Hey, guys! In this episode, I am chatting with Denis Zilber, a freelance illustrator, and visual storyteller. He has worked with magazines like GQ, Maxim, National Geographic and animation studios like Hasbro, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon among many others.

Get in touch with Denis

• Website: http://www.deniszilber.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deniszilberart
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deniszilber/

Key Takeaways

“Concentrate on storytelling, not on tools. If you are a good storyteller your technique is irrelevant!”

• Denis had 10-year hiatus when it comes to making art and once he decided at 26 to go back to it, he had a full-time job in graphic design and he was learning in the evenings and night – drawing, painting, animating, modeling. Eventually, he realized he wants to draw and illustrate
• Denis published his works on his blog and got contacted for illustration jobs by Russian newspapers and magazines. One of them was GQ and he worked for them for 3 years. he used this experience to learn and get better. They liked everything that he did.
• Denis no. 1 goal for his artworks is storytelling. An expressive image with slightly cartoonish characters and expressive colors & light
• Denis wishes he focused on something special because his career is spread in too many directions – ad illustration, kidlit, editorial, character design for animation, movies, games – it’s a lot.

Resources mentioned

• Biggest inspiration – J.C Leyendecker
• Art tools: Wacom Intuos and Adobe Photoshop

Special thanks to Denis for joining me today. See you next time!

All artworks by Denis Zilber, used with permission