Exploring Nostalgia with Diana Dagadita
Self portrait - Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
“All kids draw, of course, I just never really stopped.”
Peony Study - Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
Nowadays, almost everything is digital. We spend time tapping and touching smooth glass screens, forgetting what it feels like to trace our fingers against paper, feeling raised edges and moments of pressure applied to a surface. Diana’s work is a refreshing reminder that art can be very much alive. On the surface, her work is harmonic and gorgeous, but when you look closer, there are fleeting moments of expression in detail cocooned by careful attention and discipline. If you find yourself yearning for visual stimulation, Diana’s nostalgia will get you there.
Where are you from?
Craiova, Romania (originally). Have been living in the UK for 4 years now.
How were you first introduced to art and when did you start illustrating?
I've been drawing since as long as I can remember - I used to have one of those magnetic erasable drawing boards when I was a 2-3 year old and I'd just sit quietly and doodle away most of the time. All kids draw, of course, I just never really stopped. I joined an art club when I was about 7 and that's also when I started entering drawing competitions and continued all the way throughout high school. I'd always wanted to be an artist growing up, but I only started taking it seriously when I started high school.
I wasn't allowed to go to the art school - mostly because my parents feared art wouldn't give me a 'proper job' or future - so I went on to study philology at a top-ranked college instead. I couldn't let go of it completely though, so at the same time, I enrolled in a three-year part-time fine art course at the local School of Arts and Crafts, where I'd refined what I already knew about drawing and painting, volume, light and shadows, etc.
Art has always been in my life, but in spite of the occasional cover and commission I'd done as a teenager, I didn't start illustrating in the sense that I know it today until I got to study Illustration at University and learned to unlearn certain things and start with a fresh approach.
You achieve convincing dimensions with lighting and shadows in many of your still life pieces - how do you accomplish this and what medium do you use?
Thank you! My work is generally much more stylized and flat now than it used to be, and it's taken me a long time to let go of the super-realistic approach. But light and shadow play are a long time passion and my recent work revolves around them more than the actual subjects featured. I sometimes use reference photos, but always like to dramatize the shadows a bit. Medium wise, I only work digitally at the moment (since lockdown and losing access to our printmaking studio) and I love the freedom it's given me to try and fail and do it again without wasting any precious materials. I am still very much a beginner, though!
Submarine - Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
Start Over - Illustration & Design by: Diana Dagadita
Printer’s ABC from by the incredible Design for Today - Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
Your illustrations have a nostalgic, vintage-like style: the colors, grain, texture, lines, interpretation - what has influenced your style?
Apart from a personal inclination towards all things past, discovering printmaking (lino cutting and letterpress printing in particular) has completely changed my ways of working and expressing myself. Art Nouveau posters, vintage postcards, matchboxes, bits of ephemera (hence my alias) bring me so much joy and inspiration - they're definitely the ones responsible for my style as it currently is!
What has been your favorite project thus far?
Must've been my Final Major Project, 'Printer's ABC' - my first published book (by the incredible Design for Today) and, I'd say, my most complete project to date.
Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
Prompt for @stillherestilllife - Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
Your color palettes harmonize beautifully, where do you start when picking colors and incorporating textures in your work?
Thank you, that's lovely to hear! The overlaying paper textures are inspired by matchbox labels and a need for a tactile feel even in digital media. As for the colours, I generally try to keep a simple, limited palette. Often primary colours or combinations I'd spotted and taken pictures of for future reference. This started out as a means of keeping things less overwhelming and easy to screen print, back when I was a student. I find the restriction of two/three colours rather inspiring; it gets me to work with colours I would probably not normally choose and find a good visual balance. The overlaying of these few colours often also brings in another two colours that naturally fit with each other. I think it's both an observational and an intuitive process, but mainly a reminder for myself to keep it simple.
“Motivation comes and goes and it's sometimes overwhelmingly strong or completely gone. I sometimes just HAVE to do it before I lose the feeling.”
T-shirt Design & Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
You designed your first t-shirt! Tell us about your experience and how you decided on the design.
I'd screen-printed a couple of designs on T-shirts myself before, but this was my first experience with a professional company, and probably the way I'll be going from here onwards - much less stressful, no waste, no pressure - they only print as many as there are orders. Print Social have been great and I'm looking forward to a new campaign with them!
The design is actually a re-worked version of my first T-shirt design from first year of university! It's always been a favourite of both mine and the public when I attended illustration fairs, but I thought it needed a bit of a refresher to fit my current way of working. As for the message, I feel it's been particularly relevant throughout the lockdown, especially if working from home...
What is your favorite medium to illustrate with?
Coloured pencils and primary colour markers are my safe choice when illustrating a one off image traditionally, lino printing if I want to treat myself, and digital for quick sketches/commercial illustration.
Who are some of your favorite creatives/artists?
Universally recognized artists I've been looking up to for years:
Roman Muradov (@roman_m)
Jon McNaught (@jonmcn)
Sally Deng (@sa.deng)
Phoebe Wahl (@phoebewahl)
Louise Lockhart (@theprintedpeanut)
A few supremely underrated artists around my age:
Sasha Staicu (@famousfemaleartist)
Jono Ganz (@jonoganz)
Alice Roses (@inkwellspells)
Phoebe Roze (@phoeberoze)
Meghan Rhiannon (@petite_gloom)
Rachel Avallone (@pupcloud)
Joshua Pell (@pelltopsy)
Name 3 songs you’re listening to at the moment.
Sushi still life - Illustration by: Diana Dagadita
The sushi party piece is so fun to look at, all of the colors come together so well. What is your process like from start to finish and what gets you motivated to illustrate?
Again, thank you, that's very kind! This one illustration in particular has been a new beginning for me. It came together after a long burnout period. The Still Here Still Life prompts have kept me going through the lockdown, even though I didn't draw them every week - knowing they would be there when I was ready to, has been comforting.
I was already a week late to the sushi prompt, but I'd finally felt like doing something and I drew it in a sitting, hungry for colour and pleasing shapes. The process is quite straight forward: I start with a loose sketch of the subjects, then sometimes I re-arrange the composition until it feels right. Sometimes the re-arranging part is done towards the end, it all depends. The sushi one had a lot more elements around (a lovely tin, a teapot, another bowl, a plate of peas, chopsticks), and I just couldn't make them all work together (I've seen many other artists who brought them together beautifully!), so I decluttered the image a bit, made it bigger, let the sushi and the rice bowl take the spotlight and it suddenly felt right.
But yes, after the sketch, I never really refine it, I just go on filling shapes with a brush or the lasso tool and reshape them later on. I normally work on separate layers on multiply for each colour and start with generous shapes that I then erase from or add to to make the overlaying colours happen. Layer masks are life-changing. Once I have the colours where I need them, I can erase parts to make the light or add shadows - the subtle textured shading comes in play at this point too. It's all a grainy brush and a simple eraser. I only used blue, yellow, and pink for the sushi party. Everything else is just the colours coming together - I love the unexpected effects they can offer. And there you have it! Motivation comes and goes and it's sometimes overwhelmingly strong or completely gone. I sometimes just HAVE to do it before I lose the feeling. Sharing what I make motivates me, as well as trying out new things or applying what I've recently learned. But this only really applies to personal work. If a job must be done, it will get done. Tight deadlines tend to make me work more efficiently - the more time I have, the more I tend to overanalyze things... but I've never missed a deadline.