CHRISTELLA
Tell us about yourself. What makes you tick?
I’m a female digital Illustrator. I’m 27, self
employed. I’m an old soul and a zero to
anything maistream. Finding comfort in the
discomfort, finding the hidden beauty of
every small thing
What sort of illustration do you do?
I draw women, black women most of the
time. I like them to appeal regal and serene
How did you get started as an illustrator?
I started drawing very young around 5, but
I became serious about it around 23 years
old. I started practicing and learning as
much as I could since then
How did you find your style? Has it changed
since you started?
I knew what I wanted from the get go but it
took me a lot of trial and error to be able to
express it
Yes my style has definitely changed since by
trying different techniques; switching
mediums... I have found resting ground for
now but who knows what I might try next?.
Photography: Chris Schwagga
Edit: Christella Bijou
Can you briefly explain your creative
process, mediums, etc?
I work with Adobe Illustrator. I don’t really
have a big creative process. I like to store
everything that inspires me in a file and then
whenever I start working, I peruse the file for
elements that fit the mood of the moment.
How do you come up with new ideas? Do you
have a process?
I’m very inspired by shape photography and
old paintings. I surround my digital
workplace with lots of them and love to
combine their moods. Like I said, I don’t
have that much of a process, I don’t create
around an idea, I mostly create with a mood
in mind and just keep working until I’m
satisfied with the image I have on the screen.
Do you ever have creative slumps? What do
you do then?
Yes I do.I don’t take creative slumps as a bad
thing. For me it is a message that my mind
needs a little bit of a rest. I focus on
something different. Pinterest is a good
creativity booster, I recommend :)
B I J O U