Also Cool x Mags' FREE Drink&Draw Returns to Système

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

What's better than a wholesome evening drawing with your friends drinking a cute drink? We strongly believe in creating accessible creative spaces to hang with friends, meet new ones, or just to get out of the house for a while, which is why we're excited to host another free Drink & Draw event at Système on October 11th.

We're proudly co-presenting alongside Mags and are welcoming DJs Abbot and Rah, who will be spinning all night long. Our DJs have also been hosting a weekly event called Tunes n’ Toons, which we’ll get into!

Here's the TLDR:

Drink & Draw at Le Système (7119 St Hubert) in Montreal, 5 pm-close

• No cover + supplies provided free of charge

• All ages and skill levels are welcome

• Non-alcoholic beverages are available. 

Feel free to bring friends or come on your own! We had quite a few people come through last time who wanted to vibe solo.

We also put together a short interview with our DJs and some of the drawings from our last event. Check it all out below.

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

Also Cool: Can you introduce yourselves to the Also Cool readers in case they aren't familiar with you?

Shem: Hiya! I go by Shem G. Aka Ramehs.eS (Rah for short)

Your snarky neighbourhood Neptunian, a general outside-of-the-lines animated character! Been sitting my way through life in Montreal for the last few years; it's good to be here!

Abbot: I go by Hanzo_da_bullfrog on IG, Abbott artist, Palu artist from "paluyota" (free Genghis album).

Mags: I'm Mags; most folks know me as part of the musical duo Strange Froots and occasional Also Cool collaborator, but outside of that, I'm an illustrator, music producer, performer and event organizer.

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

AC: Would it be correct to consider you all cartoon enthusiasts?

A: Yes, we are. Top tier.

S: ABSOLUTELY! I can't remember a time when music and cartoons weren't an obsession. I've been sleeping with the radio or TV on for over 20 years (who knows what health effects that's had on me, but hey, I'm still alive)! It only got deeper when I decided to pick up pens and brushes for myself in an effort to learn/integrate new skills.

M: Cartoons are my whole thing, my raison d’être. My love of animation predates that of music, and it's something that I can easily talk about for hours. Even now, I'm still getting hip to current-day shows such as Craig of the Creek, which was such a wonderful discovery being that it's a cartoon with a young Black protagonist set in a fictionalized version of my hometown in the DMV, and even reflects many aspects of my own childhood! I can never take for granted the power of animation.

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

AC: How have cartoons and visual art impacted your musical endeavours, and/or vice versa?

A: They strongly influenced my creativity past composing and writing music. I studied music and video art while learning music and playing games and found the highest sensory grooves, deepest backbeat, and most fly verses. 

S: Doing my own visuals for music or very closely collaborating with more skilled artists helps it all feel more cohesive. As a huge fan of manga and MMORPGS, I love some solid world-building. When immersion is solid, it helps me feel confident about the project.

Other than that, inspiration comes from many sources, but the primary would have to be what's been absorbed through the twistings of a more illustrative lens.

M: Interestingly enough, the music in many cartoons I grew up watching pushed me to make my own. From the cultural staple that is Tevin Campbell's contribution to A Goofy Movie to the DnB and mod music found in Cartoon Network shows like The Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans, even my early exposure to city pop via Sailor Moon. 

While my dad and brother were big proponents in my getting into music production and electronic music, respectively, the music I first started making was giving main character themes. The first 'EP' (if you can even call it that) I made when I was in middle school was the official soundtrack to the manga I was writing at the time: JAGUARA: Felines United, an unapologetic ripoff of Sailor Moon, InuYasha and Thundercats. Nowadays, the music still gives off a cinematic vibe with more room for interpretation. 

Still, with projects like NuLOM (a tape I put out with Shem G in 2018) and Age of Aquarius (another tape I put out with JU!CE in early 2020), they both draw from (and quite literally sample) the cartoons, comics, video games that we blerds loved growing up and still love today. Nowadays, I try to find other ways for my audiences to cross over, such as playing Loop Sessions beats during my art streams on Twitch.

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

AC: Drink & Draws is an offshoot of the Paint & Sip concept. When did you first come across drink & draw events, and what motivated you to put on your own Drink & Draw events?

S: Summer rooftop parties with good friends, park hangs in the sun mixed with a staggering stationary splurge across my first years of learning led towards wanting to put on a more consistent concept while also having a good reason to hang in my favourite record store/cafés

I have yet to attend a paint and sip, but I can't wait to get the chance!

M: I'd never formally attend a drink and draw or a paint and sip, but I've heard of the latter from my older sister. From my understanding, it's a very cheugy activity comprising wine and possibly ceramics. Very #livelaughlove teas. 

Imagine my surprise when I found out how expensive they were! But truly, what motivated me to put on a Drink & Draw was that I came onto the scene over a decade ago as the girl who draws, and that's how I forged connections in the city; I even started a blog called Mags Maps MTL that was originally hosted on my webcomic site. I wanted to switch roles and see what the rest of Montreal felt like drawing, especially if they could draw inspiration from the city like I did. 

The idea first came to me around springtime when I was planning my birthday week (which was several months away, but as a Virgo, I've had to learn the hard way not to rely on folks with a different grasp on the passage of time), and as my date grew closer, Shem and Hanzo had also started their own series, and I saw its potential for a chill, low-stakes hangout with friends and sharing space in a creative environment. 

When my event with Also Cool came around, I had no idea just how popular it would be... because why now we got a whole bar drawing??

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

AC: What has putting on these events been like for you? Any feedback?

S: So far so good! The only feedback would be to make more posters and have it happen more consistently, which is definitely the goal! I want to keep things up in a sustainable and rejuvenating way!

M: It was incredibly moving to see people tap into their inner child and revisit those memories or even express things they were feeling in the present moment through poetry and abstract art. A lot of the same notions kept getting repeated as I listened to people's reactions: "therapeutic," "wholesome," and "perfect weeknight activity." 

The truth is people want more access to creating art that isn't confined to daytime and just more variety in their nightlife overall. It's a great way to mix things up for happy hour, or even if you wanted to grab a drink by yourself, you can do that and pick up a pen and paper and doodle something with or without the expectation or pressure of someone coming up to you to socialize.

A:  It's been dope; people pull up to actually draw and vibe. It has opened the floor for us to continue working on our sets and support many of the local businesses in Montreal that we love. There is no better way to unwind after work than to drink and draw. 

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

AC: What are your hopes for the next events, and what should folks take away from them after attending?

A: We hope more people find out about it and they can come vibe with us. We love ya'll. 

S: I'll disclose my first and end goal for Tunes n' Toons. If every musical artist leaves with a cover for a project or, on the flip side, if every visual artist leaves with a commission for a musician, I've succeeded!

Other than that, people have been making friends, tips, snacks, and stories; what more could we ask for!?

Big bonus points to the relief many artists feel about having a relaxed environment to enjoy art outside of a more "work-based" environment!

M: My hope for the next events is that people lean more into what inspires them today. We all love nostalgia, but looking back on my old blog posts about the things happening in MTL in 2013 has taught me that people don't realize just how nostalgic they'll be for the moments they're living right now. They say art is how we decorate space, and music is how we decorate time. 

I think the criss-cross version of that is true as well: I associate certain songs with Montreal and others with the DMV, and being able to draw comics and art pieces to document my time in places that mean so much to me speaks volumes more than any diary entry I could write. 

I want people to come away from this with a newfound appreciation for their artistic expression and how it can serve to heal your past, anchor you in the present, and, in some cases, define your future. If not, define it, at least give you something to look back on fondly.

Photo from our last Drink&Draw event at Système

We can't wait for this next edition of our Drink & Draw series! If you can't make this round, we'll host the next one on November 8th, so mark your calendars.

See you at Système!

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La Luna Naranja: Exploring the Collaboration of Amalia Naranjo, Luna Nashar, and Oriana Confente

Amalia Naranjo modelling the La Luna Naranja collection. Photo courtesy of Oriana Confente

“Every night, I am alone. I transform into

different shapes

Every 28 days.”

As seasons begin to change, I have found myself getting further swept up by pensiveness under the night sky. The evenings draw longer, leaving a collection of charcoal clouds and twinkling stars which further illustrate the vastness that surrounds us and the bittersweet reality that everything must shift. Who are we in relation to each other, to our environment, and to past versions of ourselves?

The latest creative collaboration between Montreal-based artists Luna Nashar, Amalia Naranjo and Oriana Confente contends with such questions, linking tote-bag aficionados across the universe with a transcendent connection. La Luna Naranja was released earlier this summer; its canvas was carefully designed by Naranjo and Nashar, and captured by Confente with a warm and decadent editorial photoshoot. On La Luna Naranja, the trio shares:

“La Luna Naranja offers a unique fragment of what forms a Bigger image. In this fast-paced life, we go through ours with a small perspective of what's happening around us, letting our surroundings affect how we grow and reshape into our new self. The uniqueness of a Luna Naranja bag represents the beauty of individuality while still being a part of a more complex whole. A 1x1 metre canvas, hand painted by Amalia Naranjo. Each tote bag, unique, is a part of a greater picture. United, they create the original piece. However, the canvas was never meant to keep its beauty for itself. Cut, folded and sewn, it shares its true purpose: unity through art.”

The project alluringly melds temporality with an everlasting vibrance – what began as one has been reborn as many, and the many have been immortalized as one. Although the fragments of La Luna Naranja have each found their forever homes, their bond—much like ours with the past, present, and future—remains fused throughout the phases of the night sky. Also Cool Mag recently connected with Naranjo, Nashar, and Confente to discuss their creative bonds and their visions for La Luna Naranja.

Amalia Naranjo modelling the La Luna Naranja collection. Photo courtesy of Oriana Confente

Rebecca L. Judd for Also Cool Mag: Thank you all for sharing your creativity with Also Cool! To start, I would love to know a bit more about each of you and your respective practices. Can you elaborate on how this collaboration came about? How did you folks cross paths, and which artistic values or interests have you bonded over?

Luna Nashar: Amalia and I met on set of my first editorial in 2020, and I met Oriana at my very first art exhibition a year later! Since then, we have created opportunities for ourselves to connect and grow together as creatives. 

I am inspired by Amalia’s unapologetic approach to her art. She is a multidisciplinary artist, and [through this project] I really wanted to challenge her and get to know her as a painter. 

Oriana is a perfect fit on the project. Her use of film photography reinforces the “one-of-a-kind” theme of the project. I also love discussing sustainability in fashion with Oriana – we both are big on thrifting! It was interesting to have her on this project where a new art piece is recycled into a tote.

Oriana Confente: I actually met Amalia on the same night I met Luna at her exhibition last year. That was the first time I had seen Luna’s textiles and Amalia’s paintings. 

It’s funny how sometimes you encounter people and you just click. Like Luna mentioned, we connected over sustainability in fashion and I admire her approach to design. I love that Luna often repurposes deadstock fabrics, and I’m obsessed with her interpretations of the female form. I mean… pussy pockets. What a concept! I have at least three at home, and I’m sure that I’ll own more soon. 

I fully agree with Luna – I’m also inspired by Amalia’s unapologetic approach to her work. Getting to know her more through the events and projects that Luna organized has been lovely. It was especially fun to have an opportunity for Amalia to model with pieces she co-created. Funnily enough, this shoot was supposed to just be for e-commerce at first, but it evolved into so much more. I am thankful for transformation!

Amalia Naranjo: Like Luna said, we met in September 2020 for her editorial photoshoot. A year after that, I met Oriana at Luna’s art exhibition The Red Room. Their energy always felt so pure and real to me, when Luna proposed to me to collaborate with her on a tote bag project where I would get to paint, I was really excited to jump in. 

I immediately bonded with Luna. I loved her style, her creativity and her aesthetics, but mostly her perspective on arts and community values. She has the gift of bringing interesting creative people together so we can share and collaborate on our creations. Oriana’s artistic approach on themes like nature and technology and how they can co-exist really captured my attention. I admire the complexity of her projects and how she talks about it in an effortless manner.

Also Cool: La Luna Naranja fuses individual pieces into a greater narrative about transformation, reflecting on interconnectedness between eras and experiences. Tell us more about how this is thematically reflected in the collection, and what you’ve learned in creating it.

Luna: I feel like a bond of sisterhood developed throughout the project, as we learned from each other and spent time with each other's art. It was fruitful to share and be part of different challenges when it comes to our different mediums. As I sewed the totes, I could tell where Amalia put more paint! It was really fun to imagine her creative process as I was transforming her art.

Also, it was lovely seeing people choose which tote would be theirs. It reflects their uniqueness. I feel like La Luna Naranja created a small community where each one-of-a-kind tote is carried by an exceptional soul who shares a love for the art piece. The sisterhood that we shared together is for the community.

Amalia: When I had to come up with a design, I knew I wanted to bring a sense of uniqueness to every individual bag, so I knew that it wouldn’t be a single pattern throughout the whole fabric. But I also wanted it to be all connected and dynamic to represent movement and change through time and space – hence the lines that travel through the whole piece. There are also the different shapes of what seem to be naturally-rounded balls, but whose shapes change depending on their surroundings – just like us. Humans are affected by our surroundings, and we change as we move through time and space.

Amalia Naranjo modelling the La Luna Naranja collection. Photo courtesy of Oriana Confente

AC: I’m interested in the prospect of “unity through art”; how the repurposing of this piece into tote bags helped it to achieve a higher level — “its true purpose”. As artists, was there a moment when you felt that this was achieved?

Luna: Great art is life-changing. Traditionally, a painting is appreciated in a specific space. Repurposing it into a timeless piece elongates its narrative. I love the idea that you get to spend time with a piece that makes you feel a certain way. 

Transforming Amalia’s art was a very big moment for me – especially the first cut! I feel like a bond of sisterhood developed throughout that process of transformation. Although, the greatest feeling is knowing those tote bags are part of someone else’s life now. Maybe we should do a reunion with all the La Luna Naranja carriers!

Amalia: I could not say it better, Luna! By giving the art piece a utility, its purpose definitely adds more to the symbolism of moving through time and space with the user, and the sense of unity with all the people involved in this creation and the consumer is defined. I feel like this project keeps reaching higher levels. From doing a playful photoshoot, wearing the big painted fabric, to wearing the individual tote bags while doing more of a conceptual photoshoot. I feel it even more when I see people using it in their everyday lifestyle, and finally, when I see it published in a magazine for all eyes to see!

Amalia Naranjo modelling the La Luna Naranja collection. Photo courtesy of Oriana Confente

AC: I’d love to hear more about the intentions with colour in the piece, both as totes and in this photoshoot. 

Luna: Each emotion that each colour communicates, I want to feel and experience. I wear what I feel, and I am very comfortable expressing those feelings. I like finding balance in those emotions and I believe Oriana did a great job capturing that!

Oriana: Luna and Amalia are both incredibly vibrant human beings, in terms of the work they create but also in terms of who they are. Capturing their essence in this editorial was important to all of us. 

Amalia came to the set with electric blue eyeliner, and Luna had the spontaneous idea to throw some yellow lace she had in the studio over the backdrop… It came together quite naturally. 

Amalia: I cherry-picked the colours to create a vibrant palette of a nice variety, one that represented a diverse range of feelings and states. I also had fun blending various colours inside the balls, which was again to represent free movement and transformation. I chose to paint the lines black so that they could be neutral while the balls do all the eye-catching with their bright changing colors. When it came to the photoshoot, we approached colour in the same way: we went extra on the colour palette with the electric blue eye makeup, the extravagant red backdrop and the bright yellow lace. 

AC: Thank you all for your time! To close things off, what are each of you up to next, creatively? Are there any future collaborations in the works?

Luna: I am currently working on a new collection of bags in collaboration with a vintage store in Montreal, where transformation is also a major theme. Truly, collaborations are essential to every artist's growth. 

Oriana: Luna and I are starting a new project together! My practice, through photography and other creative means, is interested in disrupting consumerism and repurposing materials. I work with electronic waste (e-waste) a lot. Right now, Luna and I are co-designing garments that incorporate e-waste we’re collecting from friends and family. 

I’ve created e-waste accessories before—like earrings made from microchips—so it’s exciting to be working with a skilled designer like Luna to make more elaborate wearables. Plus, sharing talents and merging practices continues to commit us to transformation and unity through art. Collaboration and making-with is crucial for any type of community. I’m grateful I can experience that artistically with really cool folks. 

Amalia: I am very proud to say that as La Luna Naranja sold out very quickly, I am currently working on a new collection of painted tote bags with Luna. I am also working on a collection of paintings to have my own art exhibit soon. I am looking forward to more collabs with more creatives as I believe we can only do so much more amazing stuff when we work together.

Medusa, a “pussy pocket” bag produced by Luna Nashar. Photo courtesy of Luna Nashar

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La Luna Naranja

Modelled by Amalia Naranjo

Photographed by Oriana Confente

Garments produced by Luna Nashar

Tote bags designed by Luna Nashar and Amalia Naranjo

Hair styled by FirstClass Hair

Make-up by Dorianys Naranjo

Assisted by Vladim Vilain

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Luna Nashar

Website | Instagram

Oriana Confente

Website | Instagram | Twitter

Amalia Naranjo

Instagram

Rebecca L. Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag. She writes and creates out of her studio apartment in Ottawa, kept company by vivid dreams and a cuddly grey kitty named Dora.

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Artist Spotlight: Nora Kelly

Nora Kelly Band press photo via Nora Kelly

If anything, Nora Kelly is multi-faceted. She's done everything from painting murals in Mexico City to creating editorial work for the NY Times, not to mention playing rock shows in Montreal as Nora Kelly Band and Dish Pit.

We spoke to Nora about her creative practice, advice for other artists, and more.

via Nora Kelly

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: How did you first get into visual arts? 

Nora Kelly: I was a reclusive teenager, and drawing was something I had control over, could pick up and put down whenever I wanted. I think my continued dedication to art is for similar reasons. I need a lot of alone time, and paintings and drawing are great ways to spend one's time.

Also Cool: Have you always practiced with the same mediums, or has that changed over the years?

Nora: First, I was into drawing. I didn't start painting until I was in university. I was probably the worst painter in my class when I started at Concordia. Now I can't get enough of it. 

via Nora Kelly

AC: When did you first start doing murals? What was your experience with the creative scene in Mexico City?

NK: I had always dreamed of being a muralist, but it's kind of a catch-22 getting your foot in the door. No one wants you to paint their wall if you have never done it before, but without any murals to show on your resume, you aren't going to get that first wall. 

When I moved to Mexico City in 2017 and a mural company called Street Art Chilango hired me, I was so excited. At first, I was handing spray paint cans to more experienced artists, but eventually, they gave me my first wall. They are a very prestigious company, working with clients like Vans and Ray-Ban, but after 6 months, I quit because I had always been into the democratic quality of street art. I like that it's accessible to anyone walking by, and I didn't want to be involved in painting glorified ads for large corporations. I went door to door, asking smaller businesses in Mexico City if they wanted a mural and have gotten all my work that way since, even in Canada. 

AC: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to do more professional / commissioned work as a visual artist but doesn't know where to start?

NK: I'm kind of type-A, but my advice would be to get into spreadsheets. Email 20 people or businesses a day and keep a log of who you're spamming. Eventually, you'll get a hit, I guarantee, and it then it only gets easier from there.  

via Nora Kelly

AC: Do you find there's a difference between your commissioned work and the work you make purely for yourself? How do you balance the two?

NK: Definitely. My commissioned work is usually based on pictures and comes out more realistic. When I'm doing something for myself, I tend to work from my imagination and take risks, which keeps the whole process exciting. 

AC: What's your creative process like? 

NK: I like to walk my dog and come up with ideas. Usually, I paint at night because I stay up late, and it gives me something to do while my roommates are asleep. 

via Nora Kelly

AC: Who are some other creatives who inspire you?

NK: The most inspirational people are usually the people closest to me. I have a kind of friendly competition with myself, and seeing the people around me giving it their all makes me want to work harder. In terms of favourite acclaimed painters, I've always been fond of Rousseau, Peter Doig, Hilma af Klint and, of course, Francis Bacon. 

Watch Nora Kelly Band's latest music video for their song "Hymn for Agnostics" below.

Nora Kelly

Website I Instagram

Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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Artist Spotlight: James Collier

Art by James Collier

Enter the world of James Collier, one filled with birds in suits on their ways to work, night time walks and industrial environments slowly becoming overtaken by nature.

We chatted with James over email to learn more about his creative practice and inspirations. If you find yourself wanting some work of his for your own, you can DM him on Instagram.

Art by James Collier

Also Cool Mag: How did you get into making visual art? What mediums do you use most often?

James Collier: Drawing and cartooning have almost always been part of my life. I learned how to read from Carl Barks' Donald Duck comics and grew up drawing all the time. My dad is a great cartoonist, and there were always comic books around which I would consume voraciously. I never really questioned art-making as a kid and thought making comics and drawing was just an intrinsic part of life, a way of making sense of the world. I stopped drawing altogether for a while though, and it wasn't until age 18 or 19, after a particularly bad mental health episode, that I picked it up again.

Mediums are pencil, ink, paper. Most of it is done in various notebooks with cheap pens or graphite on Stonehenge paper when at home. Though drawing is the most accessible, both cost and space-wise right now, I'd like to explore printmaking more in the near future.

Art by James Collier

Also Cool: What kind of work and aesthetics were you interested in early in your creative practice? What inspires you now?

JC: Again, Carl Barks was a big one. There are a lot of people like Milt Gross and E.C. Segar who were/are big influences. Julie Doucet is continually inspiring – I can't wait for her new book, coming out in the spring.

I'm looking at the printmaking work of people like K the Kollwitz and James Ensor a lot these days. Herge, Joost Swarte, E.S. Glenn. The comics and drawings of Walker Tate as well. The comics and zines of U.K.-based artist Michael Kennedy are very inspiring. I've started looking at Walt Kelly again. I really like Charles Burchfield's paintings. I've also been looking at photographers such as André Kertész and Alfred Stieglitz.

Art by James Collier

AC: Where did you grow up? How did your upbringing shape your ideas about art and design?

JC: I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton is a city known for steel manufacturing. It's pretty grey, generally. Plenty of abandoned vacant lots, which I've gone back and drawn. There were also hidden bits of nature that you could get away to. There was an overgrown area known to my family as the "secret spot" that you could get to by canoe, as it was across the Hamilton Bay. I spent a lot of time reading and drawing there. There were also people around that you could collaborate with. My first printed work was with a local kid on my block, where we created a small photocopied zine entitled "The Guy who Never Returned" at age six. I don't remember what was in it, but we went around selling it on the street.

Art by James Collier

AC: How has your personal style developed over time? Can you tell us a bit about your bird characters?

JC: It's just the result of continually drawing in sketchbooks. It's a subconscious development, so it just changes incrementally over time. It's hard to track development. 

As for the bird characters, while working as a window washer, I would be very tired at the end of the day and barely have time to make a few doodles and scribbles before bed. The birds emerged in my sketchbook one night while fatigued, and I've kept drawing them since. Related to this, I'm working on a comic right now about a duck with insomnia.

AC: Tell us a bit about the creative communities you've connected with and any artists/projects within them who inspire you.

JC: I'm lucky that I currently live around many talented artists. Being able to show things to people around you helps with not becoming disillusioned. I've found creative communities even in the world of minimum-wage work. When I was working at Metro Food Inc., as a greeter during the height of the pandemic, I had many discussions with the security guard about old animation and art history. Right now, I work at an art supply store with nice people who are very encouraging when I show them drawings.

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James Collier is a cartoonist and visual artist originally from Hamilton, Ontario and currently living in Montréal, Quebec.

Instagram I Tumblr

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A Visual History of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours Illustrated by Michayla Grbich

Also Cool is proud to present a visual history of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac by Michayla Grbich. This is the first in a series of illustrated musical histories by Michayla.

We’ve included the full album below so that you can listen as you read for the full experience.

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Michayla Grbich is an illustrator with strong interests in portraiture, storytelling, history, music, and pop culture. She enjoys exploring and pushing narratives through her art, utilizing symbols, icons, and colors to set the tone for her work.

If you’re as in love as we are with Michayla’s beautiful work, you can find information for commissions, and more of her work below. For freelance or commission inquiries please email michayla.grbich.art (@) gmail.com

Instagram I Website

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Artist Spotlight: Amanda Leigh Ponce

By Amanda Leigh Ponce

Amanda Leigh Ponce really does it all. As an actor, graphic designer, and illustrator, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Get to know Amanda and all of her creative endeavours below.

Malaika for Also Cool: How did you get into creative work? 

Amanda: I honestly can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t participating in something creative. I’ve been dancing since I was a kid and spent most of my childhood inside dance studios. After a back break right before college auditions, followed by illness, I switched gears. I focused on acting while I was recovering, and eventually ended up going to New York City for college to train to be a film actor. 

Throughout that entire time, I had been drawing and teaching myself how to use design programs just as a hobby. It wasn’t until I got to New York that I realized that art and design were things I could pursue as a career. A friend of mine had seen some of my work and mentioned that I should set up an online shop.

So I began reaching out to the network I had established as a performer. Many of the theatre companies I’d worked at gave me my very first opportunities as a graphic designer, and really gave me the confidence to begin freelancing. 

Amanda Leigh Ponce

Also Cool: Do you have a primary medium?

Amanda: Yeah, it’s definitely changed over the years. I started out trying to act full-time, but being in a smaller market wasn’t sustainable. So now, art and design are my primary mediums, and how I spend most of my day today! Pre-pandemic I was auditioning a lot and going to New York for shoots, but everything came to a halt. I had to pivot and sort of re-assess how I was going to be able to pay my rent, ya know?  

AC: I really enjoyed your blog post about the pressure to be productive as a creative during quarantine, and for your work to reflect the current times. Do you still feel that way now, and if so, how do you manage these expectations?

Amanda: Thank you. It was kind of cathartic to write, to be honest. I definitely still feel that pressure a little bit. I’m trying to learn how to give myself some grace and to not force myself to create out of an expectation. As a generally anxious person, I think I do that to myself a lot.

Since May, when I initially wrote that post, I’ve really been working on not stretching myself too thin. Setting actual work hours, allowing myself to pursue the projects and hobbies that bring me joy, scheduling out my social media weeks in advance so that it’s not even something I have to think about. Doing what I can to support and lift the voices of other Black and BIPOC artists who have the energy to create in that way has also been important to me. 

I’m very slowly beginning to realize that my productivity and output do not define my human worth. The more I lean into that, the better I feel all around. 

By Amanda Leigh Ponce

AC: Who are your creative inspirations?

Amanda: Oh gosh, there are so many different people, but some I can think of off of the top of my head are Hsiao-Ron Cheng, Corinna Dodenhoff, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, in particular, have had a significant impact on how I see colour and composition. 

AC: I love your fake film posters! What are some of your favourite films, and why?

Amanda: Thank you! I love working on alternate posters, it’s always a fun way to pay homage to movies that I love. Right now, I’m kind of obsessed with Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. I thought it was really thrilling and beautifully shot and I’ve watched it multiple times now and have noticed something new with each viewing, which I love. Another film that I think is just so visually stunning that I know a lot of people hated, lol, but that I will always have a soft spot for is Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. The soundtrack, the cinematography, the costume and makeup design, it’s really just a visual treat and I really love highly stylized pieces like that. 

By Amanda Leigh Ponce

AC: In your opinion, what makes a good poster? 

Amanda: Whether or not it grabs my attention. It’s a weirdly simple answer but that’s kind of the point, right? Movie key art exists to get audiences excited/intrigued about what’s to come. So if it makes me really stop to take it in, it’s done it’s job. I think a lot of posters sort of fall into the same basic composition/fonts/etc. and I definitely feel like those are less likely to catch my eye. 

AC: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a freelance artist? What would your advice be to others who are trying to figure out how the freelance world works?

Amanda: Honestly, that there’s enough work to go around for everyone. I’m so lucky to have a circle of incredibly creative friends and colleagues, and I find the more that you’re willing to support other artists (even if they’re your ‘competitors’) the more support that comes back your way, and then you’re really able to begin creating a community that you can lean on, which I think for me as a freelancer has been absolutely vital. 

The other major lesson that I think every freelancer has to learn in their own time, is to know what your art is worth, and not budge on it. Figuring out my rates (and not being bullied into changing them once they were established) was a huge game changer for me. 

As far as advice goes, I would just say don’t be afraid to shoot your shot. I’ve sent out countless numbers of ‘cold emails’ with my work to brands/companies that I would love to work with. And while most of the time it doesn’t work out, sometimes it does, and they wouldn’t have known me from any other artists out there if I hadn’t taken the time to do that. Of course with that being said, you need to make sure that you’re prepared and have a solid portfolio of work to show people, but ultimately I’ve found that most people are pretty open to this because artist and designers are problem solvers. 

Also - and this shouldn’t be that surprising but - be kind! Firm, but kind. It will help you to navigate all of the different types of personalities that you’ll come in contact with doing freelance work. 

By Amanda Leigh Ponce

AC: Finally, is there anything you want to promote or shout out right now? How can we can best support you?

Amanda: I would love if you checked out my website (amcoart.com) and gave me a follow on Instagram (instgram.com/leigh.corbett). For whatever reason, the amount of followers you have seems to “legitimize” artists in the eyes of some brands, so that’s super helpful for me as I continue trying to branch into the crazy world of brand partnerships. I also post cute cat pics! I’ve been selling prints of my work on Society6 for a long time and recently launched a store where I’m selling prints directly through my website, plus I have some tee-shirts available through Hot Topic! A visit through my website (to the ‘shop’ link) will direct you to all of those places! 

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https://locallove.ca/issues/the-revolutionary-origins-of-self-care/#.X1ka0WdKhE5

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http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/Survival_Programs/survival_programs.html

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDCg5UyJPfy/

Nina Slykhuis-Landry is a Montreal-based illustrator, cartoonist and mural artist. 

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Gabor Bata: Memories of Clown Exhibits, Wim Wenders, & Getting Over Art Blocks

Art by Gabor Bata

Known for his wavy characters and psychedelic range of texture and colour Gabor Bata is a Montreal-based illustrator, whose work will transport you to a whole other world. He does everything from comics to book design, and article illustrations as well.

We caught up with him about creative influences, strange art exhibits, and how to get over art block.

Art by Gabor Bata

Also Cool Mag: How did art first enter your life? Was it something that was always there, or did you find it later on? 

Gabor Bata: I was sort of in a special situation where my parents actually encouraged me to go into the arts, even at a young age, and continue to do so today. Art was always a big part of my life, and it was usually a very giving dynamic. 

My parents always had art books lying around the house or would take my brother and I to galleries. I remember one, in particular, was this show in Ottawa when I was about 9, called Portrait of the Artist as Clown. It was all these kitschy paintings, drawings, sculptures, photos, and videos of clowns. I feel like I must’ve made such a huff about not wanting to go because the last thing I think a 9-year-old wants is to be trapped in a museum full of clowns on a Saturday. Great idea for a horror movie, but ya know. My folks insisted. One installation in particular that has always stayed with me was this strange, very sensual video of this half-nude queer clown doing a trapeze act. 

While I’m sure it was all aggressively incomprehensible to me at the time, stuff like that opened me up pretty early on to how diverse and limitless art could be. I never would’ve thought of that as art until then. My scope had changed, and I think it’s important for any kid getting into art to have an experience like that. Preferably without the clowns, though. 

Art by Gabor Bata

AC: Your personal style is so unique and has a great variety of textures and colour. How did you find your style, and how has it evolved over the years? 

Gabor Bata: Comics and cartoons were as always the backbones of my work. I never really got over them or felt like once I was going into art school that I had to “grow up” and move on. I’ve become less interested in creating straightforward cartoons and comics in the last two years and more interested in exploring their abstraction: the shapes and the colours, the visual language. So much of those elements alone can tell a story. 

Those were what had always appealed to me, and made me feel so at home in those worlds. Removing a piece of dialogue, the linework from a drawing, letting forms breathe and bubble, and stretching across those familiar panel grids and geometric lines creates something more involved and emotional. It actually gives you a lot more through suggestion, instead of creating a full scene with fully formed characters and speech bubbles with dialogue that tells you these blobs are mad or depressed or haunted or heartbroken or whatever. The work would all be done then, and there’d be nothing left for the viewer to interpret for themselves. 

Art by Gabor Bata

AC: Where do you go for inspiration? Either online, or IRL? 

Gabor Bata: Movies are a big inspiration. Seeing all of these separate elements coming together, the images, the pacing, the music, combined to elevate and flesh out a singular statement is really magical. I’ve recently been on this Wim Wenders kick, and his films are like my new obsession. He finds a way of creating worlds you just sink into. I just rewatched Paris, Texas and am planning on catching Until The End Of The World, and wow, now does that film have a killer soundtrack. 

Julee Cruise, Nick Cave, Talking Heads, good grief! I haven’t watched it yet, maybe it’ll be terrible, and I’ll regret bringing it up here, but the music has already made me soar and brought me to another place. It just isn’t the same thing for me when I’m drawing or painting. 

When I’m creating, I have a pretty particular idea of the voices, the sounds and the music I associate with the image. Still, no one else will ever really know those things or have access to it the way you would with a movie. Some galleries and installations try doing that, with audio playing in the gallery, or the lights flickering or something to elevate the pieces, but it always just feels like you’re in a sad version of Disney Land. Some works really have the ability to transport you, though, and that’s something I always aspire to. 

Art by Gabor Bata

AC: What do you do when you hit an art block? What helps you get over it? 

Gabor Bata: If I need a boost, I’ll do things that I’m uncomfortable with or shitty at, or try something I can’t rely on my laurels to accomplish. 

Screenprinting was a big one, and actually ended up greatly influencing my interest in abstraction. Breaking my images down layer by layer made me see all the incidental work going on literally beneath the surface. I’m still a little lousy with printing, but that experience was so informative and helpful in regards to the work I create now. 

It’s really easy for me to start feeling trapped in my drawings or to get overwhelmed by the detail. It’s constantly a game for me to surprise myself or trick myself into doing something I wouldn’t have thought of before. It centres me a bit and reels me back into why I’m doing what I’m doing. 

Art by Gabor Bata

AC: Where did you grow up? How did your upbringing shape your ideas about art and design? 

Gabor Bata: I was born in Montreal but was raised an hour out in a couple different suburban towns until I was 15 (at which point I moved back here). I feel that was the right age to come back, and while I think I did most of my maturing and creative discovering in the city, I can’t say suburbia didn’t have some effect. 

Nature had always been a backdrop in my home life, trees especially. My interest in the shape of trees has translated into some of the organic shapes I toy around with in my art. And the strange things you find living in those trees! My brother would get these bugs biting him all the time, and he’d just balloon completely out of control. The way the body reacts, how little control we have over it, and how little understanding, especially as a kid, definitely must’ve played into me drawing these erratic, bulbous organic characters who can barely contain themselves. 

Art by Gabor Bata

AC: How do you feel about social media as a platform for what you make? 

Gabor Bata: Social media has its perks. It can be a beautiful way of connecting and discovering others, especially in the art world. However, as a means of consuming art and information, that’s a bit tricky. On Instagram, you’re swiping through image after image after image, and at a point, they don’t really have the impact or the ability to be enjoyed on their own. Is it the ideal way to consume a piece of art? 

In my case, there’s a lot that feels lost in the translation of my 3x5 foot drawings to my 5.5x2.5 inch iPhone. I dunno, I sound like dinosaur bones now. I follow plenty of artists who have mutated their output to fit within the square confines of an Instagram post, to the point where I can’t imagine it being presented anywhere else. To me, I use it more out of practicality, and I’m definitely intent on eventually creating my own website where it’s less about taking in as many different images as possible in 30 seconds and more about giving the work a proper platform to breathe. 

Art by Gabor Bata

AC: What does community mean to you, and how do you connect with it?

Gabor Bata: Look, I know I just wrote that grand anti-Instagram manifesto, but yeah, I’ll stand by the fact that I’ve connected with so many cool artists and friends through it. 

It’s important to surround yourself with other nut jobs who share the same wants and struggles as you. Working around like-minded folks can be inspiring and challenging. If they’re really good at what they do, I think getting a bit pissed at how good they are and trying to outdo them every once in a while is healthy. 

Here are just a few of the artists who piss me off on the regular: @jupescoops (Aaron Elvis Jupin), @alexahawksworth (Alexa Hawksworth), @mlarono (Mathieu Larone), @catherine_desroches (Catherine Desroches), @erynlou (Eryn Lougheed) @jasonmurphyart (Jason Murphy) @foreshortening (Graeme Shorten-Adams), @francismarcel_ (Francis Marcel Williams) @peiangelina (Angie Pei)

Gabor Bata

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