Andreea Vlad is a visual artist and communication designer currently residing in Copenhagen. Her illustrative work revolves around life-sized portraiture, combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting.

Her creative process includes transitioning from fast and gestural sketches to labour-intensive and time-consuming 1:1 scale drawings realised in a photorealistic manner. Her preferred drawing technique is pastel on paper, however, she often experiments with various materials, introducing acrylic paint, ink, collage, and image transfer techniques. She draws inspiration for her work from various artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, Jenny Saville and Nicola Samori.

Andreea graduated from the University of Art, Cluj Napoca, Transilvania, and furthered her studies in both multimedia and communication design in Copenhagen.

We are delighted to feature her work in Drawn Volume 3. Leaders in Contemporary Illustration, out now!

“ Teaching drawing is so different from the actual practice of it, and I am challenged in a way to put words on a practice that you learn and understand by doing, and it has been quite revealing for me. I feel humbled by the attempt, and my appreciation and admiration for teachers of all kind are massively increased with every event I design and teach at.”

Hi Andreea! Thank you for taking the time out to talk to us today, we’re looking forward to hearing more about your creative process. First of all, can you tell us a little bit about a project you’re currently working on?

Hello Capsules, it is a great pleasure to talk to you and thank you for the opportunity to share with your audience some insights into my creative process, and why not, my artistic motivation and what drives me to explore this way of expressing myself.

Currently, I am involved in a variety of projects and ideas, however, I am going to talk about two projects I am mindfully immersed in. The first one is a personal exploration, where drawing is a tool of self-discovery, and where the element of time is of essence. It consists of a daily practice regardless of the circumstances the day presents to me. I make a self-portrait every day, using ink and brushes and a mirror to capture not only the physical appearance and the exterior shelf what I call myself at times, but also to try and seize the emotional presence of the day, where my soul stands in that particular moment, what my eyes are saying, what my mouth is failing to say. This reflection, both physical and mental brings me in the NOW, the most precious moment. The choice of using ink is not arbitrary. Ink is unforgiving, I cannot erase it, I cannot go back, and so is time; I can only make the best of it, and trust that my next move will bring me closer to myself. I started in the first day of 2020 (and what a year, eh?) and I will continue until the last day of it, creating a collection of 366 drawings, each made in about 10 minutes.

The second project I would like to mention is my teaching practice. I have been collaborating with Artnsips – a social events company in Copenhagen, where we bring people together to practice a form of art while having a drink and socialising in an informal setup. The events I have been guiding are focused on figure drawing with a live model, where using a series of exercises I intend to get the participants to feel more comfortable in approaching the practice of drawing, by engaging the sense of sight to observe the human figure, and the sense of touch to actually imagine the shapes and textures they look at, so the drawing becomes more intuitive and liberated from preconceived ideas of how a human shape appears. Teaching drawing is so different from the actual practice of it, and I am challenged in a way to put words on a practice that you learn and understand by doing, and it has been quite revealing for me. I feel humbled by the attempt, and my appreciation and admiration for teachers of all kind are massively increased with every event I design and teach at.

“ It is a very personal and intimate practice, and whether it is a self-portrait or a portrait of another individual, I always go to a deeper psychological and emotional layer when I draw someone.”

Your illustration work focuses on life-size portraiture - can you explain why you chose to work using this ratio, and talk us through how a portrait of this nature would come to life?

Portraiture is a noble form of art for me, and I am fascinated by the whole process I engage in when I decide in creating a portrait of someone. It is a very personal and intimate practice, and whether it is a self-portrait or a portrait of another individual, I always go to a deeper psychological and emotional layer when I draw someone. I chose to use 1:1 scale to represent people because it brings their presence into the space, they “live” and “breathe” and one can connect with their image in a more presently way, giving a human scale to the experience.

“...the relationships I am building with the people that commission my work are very important to me, and my intention is to represent them in an authentic and self-identifiable manner.”

The relationship between artists and clients is an important one, how do you make sure that clients who commission your work are involved in the creative process?

I totally agree, the relationships I am building with the people that commission my work are very important to me, and my intention is to represent them in an authentic and self-identifiable manner. This is why, the choice of using a photorealistic approach in my drawings gives me the opportunity to capture their image in a way that is recognisable. Using tools such as photo cameras in the documentation phase, I have my client pose in a way that they would like themselves to be represented. My directions and stylistic decisions are usually made in terms of lightning and composition, and the final result goes through my own inner filter, having the drawing made by hand, using pastel and charcoal on paper. At last, there is a discernible resemblance with the sitter, however, the “reading” of his soul penetrates through, and a little bit of myself can be seen in the drawing as well.

“I am loyal to a certain level of craftsmanship and academic manner of using drawing as a means to explore reality, I am also led by curiosity and the desire to break the rules as it pleases me”

You state that experimentation is an important element of your creative practice. Can you talk about why that is and how it assists in the development of your work?

Sure! As much as I am loyal to a certain level of craftsmanship and academic manner of using drawing as a means to explore reality, I am also led by curiosity and the desire to break the rules as it pleases me. At times I like to explore different materials and combine techniques just so I surprise myself by the results, and go to places I would not have discovered otherwise. I have been experimenting with transfer techniques, combining materials traditional to drawing and graphic arts such as charcoal, pastel, printing inks and acrylics with alcohol-based paints, glues and lacks in order “to break” the image and bring the surfaces to an abstract reading and interpretation.

“I helped in shaping their visual identity and created several marketing materials to spread the awareness about the gravity of the burn cases, and the possibility of helping them by encouraging people to donate and share our message”

In addition to your visual art, you are also a professional communication designer, can you tell us about one of your favourite commercial projects?

Yes, gladly! Given my interest in communication at large (everything is communication, right?) I have been drawn to design a solution-oriented discipline, which is in certain regard opposite to the artistic practice (which is more concerned with posing questions, rather than bringing answers as such). Therefore, soon after my arrival in Copenhagen (and mainly my reason to move to Denmark), I started my education in design – multimedia design and communication. I have worked in a variety of design projects, and the first one I would like to mention is my collaboration with the non-profit organisation Care4Burn, whose mission is to treat burn victims in Africa, in order to give them a chance at a better life. I have been within the organisation from its beginnings, and I am proud to say that I helped in shaping their visual identity and created several marketing materials to spread the awareness about the gravity of the burn cases, and the possibility of helping them by encouraging people to donate and share our message.

“ ...it made a compelling case on how communication design can be used to address controversial issues and be critical about the world that we are living in.”

The second project I would like to mention is my BA project in communication design, which I approached from a critical design perspective, where led by research and theoretical application, I designed a critical design prototype in the form of meat packaging, whereby a change of materiality (using fur instead of plastic), and emotional facial recognition software, I created the scenario in which people are reminded that meat is coming from living sentient beings, with the intention of reducing meat consumption. For this, I have received an outstanding positive appraisal, and even though it was not intended for commercial use, from an academic stance it made a compelling case on how communication design can be used to address controversial issues and be critical about the world that we are living in.

“I have to be focused on solving the problem at hand and on the client’s needs and requests. Here, my analytical and rational sides are very useful and necessary, and it gives me pleasure and purpose being in service to others. ”

Does your skillset as a communication designer complement your practice as a fine artist? If so, how and what value does it bring?

As an artist, and as a communication designer, I employ similar inquisitive approaches when it comes to my work. Questions like why? and how? are constantly present in my mind when I work, and what I learned in my design education and practice makes its way into my art practice quite often. I try to use my intuition more in my art though, letting my subconscious and chance take over at times, and this I cannot really do in my design practice, where I have to be focused on solving the problem at hand and on the client’s needs and requests. Here, my analytical and rational sides are very useful and necessary, and it gives me pleasure and purpose being in service to others. That’s why I didn’t choose one direction over the other (yet) when it comes to art and design. I’m still exploring both, and want to grow in the two areas equally.

“...as necessary it is to have an insight into the past and learn from the masters, it is equally vital to step into the present, and at times to go even further and explore what the future might bring.”

You’ve studied at the University of Art in Cluj Napoca, Transilvania and additionally in Copenhagen, Denmark. Can you share a teaching from those classes that have benefitted you throughout your professional career?

At the University of Art in Cluj Napoca, I learned the craft and tradition of drawing, where the graphic school is focused on academic practice, taking pride in using artistic anatomic knowledge and its application in illustrating the human (and animal) body. There is a certain discipline required, where the practice of drawing is rooted in craftsmanship and close observation of the reality, liberated only by the stylistic expression of the medium and the variety of graphic techniques, including etching, engraving and printing, techniques with a long legacy and precision in execution. There is a feeling of “living in the past” that surrounds the school in Cluj-Napoca, and as necessary it is to have an insight into the past and learn from the masters, it is equally vital to step into the present, and at times to go even further and explore what the future might bring. Hence, my decision to move to Copenhagen and break the routines and the known reality in order to discover myself in the unknown. The design theory and practice I delved into in schools in Denmark opened my eyes to the possibility of having the power and influence to shape the future in the desired direction. At least, they presented to me the potential there is, and regardless of me taking the steps in the direction of doing that or not, my mind is open now, allowing my imagination to dare.

“One of my dream projects would be to create a portrait of each and every people I know or have met, or didn’t meet but that had an influence on me, taught me something, or meant something for me and for the world.”

Everyone has a ‘wishlist’ of projects they would love to participate in, what would your dream commission be? Or is there an area of interest you would like to do more work in?

Of course, there are so many things I would like to do and create; I only pray for such days! One of my dream projects would be to create a portrait of each and every people I know or have met, or didn’t meet but that had an influence on me, taught me something, or meant something for me and for the world. I wish I can capture in drawing all the people I admire, and give them a life in my own dimension, and transmit their message through my very own practice, as a channel through my art. And in doing so, to explore a myriad of techniques and ways of visually representing them so that I can fulfil my explorations on this planet, this time around.

“ Art hasn’t had the same role and mission throughout history, and this idea could give us a clue to what the purpose is of the art we are creating today.”

In your opinion, as an artist and designer, what is one tool or resource that you think every creative should know about?

Art history (or design history for that matter). I believe that there is great value in the works that have been made before us, in order to understand ourselves and know what happened before our time in the artistic and creative exploration. Art hasn’t had the same role and mission throughout history, and this idea could give us a clue to what the purpose is of the art we are creating today. Of course, there is an innate and inexplicable urge inside every artist to create and put out there what lays inside, sometimes without agenda, strategy or connection to what is happening around, and that is fine as it is; however if one wants to go beyond that, and explore how art can create (or at least participate in) the reality and the future of one's world, it’s worth a look into the past.

“I think my word this year is Reflection – reflection as a thought, reflection as looking at myself, looking in myself: looking, seeing, thinking, reading, hearing, Being.”

The year 2020 has been full of unexpected changes for a lot of people, and as we near the end of the year, we’d like to look to the future with a positive view. What are your aims and ambitions for 2021?

My aim for 2021, and for all the years I am blessed to live from now on (hopefully many more), is to apply everything I learn and produce more than I consume. And this idea applies to many areas in my life, including cooking, clothing, relationships, travelling, and most importantly for me: art. This year has been challenging at least, tragic for many, boring for some, transforming for others. I think my word this year is Reflection – reflection as a thought, reflection as looking at myself, looking in myself: looking, seeing, thinking, reading, hearing, Being. Reflection captured in my daily drawings, which I would like to share with the world next year, this is my aim for 2021.