This is the fifth in a series of interviews with hopefully, all eight artists who participated in the show we co-organized with Los Angeles’s Gallery Nucleus, then collaborated with each other to create the image below.Β Β (Some of them are taking longer than I expected to facilitate.Β At this rate, we might get into MerJuly.)
Previous ones:Β Tom Bancroft | Pernille ΓrumΒ | Brigitte Roka | Jenna GrayΒ | Whitney Pollett
Neysa BovΓ©
Her MerMay contribution, done on the Wacom One.Β From Instagram
Neysa BovΓ© has known what she wanted to do from a very young age, and has been successful in doing it. Born in the micronation of Andorra on the Spanish border, she immigrated to the US with her family at the age of nine, bringing with her three Barbie dolls and a love of Disney movies.
Twenty years later, she found herself working for Mattel as a Barbie designer, and now, twenty-five years later, sheβs a costume designer for Disney. Her credits includeΒ Frozen II, Ralph Breaks the Internet,Β and the movie she was most pivotal in,Β Moana,Β for which she designed the outfits and jewelry: I recommendΒ this fantastic article by Tyranny of StyleΒ that explains the detail she went into to make sure that in addition to being unique, each piece of clothing could realistically be made using only materials naturally available in Polynesia.
Her personal work reflects the same influences but in a different way. As I learned during the interview, she uses primarily gouache, ink, and watercolors for her personal projects, which she draws in a style that’s like if 20th-century fashion illustration met naΓ―ve artβalthough the roughness and simplicity isnβt for lack of formal training: sheβs an alumnus of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and has taken classes at Cal Arts (all hail).
Gouache painting from 2019. FromΒ Instagram.
Compare to this digital illustration from 2011. FromΒ The Neysa Bove Blog.
Also worth noting: She comes from a line of artists.Β Her fatherΒ is a renowned abstract painter, and her sister,Β Lorelay, also works for Disney and is a an accomplished artist in a similar styleβa dynamic also seen with Tom and Tony Bancroft.
This is the second interview I did with her: The first one was a very brief email exchangeβfrom which I included a few excerptsβbut I wanted to talk to her more thoroughly, so we spoke a few days later via Zoom.
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How did you end up participating in Gallery Nucleus/Wacomβs MerMay project?
Iβd done shows [with Gallery Nucleus] in the past, and Tom [Bancroft] just asked me to participate. And I obviously love mermaids, so I said, βWhy not!β
You said via our email that youβve loved them ever since you sawΒ The Little MermaidΒ as a child in Spain. What impact did the movie have on you?
It was everything for me at that time. Even just being that little and being introduced to animation: We would watch Saturday morning cartoons like all the kids, but I have a memory of watching that for the first time and somehow seeing a different world. It didnβt feel like the Saturday morning cartoonsβ
It was next-level animation.
Right, and just seeing that and being transported into this world you never couldβve imagined was magical for me. It made you think of that world you didnβt think about beforeβthe mermaid worldβit was fantastical, and it just made you want to be part of it. No pun intended! [Laughs]
How long have you been participating in MerMay?
Not too long. I learned about it maybe two years ago. I was into it and thought it was fun, but the show was [what really got me to participate in it]. This one, and Iβd done another one called Splish Splash that was based on mermaids as wellβI donβt know if youβve heard of it?
Yeah,Β Whitney Pollett mentioned she did that one.
She did. Pernielle too.
Speaking of Disney movies, you put an insane amount of effort into your work forΒ Moana.Β Was that atypical of the amount of work a costume design project takes?
No, I would say a costume design involves several weeks if the production allows it. Itβs based on schedule, and itβs based on,Β Is this an A character, is it a B character, or is it a crowd?Β And knowledge-wise, I would never claim to be an expert in a specific time period or a place, so you have to start learning from scratch in a lot of different situations. Itβs a little crazy to take on the task of designing something while trying to become an expert when you know nothing.
Like in Moana, I knew nothing about Oceania in that time period. In these situations, whatβs great about working at a studio is, youβre really lucky to be exposed to wonderful resources: Like bringing people from the actual islands to come talk to us and tell us about their experience, and tell us, βThis is what my great-great-great grandmother would wear, and this color means this to us.β It would be really hard to do this on your own, so I appreciate that, and the fact that weβre allowed to be part of different cultures to tell their stories.
You mentioned in a previous interview that youβd also had an interest in Barbies from a young age: Was working for Mattel everything you hoped it would be?
With the way my career has been goingβ¦ Since I was a kid, I always wanted to work at Disney, but I wasnβt sure in what capacity. Same thing with Barbie dolls.Β How fun would that be to be a toy designer?Β But being there and seeing it from a designerβs point of view versus growing up with Barbiesβitβs pretty intense how you can affect a childβs life in a positive way. And it was cool to know a little girl, or a little boy, could be holding something you created, playing with it, being inspired by itβso I thought that was really great.
A lot of criticism has been directed at how dolls and princesses affect young girlsβ self esteem, but what are the upsides of them?
Itβs really interestingβ¦ Maybe itβs different now for the kids that are growing up with Instagram and TikTok and all these things, but remembering myself as a little girl playing with dolls, I never thought about their shape or anything like thatβlike, βOh, sheβs a skinny doll, I want to be like that!β I saw it from a different point of view.
But have you gotten much feedback from kidsβor other adultsβabout how it affected them?
A lot of girls that have gotten into the fashion industry said they loved to dress up their Barbie dolls; they loved to use whatever fabrics they found in their house to make their own outfits. So thatβs a fun way for a young child to be imaginative in their home, and to use a Barbie doll for that is pretty great for them.
There are a lot of similar stereotypes, and probably misconceptions, about the fashion industry as a whole, though. Are there any youβd like to clear up or correct?
Can you specify?
I suppose people discredit it as an art form, media often focuses on the craziest and least practical runway outfits, and thereβs the body image controversy there as well.
To be frank with you, I think the fashion industryΒ isΒ a scary place. But I think itβs what you take from it, just like anything in life. Thereβs a dark side to everything. You hear about companies trying to do good, like [the ones] that try to get fabric resources from places that entrust women and theyβre free to do that job, but not everything comes from that, so I think some of these stereotypes are true. I would never say theyβre not. Itβs a matter of educating yourself and knowing where youβre buying clothes from or what youβre getting inspired byβwhoβs making it. And with resources like the internet now, I think thereβs no excuse. But at least for me, when Iβm using fashion as an inspiration, I just try to look at editorial photography and things like that, so I still just try to look at what inspires me and not at the negative aspect of it, if that makes sense? I think it just matters what you do about it and what it means to you.
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From email: What are your go-to reference sources for fashion? Do you have a giant folder on your computer, a collection of magazines, certain sites or blogs you default to?
I mainly use Pinterest; itβs a rabbit hole of inspiration. I have 30+ hidden boards of my inspiration- specific subcategories from current fashion runway shows, to 1960s fashion, to editorial fashion photography.
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Do you have a favorite time period in clothing design?
I have a few favorites. I really love 16th, 17th century fashion, and the 1950s, 1960s time period; there was something really beautiful happening then. But theyβre all very different, so when I try to do my own creations, I look at them and see what I can get inspired by, depending on the project.
What is it about 15 and 1600s fashion? The ornateness? The patterns?
Yeah! I think you hit the nail on the head there. Itβs the ornateness and how meticulous they would be in that time period. Now you go to a store and just throw away clothes after wearing them for a few years, which I find really sad. But the way they would make things then was just ridiculous. Even garments that wouldnβt see the light of day, like the bloomers they would wear, they would add all this intricate embroidery. Thatβs interesting to me: how time-consuming it can be to make something that no one might even see. And even the way they would fasten these garments is really intricate.
This also relates to the 1950s and 1960s: If you pick up a garment from that time period, you can tell it was made to be worn for a long time. Even the effort they would put into making a button, or a buttonholeβthere was just a quality they had back then.
Like Tom Bancroft, whatβs it like having a sibling whoβs also a successful artist? And youβve both worked for Disney before, right?
Weβre both working thereΒ right now. Weβre working on the same movie!
Are you allowed to say what it is?
No. [Laughs] But we also worked together on a canceled project calledΒ Gigantic.
And youβre doing costume design?
Yes.
How about her? Is her work also related to costumes?
Lorelay does a little bit of everything. She focuses on environments and colorβsheβs a really great color designer, and she wants to doΒ color scriptsΒ and things like thatβbut sheβs very versatile and can definitely do characters.
Do you give each other feedback? What kind of things do you learn from each other?
Oh gosh, everything! [Laughs] Maybe I have an assignment and I will show it to her and say, βHey, what do you think?β Sheβll take a look and sheβll be very blunt with me, and tell me whatβs working, whatβs not working. Itβs great to see it from a different point of view.
A lot of the time itβs hard because itβs definitely a thing where you have to set your ego aside: itβs not about that, itβs about the learning situation. And sometimes thatβs hard to hear from your sibling because, you know, itβs your sibling. But at the same time, itβs really refreshing to get that clarity that you may not get from the rest of the team because maybe they donβt want to be so blunt.
Lorelay (L) and Neysa (R) at Disney’s Creative Campus. From Instagram
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From email: Do you do much digital art in your personal time?
I love to do traditional art for my personal art since I save all digital for work… but I have found myself lately trying a few digital paintings for fun. I think at the end of the day, itβs lovely to have a tangible piece that feels more raw.
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Are you more comfortable with traditional than digital?
No, I feel comfortable with both; the only difference is time. Time is not in my favor when Iβm doing traditional painting, as an example, because if you make a mistake you have to fix it, where digitally, you can just edit, edit, edit, and youβre good.
I use traditional for my personal stuff because thereβs a sense of freedom to use the time you need.
Traditional is limiting in some ways, though: For example, you donβt have an unlimited color palette. Is it more liberating in other ways?
Yeah! You want to know why? I always tell people this: Thereβs something about when you have an idea, you have a pen, and you sketch it, and itβs just raw. It just feels so connected, and it has the feeling of exactly what you want to convey. Whereas when you do that on the screen, you have the ability to edit or zoom into the screen really really tight, and I think it loses that. So sometimes, I end up looking at my original sketch and it may not be perfect, but it feels raw, and thatβs something that I love to see in art.
Would you suggest that every digital artist have a background in traditional?
I think it would be good? [Laughs] Why wouldnβt you, right? Wouldnβt you want to feel what a real pastel feels like versus watercolors, and not just have it be the fake one on Photoshop? I would hope so!
Are you ever not dressed impeccably?
At Disneyland with her daughter.Β From Instagram.
[Laughs] I am not dressed impeccably half of the time, but thank you! I donβt knowβ¦ I think itβs nice to feel good, and when you dress nice, you will bring your best self in certain situationsβbut especially right now in quarantine, Iβve been in some dark times, mentally, and that affects you. Itβs a different time weβre living right now.
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From email: Finally, how are you enjoying the Wacom One? Any notable features that have been useful to you as a digital painter?
It is so compact! I couldnβt get over the fact of how convenient it is. Itβs portable! I can take it with me if Iβm traveling, or just wanting to work from my garden. The screen size is perfect size, not too big, not too small. Thereβs no lag calibration-wise. I really do enjoy it. Oh! And I also enjoy the streamlined design; simple and aesthetically modern.
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β¦Is there anything else youβd like to add to that?
Itβs pretty straightforward. It doesnβt have all the bells and whistles, but Iβm fine with that. I donβt get fussy with that stuff. I just want it simple. I want to be able to just draw and call it a day. I donβt need special zoom buttons or hotkeys on the side like you have with [some of the past Cintiqs]βI donβt really use those anyways.
And when you work in your garden with it, do you run it off your computerβs power?
Yeah, I plug it into a laptop so I can take it outside. Itβs just nice to be outside βcause Iβm in my room working all the time right now. It would be really hard to bring my whole Cintiq setup outside, but with the Wacom One, I can just take it, go out there, sit where I want, and itβs pretty nice!
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The best overview of Neysaβs current work is her Instagram,Β @Neysabove. Her blog, which isnβt updated anymore but has several years of fascinating insight into her development as an artist, can be foundΒ here.
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About the Interviewer
CS Jones is a Philadelphia-based writer and illustrator. The former is best seen atΒ thecsjones.com, and the latter atΒ @thecsjonesΒ on Instagram.Β He’s back to using the avatar for this one, as he will in non-personal pieces, but that’s only because he likes it and put a lot of effort into it. (More than it may seem.)