Pablo Rueda Contemporary / Retro Illustration from Spain

A quick vote of thanks to all who entered the competition to win the signed Benji Davies Bizzy Bear Book last week and I’m pleased to announce that the winner is (small drum roll) Bridget Strevens-Marzo who co-incidentally also happens to be a childrens’ book illustrator herself and quite a Benji fan too ! Many thanks to all who took part commented and helped to advertise Fishink Blog. So now to the illustrator for today.

Pablo Rueda is a full-time illustrator & designer living with his wife and family in Gijon, in the north of Spain. I wonder if his workspace is always this tidy, somehow I think it maybe 🙂

Pablo has always been fond of  illustrated books, ‘ I’ve been a Richard Scarry fan for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I started a small screen-printed t-shirts business, eleven years ago, that I began to work on my own illustrations. ‘

He starts his ideas with a sketch, which is then digitised and turned into a vector image adding colours and texture as he builds it up. He says that he rarely gets illustrators block but should it happen, he tries to get away from the studio, plays with his kids, watches films, looks at books and then usually can see things from a different point of view and the inspiration soon returns.

When asked what advice he’d offer new illustrators he said ‘ It is important to acquire visual references to develop your own style from, to know the work of studios and illustrators from the past and present. But don’t stop at illustration only… go ahead with architecture, photography, cinema, music… Above all I’d say that the results you get are proportional to the hours you dedicate to working and learning. It’s a simple formula, though an arduous one…’

Through this funky site This is Mykea you can design and customise your ikea furniture with stickers that you design and then print through the company. You can even make money if others buy your designs too. Pablo has some great suggestions.

He describes his work as ‘ Retro, naïve and childish ‘ and is a confessed liquorice lover, enthusiast of old sci-fi movies and collector of children’s illustration books. His list of tools consist of a pencil, a box of Manley crayons, an iMac, a Wacom Cintyc and, especially, lots of books to learn from.