Interview with Character Designer & Illustrator Kalle Bladin

Kalle Bladin is a self-taught Illustrator Artist living in Sweden, he has a passion for creating characters and creatures with storytelling and style. Currently  working with book illustrations, T-shirt designs and CD-covers.

Marcin: Hi Kalle, thanks for being part of this first is. You’ve been on my radar for a while to interview. Now that we’re here, can you tell all our readers and artists about you.

Kalle:  Thank you, I appreciate you having me for an interview. Let’s see if I can shine some light upon my life as an artist. I am generally a very ambitious individual, not only when it comes to art, but also in other things that interests me. I studied technology and will soon advance in that subject; lining up with art, media and design. I’m living in Sweden and right now I’m illustrating storybooks, album covers, etc. as a freelancer.

Marcin: You’ve been around Sketchoholic.com since the very beginning and you’re one of the most active members with the most wins. Why is it that you keep coming back to Sketcho?

Kalle:  Sketchoholic and illustrationVAULT is my number one favorite art-community. When you see other people working hard and having fun drawing, it encourages you to do even more. It’s all like a big circle of inspirational people stuffed into one place. You can really see how everyone gets better and then you realize that you can do the same if you put some work into it.

Marcin: What is it that draws you to art Kalle? No pun Intended...

Kalle:  Hehe, well.. I’m not really sure what makes me want to do art. I guess it’s my creative side that needs to be filled. I also look at it as a quest for knowledge, when you learn something more you put it in your brain to better your overall understanding of a specific subject. You can never learn everything though, but that’s the fun part, everyone chooses their own paths and makes their own interpretations; that’s what makes our styles unique.

Marcin: Did you always want to be an artist?

Kalle:  Actually no, I didn’t. I always wanted to draw though, and when I was a kid I didn’t really think you could do that for a living, no one around me was doing art. Art has always been my main hobby but in the later years it has grown even more, and behold, I’m now able to earn money from my hobby!

Marcin: Where do you get all your inspiration & ideas from?

Kalle:  As an artist you always need to be observant of the things around you. The little things that happen / have happened to me in real life are what fuels most of my ideas. Other artists are also a big inspiration source for me. Which artists that inspire me are shifting from time to time and they can be very different.

Marcin: Of all your pieces, do you any favorites?

Kalle:  I feel like I get better for every new piece I create and when I look back at were I were half a year ago I think I could have done things better, I think every artist feels the same. Many of my favorites were submitted to Sketchoholic. I like the expression of the crying bunny creature, and I also like some of the trolls and other creatures I’ve drawn.

 Marcin:  Can you tell us a little about your process & equipment.Do you always start sketching first, then move onto the computer?

Kalle:  Sometimes I draw on paper, scan it and color it on the computer. Sometimes I work with watercolor. Most of the times tho when I’m creating a finished piece I start out on the computer, sketching out the main idea in Photoshop using my Wacom Intous 4 tablet. Then I’ll refine the sketch, color it and add more details until I think it’s done.

Marcin:  With all your art, what else do you like to do in your spare time?

Kalle:  I like to read about science, sometimes I’m exercising and sometimes I play videogames (not that much nowadays tho). None of my friends are really in to art so I can use some other interests as well.

Marcin: What’s the most vital element when creating any image?

Kalle:  I think the most important thing is to have a basic idea, whether it’s a great design of a creature or a nice story. When you have the base idea you can branch of in any direction from that.

Marcin:  What do you think stops most talented artists from making it?

Kalle:  You need to get motivated somehow. The best way yo get motivated I think is to see other people work hard.  When you see the whole process of someone getting better you can relate to that and it’s easier to understand what you need to do. Exposure is also important, Sketchoholic takes care of both these aspects.

Marcin:  Do you have any advice for aspiring 2D & 3D artists?.

Kalle:  I’d say it’s a good thing to compare yourself to the big guys and learn from them in the beginning. This way you’re aiming high. Every now and then you should look back at your old stuff and see how far you’ve come. The further you get, the easier it will be to manage by your own.

Marcin:  If you could work on any project or for any company in the world, what would it be and why?

Kalle:  I’d probably say some main illustrations or covers to big game companies like Blizzard or Wizards. Also character designs for the film / animation industry, like Pixar or others, would be a dream come true. These are things that inspired / inspires me and I’d love to do the same for other people.

Marcin: Where do you see your career taking you in the near future?

Kalle:  I hope to be able to work as an illustrator at freelance basis a couple of years ahead, doing childens book illustrations, and fantasy inspired things and whatever I get interested in.

Marcin: Thanks Kalle, it was a pleasure getting  to know you. Soon enough you and all the artists on Sketchoholic will become superstars.

Kalle:  Thanks Marcin! I think we’re all aiming high.