Welcome to our newest series, Great Bowery Artist Spotlight, where we profile the renowned artists represented by Great Bowery's suite of agencies. This month, we're featuring B&A illustrator Sarah Coleman, a lifelong lover of side projects and an early pioneer of hand-drawn type. This story was originally published on Great Bowery.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Sarah Coleman. I am an illustrator who works with ink on paper.
Why do you like working with ink?
One of the reasons I like working with ink so much is because it allows for true spontaneity and idiosyncrasy. There are many unexpected things that can happen when you take the top off a bottle of ink. As a medium, ink invites warmth, autographic authenticity and creates space for emotion and movement. The finished product is something truly authentic, a one-off and bespoke. The little happy accidents that occur are often really what makes the final piece special.
How do you approach a new project?
When I start a job, I go in on the paper and start making marks, sketching out with the ink, and sometimes without a pencil. I try to get a feel for the job and see what happens. Sometimes the final piece emerges on the first go. Other times, there can be many rounds of revision before a project is complete.
Tell about your process and tools.
Although the creative brief for a specific job may require blue ink, there are many shades of blue. While working, I will often try many blues. I frequently mix multiple shades to get a specific color. I also use water when I need to make a paler version of an exisiting color.
Since I use very hands on tools, using a specific brush is often very important. Further, the choice of pen nib is important as well. I frequently use four our five different nibs for a single project.
Can you speak to the process of digitizing your work?
As soon as the work is dry, I will put it on my hi-res A3 scanner and create a digital file. After digitizing,I can combine existing assets and manipulate the work to make the finished product.
See more from Sarah on Instagram and Great Bowery.