The small details of everyday life in illustrations by Simona De Leo
Simona is a freelance illustrator living in London. As a native of Puglia, the Heel of Italy, she is sometimes overwhelmed by the melancholy of the sun and the sea, and therefore frequently recalls the beauty of her land in her illustrations with an energetic use of yellow and turquoise. “I have been an artist since I was 3 years old, in fact I first started holding crayons and only later started walking. I am an eternal dreamer, a perceptive observer, and I like to transform the beauty of nature around me into illustrations. I deeply feel everything that happens around me and I love to translate my personal feelings into the lines that define my characters.
What usually inspires you? While I was in London I discovered the things that make me feel absolutely in love with life: jazz, musicians’ sketches and people having fun around the city. I like to capture these moments of authenticity and little details that other people might not notice.
Tell us about your project “Tits’n’Tales”, what is it about? Illustration can be powerful, so I like to illustrate to raise awareness for causes close to my heart and to help my community. With these ideals in mind, I co-founded Tits’n’Tales with Silvia Pellegrino – an art project that combines creative writing and illustration. We decided to join forces during the pandemic to give space and color to art as a critical conscience. This is how the Tits’n’ Tales project was born. By making fun of all those platforms that see female nipples as “evil”, it re-appropriates this symbol, underlining how gender equality can be explained and narrated from several points of view. We tell stories of violence, discrimination, love, sexuality, censorship, repression, life and death based on real experiences.
How does your creative process develop? My creative process can vary depending on whether I am working for a client or on a personal project. If I am working on a brief for a client, I first consider what is to be achieved through the illustration. Then I start researching the key words and concepts of the brief. Then I start sketching. I used to draw on paper with a pen for this phase, but I have to say that nowadays I prefer digital more and more (less paper; let’s help the planet when we can). Once I have 2 or 3 concepts that I like, I show them to the client, who then chooses what I will develop in the final illustration. From this point on it is just a matter of having fun creating the final illustration. If I am working on a personal project, the process might be a bit different; sometimes I already have the image I want to draw in mind and I go straight in and start the illustration. It is as if the illustration is already finished in my head and all I have to do is get it out.
We all know that an artist’s relationship with color often fluctuates, how about yours? You may have noticed that my illustrations mostly feature turquoise, blue and yellow. I like to use these colors because they remind me of two of my favorite things: the sea and the sun. On top of that both of these colors are quite relaxing (a feeling I wish to inspire in the audience). Yellow is energetic, vibrant, full of life and warm – a good contrast to blue which is colder. Of course, depending on the project I may use a different palette, always selecting a limited number of colors, usually between 2 and 4.
How do you consider your style has evolved over time? I think style is something that is constantly evolving for an artist. I stopped counting how many times my style and technique changed during my studies and early years as an illustrator. Looking at my past illustrations, I can see the common thread that links my different styles over time: experimentation with different techniques and approaches to drawing.
Website: https://www.titsntales.co.uk/ simonadeleo.com
Instagram: @titsntales @simona_deleo_illustrator