Sit Down With Our #090 Featured Artist
Susann Hoffman
Featured Artist / #132 ScrawlrBox
Like so many others I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil (fun fact, to this day I have a very bad way of holding a pen which I definitely need to work on). I always loved drawing animals and they are still my favourite thing to draw❤️
I studied graphic design and a master’s in illustration and have been working as a freelance illustrator since 2018.
My main areas of work are childrens’ media, brand illustration and illustrated products. I work with a focus on figurative, narrative illustration and have published six board books and illustrated several children’s books so far.
My work centers on characters, relationships and everyday moments, combining a warm visual language with a thoughtful and inclusive approach.
When I’m not drawing I am typically found on the couch with my two cats, reading or playing video games. My favourite season is autumn and as an introvert I love to cozy up inside with a cup of tea ❤️
Your illustrations have such a distinctive warmth and charm. How has your style evolved into what it is today?
Finding my style was a long journey and I tend to worry way too much about “what even is my style?” or “will people recognise my art as mine, even if I experiment?”. Funnily enough, my style started to evolve most when I started using acrylic markers – limiting my palette and working in a medium that easily looks good (because of the vibrant colours and high opacity) helped me to draw more and enjoy the results, which – I believe – ended up shaping my style
Was there a defining moment when you felt you'd truly found your own artistic voice?
Is there ever such a point? :) While I believe I have a tighter grip on what my art looks like and the values that are important to me as an artist, I feel like we’re still constantly evolving – as human beings as well as artists. However I do feel like I’m at a point where I have a certain way of going about creating that is mine and I’m not imitating others (the way I may have been 10 years ago in art school). It might have been when I was working on my first children’s books (around 2019) that I noticed how I didn’t look at how other people would do a thing and just went ahead and did things my way.
Your work often feels playful and full of personality. Where do your ideas usually begin?
Oftentimes my drawings develop by mindless doodling, which is kind of therapeutic for me. :) Somewhere among the doodles will be something that reminds me of something else, or a cute character that I want to see more of, which might or might not end up in a final drawing. Or I wake up very early in the morning with a sudden image in my head that I need to put down. But my sketchbook is my number one place to start.
When creating characters, what comes first—the personality, the shapes, the colours, or something else entirely?
This is a tough one! As they often come to life in my sketchbook, they tend to evolve from shapes and colours, but I believe a personality is definitely tied into them as well, otherwise they wouldn’t hold a charm for me. When drawing human characters, I think I definitely concentrate on shapes and lines a lot of the time at the beginning.