ALANAH SARGINSON
ALANAH SARGINSON
We caught up with good friend and London-based illustrator and designer Alanah Sarginson to speak about her work, inspiration and what to expect from her next...
Artwork c/o Alanah Sarginson
Photos by BONSE1
Artwork c/o Alanah Sarginson
Photos by BONSE1
Tell us a bit about yourself...
Alanah: I’m a 22 year old illustrator and designer from Hertfordshire who is very much just figuring things out and having fun doing it!
My love for the arts doesn’t just end at illustration - I love music, dancing (badly), singing (also badly), writing poems (probably the worst), playing as many instruments as I can, and just expressing myself in all the fun ways.
Alanah: I’m a 22 year old illustrator and designer from Hertfordshire who is very much just figuring things out and having fun doing it!
My love for the arts doesn’t just end at illustration - I love music, dancing (badly), singing (also badly), writing poems (probably the worst), playing as many instruments as I can, and just expressing myself in all the fun ways.
How did you first get into illustrating?
Alanah: It really started back in school when I became frustrated with the lack of originality of the pencil portraits I was doing. I wanted to find my own style, so turned away from the comforts of photorealism and towards more bold, expressive and abstract designs in my final A-Level Art project.
I did an internship that summer and with that pay check, I bought my iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procreate, and just started playing around. I had no idea then that that would be the start of my career as an illustrator.
Alanah: It really started back in school when I became frustrated with the lack of originality of the pencil portraits I was doing. I wanted to find my own style, so turned away from the comforts of photorealism and towards more bold, expressive and abstract designs in my final A-Level Art project.
I did an internship that summer and with that pay check, I bought my iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procreate, and just started playing around. I had no idea then that that would be the start of my career as an illustrator.
Your artwork is always so identifiable - from the geometry to the colours - how did you find your particular style?
Alanah: It’s funny because I’ve had to accept that my style will always be a bit fluid and inconsistent, so hearing that is reassuring!
It was in my A-Level project that I got to deep-dive on the classics like Matisse and Picasso and incredible modern female artists like Manjit Thapp and Christiane Spangsberg. Those artists really are the foundation of my style, especially Manjit!
Alanah: It’s funny because I’ve had to accept that my style will always be a bit fluid and inconsistent, so hearing that is reassuring!
It was in my A-Level project that I got to deep-dive on the classics like Matisse and Picasso and incredible modern female artists like Manjit Thapp and Christiane Spangsberg. Those artists really are the foundation of my style, especially Manjit!
I’ve always wanted my style to reflect me, and aside from being self-expressive, I love analytical and organised thinking as well as engaging in the sensitive and spiritual. Learning how to fuse all of these facets is a continuous process but has helped the most in finding my style.
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Is there anywhere or anyone you get inspiration from?
Alanah: Not to sound cliche, but inspiration is everywhere! My social feeds are full of incredible artists so it’s really hard to pin down one artist anymore. Away from Instagram and Pinterest, I’m inspired by my relationships, my mental state, by politics, philosophy, science.
I’m inspired by the possibility of everything coming together nicely when I just throw shapes, colours and lines on a blank canvas. Anything can be expressed creatively with enough time and patience.
Alanah: Not to sound cliche, but inspiration is everywhere! My social feeds are full of incredible artists so it’s really hard to pin down one artist anymore. Away from Instagram and Pinterest, I’m inspired by my relationships, my mental state, by politics, philosophy, science.
I’m inspired by the possibility of everything coming together nicely when I just throw shapes, colours and lines on a blank canvas. Anything can be expressed creatively with enough time and patience.
It was great to chat with you for our Dialogues project back in the first Lockdown (time flies!) what’s been some of your favourite stuff you’ve worked on since then?
Alanah: God, that feels like a different world! That was a fun project to work on.
Editorial illustrations are always a blast, as they allow for a lot of creative autonomy and I get to explore such a wide range of very random topics from failures in the American education system to the metaverse.
Alanah: God, that feels like a different world! That was a fun project to work on.
Editorial illustrations are always a blast, as they allow for a lot of creative autonomy and I get to explore such a wide range of very random topics from failures in the American education system to the metaverse.
Still, I’ve really enjoyed working on bigger, longer term projects with creative teams and departments. Having meetings with various team members across a number of weeks and getting insight into companies’ wider creative direction has helped me to take myself seriously as a professional. Blank Street, GoCardless and Therapy Notebooks were especially wonderful to work with last year.
You’ve done some amazing bits for the NYtimes with their book reviews and essays. How have you found working on a project like that?
Alanah: Thank you so much! As you’d expect, NYT have got their project management down to a T. Their art directors are always kind and communicative, and I’ve gotten into a good rhythm working across their different departments.
Alanah: Thank you so much! As you’d expect, NYT have got their project management down to a T. Their art directors are always kind and communicative, and I’ve gotten into a good rhythm working across their different departments.
My favourite art director is Book Review’s Matt Dorfman - he is to me, the blueprint of what a good art director should be. He is hilarious, passionate, and has an insanely creative spirit in both his vision and his words. He’s the one who initially found my Instagram I believe!
What are you working on at the moment & what can we expect to see next?
Alanah: I’m currently getting back to making pieces outside of my freelance projects. This involves working on a print collection with Terra Cotta Prints, pivoting my art towards things I’m loving right now, and working towards a potential exhibition some time soon. A lot of it is taking everything I’ve learned over the last few years and putting a big Alanah stamp on it.
Alanah: I’m currently getting back to making pieces outside of my freelance projects. This involves working on a print collection with Terra Cotta Prints, pivoting my art towards things I’m loving right now, and working towards a potential exhibition some time soon. A lot of it is taking everything I’ve learned over the last few years and putting a big Alanah stamp on it.
It’s so great to see your projects getting bigger each time. How have you found the journey as an artist from first starting out to where you are now?
Alanah: It’s hard to put it into words, honestly. There’s been so many ‘I’ve made it’ moments and milestones, and this journey has given me so much more than I could have ever expected. I often forget how much imposters syndrome, anxiety, and sleep deprivation I had at the start. I’ve got a lot more faith, trust and self-confidence these days, but there were definitely a lot of growing pains, failures and lessons, too.
Alanah: It’s hard to put it into words, honestly. There’s been so many ‘I’ve made it’ moments and milestones, and this journey has given me so much more than I could have ever expected. I often forget how much imposters syndrome, anxiety, and sleep deprivation I had at the start. I’ve got a lot more faith, trust and self-confidence these days, but there were definitely a lot of growing pains, failures and lessons, too.
I have so much gratitude for everyone who has sent me love and support and who have believed in me along the way, as they’ve really helped me believe that anything is possible if I just follow my heart and work hard doing it. I’m still figuring things out, but having that faith makes everything a lot less scary.
You can follow Alanah and check out more of her work here
BONSE1 21/04/2022