The illustrator Radhiah Anis captures fictional areas with a surreal twist
For Radhiah Anis of Singapore, a career in illustration was never something she saw for herself. "I always did it for fun until I started posting my work on Instagram and got some assignments," says Anis. “At that time I was waiting to graduate from the Glasgow School of Art (Singapore) with a degree in communication design. After graduation, I tried a few other things before deciding to focus on freelance illustration after landing an appearance to illustrate a children's book series. "
Anis' work is neat, carefully considered, and reminiscent of architectural drawings of the past. She often explores the nature of objects and surreal, fictional spaces, capturing thoughtful details and fuzzy textures. “I prefer the ideas in my personal work to be subtle and interpretive rather than obvious and literal,” she says. “My visual style mostly uses certain soft earth colors. I always use a recurring beige and ivory tone. "
Giant rubics. All images: Radhiah Anis
Right now, Anis is also starting to incorporate bolder patterns and colors and amplifying the surreal nature of her work. She creates her work digitally using Procreate and Photoshop, but still wants her drawings to look as traditional and hand-drawn as possible, adding texture and depth where she can. Inspiration for Anis' works comes from the architecture and the structures around them, while also looking at places and spaces in the distance. “I love looking at photos from far away places and studying the sets of the films and TV shows I've seen. The movie Toys (1992) has a huge influence on me. I also admire the drawings by Denis Andernach and Ettore Sottsass, ”she says.
In addition to her personal work, Anis likes to take on editorial assignments and has the New York Times and the health magazine Elemental among her customers. "I love working with clients and art directors," says Anis. "When I'm just doing personal work, the decisions are always mine and I usually don't see someone else's perspective during the process. I like to listen to their feedback and see things from a different perspective."
stairway
Cottage in the forest
When Anis starts a new assignment, he likes to gather key points and ideas while doing research before sending sketches for approval. That way, the illustrator can see more clearly where the illustration needs to end.
For personal work, Anis takes a more explorative perspective. "I approach it with the mindset," Take a line for a walk and then see where it takes you. "I'll just start drawing what interests me at that moment and figure out the direction I'm going," she explains. "I love it when I come across pleasant surprises or when I have ideas that I might even get would not have thought. "
glasses
Anis finds that the biggest challenges as a freelance illustrator are self-advancement and also leading the business side of her practice. "We have always focused on improving ourselves creatively during school lessons and they never seem to teach us about the business aspects!" Says anise. “So far it seems that the only way to overcome these struggles is to simply dive in and fail forward. The experiences that come with time will hopefully make me better at running my business. "
Despite the ups and downs, Anis is confident that this is the path she is meant to be on. "I hope that the happiness I felt creating the work somehow reaches those who see my work," she says. "And that it could be a little catalyst for them to pursue what they like to do too."
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