{"id":818549,"date":"2025-01-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/?p=818549"},"modified":"2025-01-21T11:36:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T19:36:16","slug":"vera-brosgol-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/vera-brosgol-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Vera Brosgol on her creative career journey, the difference between traditional and digital art, and the benefits of starting small"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Vera Brosgol<\/a>\u00a0is the illustrator and author behind the picture books and graphic novels\u00a0Anya\u2019s Ghost<\/a>,\u00a0Plain Jane and the Mermaid<\/a>, and many other works and projects. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recently finished up her latest book, Return to Sender<\/a>, while kitten-sitting for some friends on their houseboat and needed a portable solution for getting work done on the go. So we asked her to try out the new Wacom Movink OLED pen display<\/a> -- check out the video she made about her experience here<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Vera has had quite the career journey -- she was born in Russia, moved the the United States as a child, studied Classical Animation, worked in the film industry, and now writes and illustrates books! We wanted to know more about that journey, what inspires her, her unique approach to digital and traditional work, and if she has any advice for young creatives thinking about their own artistic journeys. So we had a conversation; that interview is below. It has been lightly edited for clarity and length.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How did you first get into art? Were you a creative kid?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes, absolutely! I\u2019ve been drawing as long as I can remember, and my mom backs that up. She\u2019s always been incredibly supportive, and got me painting lessons with local artists when I was in elementary school. Having my drawing be encouraged that way, as well as meeting people who made art for a living, made a big impression on me at a young age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about your educational path. You studied Classical Animation in college -- why did you choose that route? Do you recommend that young artists pursue art school or should they self-teach, and why?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I went with animation because it seemed like one of the more practical art careers -- if such a thing exists. It was pretty clear I was going to go into some kind of art field, but being able to support myself was really important to me. I\u2019d only met fine art painters up until that point, and that seemed absolutely terrifying, but animation appeared to be full of people with mortgages and health insurance and all the normal stuff, sheltered a bit by a big studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think a decade or two ago, I\u2019d have recommended art school, but things have changed so much I\u2019m not sure I would anymore. Tuition\u2019s so much more expensive than it was, the job market is unstable -- even in animation -- and being saddled with $150k in debt and an art degree seems unwise. But if someone else can pick up your tuition bill, by all means, go for it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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