Illustrator Interview: Daniel Novakovic
Daniel Novakovic made the lovely cover-art for Between Two Waves volume C, and here is our illustrator interview with him.
1. Can you give us a short presentation of yourself and your art?
I’m Daniel Novakovic and I do the So Tough! So Cute! club in Malmö and London and sometimes I draw with a pencil
. I started drawing when I was very wee when I traced all my comics and then I drew loads and loads of superheroes in all my schoolbooks and then in.. 2000 I started doing my own comics and got involved in the more arty bit of the craft. I’ve recently published my third book Jag Tror Jag Är Kär
2. What are you working on right now?
I just finished some T-shirt design for Viv Albertine of the Slits and then I’m doing a record cover for Roque Cloudberrys new label and a book with a Swedish and two Spanish artists covering the Gran Canaria art scene
3. What are your favourite tools?
I used to be a big tool geek but nowadays I’m just happy with a 0.9 pencil and my thumbs to smudge with. A wacom board and a fast computer helps too.
Cover art for Gregory Webster
4. How do you begin / conceptualise a project?
I usually have something I want to draw saved in my reference folder and then try and squeeze it in whatever project I’m doing as I never draw just for fun
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5.. Who / what are your greatest Visual Inspirations?
Right now alot of DIY flyers and record covers. Also girls in brogues.
Daniel's exhibition commissioned by the National Public Art Council in Sweden for Linköping University: Campus Norrköping. Photos copyright Statens Konstråd
6. Is music or other forms of art an inspiration? If so, what do you listen to?
Music is definitely an inspiration when writing and planning comics. I like to see my short comics as two and half minute pop songs. I listen to a lot of music and very varied as you can see on my blog and last.fm. When I’m doing the boring photoshop stuff I tend to listen to dub or early nineties Black Metal
7. Describe an average working day.
A working day is going down to a good coffee shop and sit there and have a coffee and something to eat, preferably a nice sour dough sandwich, read the paper and think about what I’m gonna draw. Then maybe meet a friend for an afternoon pint and think about what I’m gonna draw. Go home listen to some new music, maybe blog about it and think about what I’m gonna draw. Then watch my tvshows until I fall asleep while thinking about what I’m gonna draw. This goes on until deadline day and then I just wake up, have a shower and sit by my drawing board and do the whole thing in one go.
Daniel's book. Photo by Sandra Hansson
8. What are your future plans? Any exciting things you are looking forward to?
I’m hoping to get the club up and running regularly in London and my book Jag Tror Jag Är Kär translated and published in the US.
9. What question and answer would you like to end this interview with?
Whats you absolute favourite track right now? Thurston, Kim & Epic – Black Candy
Sites
Portfolio: http://www.danielnovakovic.com
Club, rants and mixtapes: http://www.sotoughsocute.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sotoughsocute
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sotoughsocute
