We have managed to grab an interview with Anne Pätzke, Inspiration to many.

“How Have you been lately?”
Busy and a bit exhausted. I was at the book-fair in Leipzig and am stuck in illustrations for my new book so job+ book+ appointments+ normal life keep me busy 24h/day.

“What actually got you into this kind of Art Form”
um… that´s pretty easy to answer. A little sketch I made 2004 in the agency I was working for in Vienna. It was the first draft of my little character “Kulla”. When I came back to Germany some month later I started doodling more and more and somehow everything turned out to be “the right thing” for me.

“Why not any other Art Form?”
I think 2005 it was “special” to have somebody from the “Manga/Comic Scene” not only to be passionately stuck to canvas. I got contracted by a small publisher for a book with my character and after 4 years I think most people see it and can say: “Oh, that´s her.”
Jo, my editor, explained it like that: “People need things they can remember. If you switch styles and topics all day long, nobody will be able to see you as an artist standing for a certain style.”
More than that I am really into drawing cute things, animals and characters standing for everything we wished for as a small child. I want to touch people´s memories and a “I wish I had it when I was young” is maybe the biggest compliment. Children grow up with your work which makes you a part of their childhood. That´s more than I can ask for.

“What inspired you at the start?, And what inspires you now?
My cat… she´s 17 and still my biggest muse. I grew up with her and still she´s there purring and snorring and craving attention. Nmext to that my mum showered me and my sister with tales. We grew up with an old beamer shwoing illustration of Grimm´s Tales and my mum telling the stories. I read swedisch tales, german, protugese, danish… everything. Even now.

“Do you consider anyone to be your role model in the Art you do today?”
not really. I like Rebecca Dautremer and her datailed works but that´s more like awe. I would never say I wanna work like her. Moreover she doesn´t like acrylics which are my favourite so that´s a little contradtiction so it´s really awe but no “I wanna be like her” since that´s never good. I think everybody has to find his/her own way of creating art.

“What sparks the love for this Artist?”
The vibrant colors and the combination of texture and composition.

“What did you start of with?, Tags? or did you go straight into large art?,”
Normally I do a sketch. If I work on illustration for a new book I normally split the text together with my editor and try to find out what would be the essence of the text-part.
I sketch the whole illustration roughly and stick to the composition very close. If I work on illustration without context I sketch as well. Even digitally. It´s easier to find out if the illustration works like that or not. I work with very thin layers of acrylics, you can´t paint over and over again which means the sketch has to be correct before you start painting the whole thing on canvas.

“Well, that is pretty much it for today, Do you have any secret’s to your Art?
I think the only secret is that I´m a pretty happy person all day long. Call it good karma or luck.

Anyone you wish to mention also?
Ty, the only person being patient enough to handle my “I wanna paint, go away” days.

Any last advice, and last comments?
People easily stick to things they like and normally the result of a young artist being fascinated by his role model is copying. If you start painting and drawing always remember to find your own way. It´s important to create something unique which is personally attached to you.

If you wish to see more of Anne (Trenchmaker) Pätzke, Visit her DeviantArt!