Takeover Tuesday with Elise Leonard
Q&A with Elise Leonard, a Freelance Illustrator, Storyboard Artist, and Art Director
based in Brussels.
Q&A with Elise Leonard.
Read time: 5min
Madison Caprara:
How are you doing, Elise? Could you give us a little insight into yourself and how you originally got into the illustration game?
Elise Leonard:
Hi Madison. I’m pretty good, and happy to be participating in dash’s social media feature! I’m a French/Belgian Illustrator from Brussels, though I grew up in France mostly and spent a few years in Brazil. I moved to Belgium when I was 20 for Design School.
I’m a very curious person when it comes to various topics. I spend a lot of my time learning new things. When I’m not drawing, I love listening to scientific podcasts (I thought for a very long time that I wanted to be a Biologist), reading books, watching tv-series and movies, and making projects on societal topics such as feminism, human rights, gender equality, diversity, and inclusivity. Like a lot of illustrators, I have drawn since I was a child, but I gravitated more to a scientific path in the beginning. It only clicked into my head when I had to make a choice for college. I’m still not sure what made me switch from science to art, but that was a very exciting decision. I first started to work in advertising, then moved to illustration and art direction in a video production agency. I have been a Freelance Illustrator and Art Director for almost one year now.
Madison Caprara:
You spoke about originally wanting to be a biologist. Before the switch, was there any part of you that wanted to turn your passion for drawing into your profession?
Elise Leonard:
Actually, not at all. My dad shared with me his passion for drawing when I was little. He was first an Industrial Designer, but when he lost his job, he found it difficult to live with what he was earning as an Illustrator at that time. He completely switched careers, so I grew up with the idea that drawing wasn’t possible to make a profitable career from. But I’m so happy that I went about forming my own opinion. I discovered that I COULD turn my passion into my profession.
Madison Caprara:
Now that you’re living in Brussels again, how does the city affect your work? Do you draw much from the cultural climate?
Elise Leonard:
Brussels is a multicultural environment. You can meet so many different people with different backgrounds and styles. That’s very inspiring for me. I’m always trying to work with that in my mind, to be as inclusive as possible when I’m drawing characters. We also have a very robust cultural offering: museums, theaters, concerts, exhibitions. The alternative scene is very present and accessible. All allow me to easily feed my inspiration!
Madison Caprara:
And, do you have a favorite subject matter or genre of work to pull from?
Elise Leonard:
I mostly work for the animation industry. I love to create characters, storyboards, and gesture drawings, though I’m still learning how to find the right balance between accuracy (being anatomically correct) and stylization. I find it fascinating to understand how the human body works and try to implement it into my art.
My favorite subjects to pull from are societal and environmental topics. Working on these kinds of projects made me learn so much about the topics themselves. I like to dig deep when learning about a topic; listening to podcasts, reading articles, talking with people. Drawing is my way of taking notes. I believe that you always learn something new when you draw.
Madison Caprara:
It’s always so interesting to hear about the different tactics people use to ingest information!
Moving on, you began your career with a full-time gig, correct? Tell us about your experience as Head of Design for the ad agency.
Elise Leonard:
That’s correct! Just after school, my first full-time job was in the advertising industry. Starting as a Graphic Designer, then graduating to Head of Design, I grew a lot. You have to learn so many real-world things that you don’t at school. For example, how to solve clients' problems and finding the best solution, how to fit into a new style or a strategic/marketing direction, how to deal with stress and planning, how to work in a team and lead a project, how to argue to defend your design choices…I left my first job stronger than I was before.
Madison Caprara:
Is full-time work a path you would initially recommend for others hoping to break into the creative industry?
Elise Leonard:
From my experience, yes. I believe that working at least one year surrounded by talented people who can share their daily experiences with you is very valuable. Working in an agency makes you discover all of the other jobs and responsibilities that are essential to the realization of a project. I’ve learned a lot from project and account managers that I may not have if not associated with an agency.
Madison Caprara:
That being said, was there anything in particular that led you to freelance work? Was it a difficult transition for you after experiencing that team mentality?
Elise Leonard:
I had met great freelancers working in the industry who inspired me to take the leap. There is one community called, L’Enroule (literally meaning “a scam” in French), here in Brussels created by Fabien Rousseau, a Freelance Animator. The group organizes meetups in hopes of connecting all the creative peeps within the city. I went to one of those meetups and it offered so many new perspectives to doing my illustration job as a freelancer. Now, I’m a part of this community and I’m sharing a studio, Château l’Enroule, with six other freelancers.
I was a bit afraid that freelancing was synonymous with working alone from my home, but it doesn’t have to be. Sharing a studio with other freelancers in the industry is like being roommates. You can work on your own projects while sharing the fun part of being on a team! Also, one of my previous colleagues, Simon Schu, made the same decision as me, and we joined the studio at the same time. We try to work together on some projects when we can. I won’t lie, the decision was a bit stressful and not easy to make, but I don’t regret it. Being surrounded by inspiring people made it smoother.
Madison Caprara:
Working remotely myself, it can get a bit hard to be alone all the time, even with Zoom calls and the occasional in-person hangout. I love that we’ve created these coworking spaces for when people need a little human interaction!
On another note, what is something that most hinders your creative mindset?
Elise Leonard:
Self-doubt. When you are constantly learning, you also are always pushing the finish line away from you. Which is great! It’s stimulating and leaves no room for boredom. But your ability to see what works and what doesn’t grows faster than your ability to actually do it. That can be very frustrating and brings a lot of doubts. Will I ever be good enough? There are so many talented people around me, will I ever be able to reach their level? When I’m in that mood, it helps me to look back on my old work and realize the journey that I’ve already made.
Madison Caprara:
There’s that Imposter Syndrome again. Everyone goes through it.
What are some of the strategies you’ve developed for finding inspiration without getting overwhelmed by the work of artists you admire?
Elise Leonard:
Social media has a bright and a dark side. You can find endless inspiration and discover amazing artists, but you can also easily feel overwhelmed and be trapped within that comparison effect. One of the strategies that work for me is to find other sources of inspiration in creative fields outside of illustration and animation. Watching a film, reading a book, going to the theater…they fill your cup without being tempted to compare your work.
Madison Caprara:
Speaking of, what are some of your go-to’s for inspiration?
Elise Leonard:
Behance is a huge source, I like to look at the featured weekly projects.
I’m a huge fan of the chronicle book series, “The Art Of…” I like to dive into those books to explore the behind-the-scenes of Disney and Pixar movies, to see the exploratory sketches, and to discover the ideas that didn’t make it into the film.
Animation, design, and art festivals are a concentrated source of inspiration taking place over the span of a few days. I didn’t get the chance to go often, but I hope to do it more in the future.
Patreon is also a great platform to discover and support artists' work. They share their workflows, tips, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes. It’s definitely one of my go-to’s for finding inspiration.
Madison Caprara:
What about your own work? Do you have an all-time favorite piece you’ve created?
Elise Leonard:
There are many pieces that I really love, but I can’t call any my “all-time favorite,” as my art is constantly evolving, as are my tastes.
Madison Caprara:
Fair! Is there anything special we can look forward to seeing from you in the near future?
Elise Leonard:
My first year of freelance is almost behind me, and I’m very grateful for how it went. I hope for my second year to have more remote international opportunities. I’d also like to work within the entertainment industry.
There are a few ongoing animation projects with Simon that I hope we will be able to share soon, we hope to collaborate more in the future. Regarding my personal artistic projects, I plan to make a series of drawings to celebrate women's diversity.
Madison Caprara:
Well, we’ll definitely be keeping an eye open for that, Elise!
Do you have any closing advice you’d like to end with?
Elise Leonard:
I think that I’ve used the term “learning” so many times within my replies. It’s going to sound super cheesy, but never stop learning. Being an illustrator is a long run. Be curious, surround yourself with great people, share what you’ve learned, and continue to push your finish line far far away from you.