Up Close and Personal – An Interview With Elena Manetta

Elena Manetta and her artworks were here before. You can read the post at:
Elena Manetta Redraw Popular Cartoon Characters In Her Own Style.

Hello Elena! It’s nice to have an interview session with you. Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Elena Manetta, an SVA graduate with a 2D animation degree. I currently reside in NYC and now I am working as a freelance commercial animator.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Elena Manetta

Image credit: Elena Manetta

Any specific artist do you admire most?
Chris Sanders, Jin Kim, Bruce Timm, Glen Keane. I’m very into Disney artists, especially the ones who work on basic drawing. Being able to see them pouring out their ideas in the finished sketches really help me in my own approach to art.

How do you describe yourself?
I am an emotional person, which could reach a comical level. I could even upset over some really small matters.

Image credit: Elena Manetta

How did you get started on doing illustration?
When I was small, I loved watching all of the old cartoons. My dad grew up watching those cartoons too and I really enjoyed watching them together with him.

I have been trying to do animation when I was small and wasted a lot of paper in the process since I didn’t know how to do it.

Eventually, Invader ZIM aired and I became really interested in that show. I thought the production value must be super high. I was also fascinated by the storyboard artists, who had been capable in pulling out the stories of the animated series.

And since then, I really wanted to reach that level too, That was how I started to mimic the cartoon character styles.

Image credit: Elena Manetta

How long did it takes to finish each artwork?
It can vary depending on the character. Let’s say the Power Puff Girls, one character can be completed within 30 minutes. However, there are times I might change my mind and made small modifications in between the drawing process.

I usually began drawing straight away, without much thought about the character style. So, most of my ideas on how I wanted the character to look like usually happened during the process.

For example, it took me one hour to draw Oliver, because I couldn’t decide how I wanted him to look like.

Image credit: Elena Manetta

How do you create your artworks? Do you start with a piece of paper or draw on a computer directly?
I draw on a Cintiq Tablet. I don’t sketch much on paper since college. I like to organize all my works digitally. Having tons of folders satisfies me more than having stacks of paper.

When is your most creative time? Is it morning, afternoon or night?
Night. It’s the time when I’m most ready to draw, but it’s usually because I know I’ll be going to bed soon. It creates the urge to draw when I know I don’t have that much time.

Image credit: Elena Manetta

Now, these next questions are a bit personal. Any music genre that you like?
Pop. I pretty much listen to a handful of songs repeatedly without getting bored. “All Over” and “Throw Shade” by Crusir have been my go-to songs for three years now.

What is your favorite color?
Green.

What is your favorite food that you can’t resist?
Dried salami. I received it as a gift before because of my bad snacking habit. Love to chew on it all the time.