Up Close and Personal – An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Today, we’ve had a chance to talk with Seth Insua, an illustrator from the UK. He is also a talented artist behind several projects ranges from digital art to songwriting.

Let’s follow our interview session with Seth.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

Hi Seth! It’s nice to have you here. Let’s start by introducing a bit about yourself.
My name’s Seth. I’m half English, half Spanish. I was born in Kent in the UK and studied at Oxford. I now live and work in Newcastle upon Tyne in the starkly beautiful northeast of England.

What do you do for a living?
I’m a multimedia creative, a writer and artist working on a range of different projects (including songwriting) and generally fumbling my way through life.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

Can you tell us what type of job you have completed?
Yes. I have illustrated for a few different publications, mainly providing the accompanying images for articles or short stories.

I also produced (wrote and digitally-painted) a graphic novel for a monthly magazine which was a real labour of love and an extremely satisfying work to complete. It allowed me to create a whole world and characters that appeared to have lives beyond the story I was telling, so that at times I felt they–rather than I, as the artist–were leading the way through the book.

I also sometimes do commissioned pencil drawings (and the occasional painting), usually portraits. People especially seem to like pictures of their kids or their pets and there is something about a hyper-realistic style, with all the time and care that goes into it, that connotes a devotion to the subject to which customers can obviously relate. They make good gifts!

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

Referring to your Instagram, which hasn’t had many posts yet, when did you begin drawing? Are you just starting up?
I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember but only decided to start an Instagram feed last week. It’s been really great to get some feedback on my work and showcase all the different styles and forms of art I’ve created over the past ten years or so.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

How do you normally get inspiration from?
I’m inspired by the power of the human imagination: that way we all have of thinking ourselves into and out of problems, of seeing inside other people’s heads and finding meaning in humdrum things.

I was first inspired by the stories I heard as a child that gave me the chance to embark on adventures from the safety of my home. It’s incredible what can be conveyed by a simple image or a few well-chosen words.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

How long does it take to produce each work?
It really depends. A realistic pencil drawing can take anything between an hour or two, to eight hours (and very occasionally longer than that), dependent on size and how many elements there are in the image. It takes me longer to paint; digital paintings can be quite quick though. I find the time flies when you’re immersed in a piece of work anyway.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

Alright Seth. These next questions are more personal :). Are you an indoor or an outdoor guy?
A bit of both! I like being solitary when I’m working so tend to spend a lot of time beavering away indoors with the world shut out. But I also love nothing better than rambling across beaches and fields, and getting lost in the woods. There’s some really fantastic, unsung countryside in the north of England.

What kind of sport do you like?
I enjoy weight-lifting, particularly with higher weights and fewer reps. I’ve always wanted to take up climbing so I’m planning to start soon!

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

Do you do online tutorial on YouTube?
No, but I will soon start uploading timelapses showing how I produce my work on my Instagram account. So please follow me if that interests you!

Any messages related to art you’d like to share?
The most important thing is to keep going. Keep working, keep producing stuff. The more you do, the better chances you give yourself.

Thanks for being with us Seth! It was an interesting talk.
You’re welcome and thanks for featuring me and my works too.

Up Close and Personal - An Interview With Illustrator and Artist Seth Insua

Image credit: Seth Insua

And that was our up close and personal moment with Seth Insua. Don’t forget to follow Seth’s Instagram for more amazing artworks.

I hope you enjoy this session and make sure to wait for my next talk with other awesome artists!



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