. I still have a long way to go and we will see where it will take me. :)

Have you always been supported in your artistic path or has it been challenging to let your family and friends understand your choice?
My parents and especially my mother have always supported my love for drawing. I think she was the first person to see a potential in me, when she signed me up for drawing classes at a very young age and she totally supports me ever since. I think my parents are a bit worried if I will be able to pay my bills with it (and you know, buy food and stuff), but they have never tried to tell me or convince me to quit, since they see that this is my passion and want me to behappy. It is not always an easy thing to explain as a career path though, because many people I meet don't really know or understand what it is that you actually do. It sometimes sounds to them as if you just sit around in your pijamas all day and play with crayons (which is only partly true). I think that every artist is used to people sometimes not taking them seriously when  they tell them what they do for a living or what their goals are („pff get a real job“), but this is absolutely alright. I am more than happy with what I do and I know my family is proud of me no matter what, which are the the things that matter. 

What was the strongest influence you had when you were growing up ( artists, movies, cartoons, comics etc.. ) ?
This may not be a very original answer, but I think animation films and especially the ones from Disney were a huge influence. I still remember the day when my father brought home a couple of video tapes with cartoons that he saw in a store - they were a couple of Hanna-Barbera shows as well as the awesomeness itself - „The Lion King“ Movie. I fell in love with “The Lion King“ right away, I was obsessed with it. I watched it absolutely every day and I knew every line of it by heart...I have no idea how my parents and my grandmother (since she was the one forced to sit with me during the day and watch the animation over and over again) survived my Lion-King-madness period. I drew lions all the time...everywhere...it was insane. :D I also grew up with the Cartoon Network shows, as many kids did- Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Tom and Jerry, Looney Toons etc. Me and my brother used to watch
the channel all the time. It is actually funny when I think about it now, because this is how we started learning English by the age of 4-5. The shows weren't translated back then so at first we just watched the cool drawings and funny characters and had absolutely no idea what they were saying.

Did you go to an art school or are you self taught? What helped you prepare to become the artist we know today?
I am a self taught artist, I never went to an actual art school (although I am still considering it). I went to all kinds of courses though. When I was in school I visited drawing classes, where they taught us all about the art basics: perspective, human anatomy, shading, composition etc. When I moved to Germany, I started drawing digitally and began learning everything by myself, by observing other artists and via online courses – Schoolism, Digital Tutors etc. 

Did you have a favourite subject to draw when you were a child and do you still have one today? If you do, what makes it so special? Well, when I was a child (after my lion period) I remember that I loved to draw horses for some reason... they were like my favorite animal or something. I don't know. And at the moment I am working on children series that are about unicorns so again I have to draw a fair share of horses (coincidence? I don't think so). But I wouldn't say it is a really favorite thing for me to draw now. 

What is your process in coloring your art and what type of tools and media do you use?
I primarily use Photoshop for coloring my sketches and I draw on a Wacom Intuos 5 at home. I really like textured coloring and brushes. I guess I enjoy a bit of roughness and sloppiness that is typical for traditional drawing where you don't have the Cntr+Z option. 

What part of the creation process is the most fun and easy and what part is the hardest?
I am not a very patient “renderer“. I don't really enjoy spending too much time on one  
drawing. So I think I enjoy most the initial sketching of things and just putting an idea or concept down. One of the hardest parts for me and something I rarely enjoy is to really finish a detailed piece and render it out in a more „realistic“ style. 

What are some of the things you have learned from other artists who you have worked with or whose work you have seen? I have learned many useful things from other artists, but something that comes to my mind and that I think is important was told by a former drawing teacher of mine - to never take yourself or your art too seriously, simple as that. And to just have fun with it, as she said - we are not brain surgeons after all, we draw flying pigs and talking potatos (PS: this sounds like a fun project). 

What projects have you worked on in the past and what are you working on at the moment (if you can tell us)?
At the moment I am very proud to be part of an amazing animation project that is being developed by some super talented artists. Most of them are from Bulgaria but are spread around the globe. The project is called The Golden Apple and we recently launched our Kickstarter campaign – www.kickstarter.com/projects/goldenapple/the-golden-apple-series, with the hope that we can make our dream project a reality. Feel free to check it out and support us if you like it. Since March this year I have also been given the opportunity to be a part of the development of the popular German TV series „Mia and Me“ (we are working on the third season at the moment). 

Working for a company or freelancing: what suits you best? And why?
I am not really sure what suits me best yet. Both have some positive and negative traits. I enjoy working in a studio, mostly because of the chance to work face to face with other professionals and super talented artists and be able to learn from them. But I think I see myself more as a freelancer in the future. One dream of mine is to be able to work freelance whilst I travel to different places around the world.

What advise would you give to an artist who is dealing with an art-block? How do you boost your imagination and keep yourself creative?
As the amazing Steven Silver says in his classes and what I personally follow as an advice – just observe. You can find inspiration in anything – books, music, other people's art or just by taking a walk in the park or watching people pass you by. Then just start making small sketches, nothing really fancy, just draw...something, anything. Don't try to draw something pretty or perfect, just scribble whatever is on your mind – no one has to see this sketches but that will get you to start overcoming your creative block.

Concept art, animation, illustration, comics, there’s so many options to choose and when you’re young, sometimes the only thing you know is just that you love to draw: what should a young artist take into consideration to make the right decision when choosing an artistic path?
Well, I should definitely read the answer to this in the other interviews, because I still ask myself this same question. :D I am still not sure what is really “my thing“ so I try to rule out what I don't really enjoy doing by trying different things out. Everything is a learning experience in my opinion.

What’s your point of view about the industry today: what are the expectation for someone who wants to make a living with an artistic career? This is only based on my not so broad experience so far, but I think the expectations are insanely huge today with so many talented artists in the job market. You have to try to stand out from the crowd. It is expected of you to be very versatile and to be able to adapt to everything that is brought to the table. Which can be a scary thought but also motivating.

We have a soft spot for hand drawn animation, what is your opinion about the future of this art form?
I have always been a huge fan of traditional animation and I think there will always be something unique to it that nothing else can replace. But I also find the mixture of 3D and 2D very fascinating (for example “Paperman”). My belief is that there is a lot of potential in that area and maybe a way to keep the „hand – drawn“ look and feel alive in the future. 

Finally, Where can we see your art online and get in touch with you? How can we buy your creations and support your work?
I have a blog: www.martaandreeva.blogspot.de and a Behance portfolio:  www.behance.net/martaandreeva where you can see some of my personal work. You can also get in touch with me via LinkedIn: de.linkedin.com/in/andreevamarta I have just recently created my Society 6 shop (www.society6.com/martaandreeva) so there is not much available for sale there yet, but if someone is interested in buying or commissioning some artwork from me, feel free to contact me.

Thank you! :)

Thank YOU Marta :)