Featured Friday: Meet Slavomir Hryniewiecki
Happy Friday, folks. Today, I am so excited to feature another creative on the blog - Slavomir Hryniewiecki. Slavomir is a Polish illustrator and graphic artist who uses clean, minimal lines and colors to create unique characters and drawings. Let’s get to know Slavomir!
Let’s start off by getting to know a little bit about you and your work. Tell us a little bit about your background.
Hello. My name is Slavomir Hryniewiecki. I’m from Gdańsk / Poland.
I’ve been drawing a lot since I was a kid. I was considering studying at the Academy of Arts, but my friend’s mum (who was a professional artist) told me that being an artist was very hard to earn bread and butter, so I went a different way. I was still working on my craft after hours. I wanted to make it as professional as I could. My friends knew me as "mr. crayon" and they liked my work, so they would ask me from time to time to draw something for them and then they’d passed it on. That’s how I got my first clients and recognition.
I mostly worked on promotional illustrations, website contents, leaflets,
t-shirt prints, album covers, a few wedding invitations and posters. This has often been made possible by word of mouth and a few friends and local artists who believed in me. I am very grateful to them. At the same time, I also started to make rap beats, so it opened the way to new possibilities. I took part in several art projects, festivals, and I had a few exhibitions. I’ve recently also started reaching out to other people for some interesting collaborations.
I’m still working on my illustrations after hours and doing completely other things to have my bread and butter.
You can find out more about me on my portfolio blog and follow me on Instagram (@slavomir.hryniewiecki) for new work.
“Bird” by Slavomir Hryniewiecki
How did you get into art and illustration?
When I was a kid, I had this competition with my sister called "who can draw it better?" She was four years older than me and she was always better. I was very sad. It encouraged me to draw all the time, everywhere. It became my obsession. The illustrations in books and magazines always touched me somehow and, at the time, I had a few favorite artists. Life in Poland in the 1980s was rather "grey". Art was a great way to escape from all kinds of depression and inspired me to create my own space.
What is something you want people to know about your work?
When I saw your work, I felt that this was something that I was also looking for in art. I felt calmness and peace. I had a smile on my face and felt good energy. I think that is it - the communication without words and thinking. A peaceful place. The harmony. It would be great if people could feel the same looking at my works. (Thank you Salvomir!)
“Untitled on iPad 1” by Slavomir Hryniewiecki
You mostly do illustrations in hand and paper, but have also started experimenting with digital/iPad. What do you like best about each of these methods?
Yes, I’ve mostly done hand and paper illustrations because that’s how I started and it’s the easiest way to illustrate anytime you want. I really, really love beautiful tiny notebooks and making drawings inside. This is my quality/zen time. I love it.
Many years ago, when I wanted to push my illustrations to the next level, I was searching for the best digital way to do it that would be closest to the hand and paper method. I’ve tried Corel, Photoshop, Illustrator, Wacom tablets and more, but I’ve always gone back to the root in the end. But just a few months ago, I saw this "iPad + Procreate" super duo watching this illustrator vlog and I was like, “OMG!? I’ve watched about one jillion tutorials.” I checked it out at an iSpot shop and I was like...this is it, this is what I was waiting for. It’s easy to use. You can launch the program very quickly. It’s as exact as it should be, without any latency or delays. It has these layers and paths, just like Photoshop. I think it’s a perfect product. Perfect for me. It was a little bit too expensive for my wallet but I decided to make my dream come true. I think I should work for the Apple Corporation :)
“Mr. Shy and Elegant” by Slavomir Hryniewiecki
How did you develop your unique illustration style?
Thank you if you think it’s unique. I was actually always obsessed with perfect black lines. I wanted to make my characters and drawings perfect, exact without any unnecessary elements. I wanted them to be elegant in some way, I guess, just like French fashion or Japanese calligraphy. I think that the black lines and music that I make are always some kind of reflection of what I have in my mind at a certain moment of my life. The black lines in my drawings kept getting more and more minimalistic and simple, and so did the other elements in the whole art piece. I’ve realized that mathematics matter here a lot, that layers and the way of putting them together matter too. This great game of shapes, lines, and colors is like music, like moves, like dance, and like our lives. It is always looking for some kind of harmony and balance.
“Untitled on iPad 2” by Slavomir Hryniewiecki
What has been the most challenging thing about being a creator?
I think that the most challenging thing for me is always to create something for others. It’s easier to draw something your soul wants to make than to prepare something for a client. When you draw for a client, it’s up to you and the client and the agreement that you both made, the understanding of both sides of the project.
In general, creating is always challenging; it is like a journey to a different country. You don’t know where it can take you. I think art is about energy. You feel it more than you understand it.
What has been the most rewarding thing about being a creator?
I think when you like to do something, you like the process of making it too. Of course, it is great when other people appreciate your work, especially if someone asked you to do something super unique and individual for a one and only occasion and you made it right. There is another advantage of making art. I was always a rather shy person, so for me, being a creator was like a being a superhero. I could be like a living legends for a moment, even if only for myself. It gave me the strength that I needed.
The prize itself is also the opportunity to be able to collaborate with someone that you admire.
“Paris” photo by Slavomir Hryniewiecki
What’s something that has been inspiring you lately?
I’m actually still impressed by Paris. I was there many years ago for a moment and I’ve promised myself to go back there later in the future. I finally was able to go back there on a lonely trip about 2 years ago and have been able to go again. I went back for many, many reasons and I didn’t even dream that it would move my soul so much. I fell in love with that city - the little galleries, tiny shops and boutiques, people from all over the world, architecture, cafes. I think that there is something special in that Parisian sun. Because of Paris, I’ve realized that (just like in fashion) to stay elegant in creation, it is good to use only one, two or a maximum of three colors. This trip has shaped my way of seeing things. I only change that philosophy sometimes because I like to experiment.
As creative people, we often will hear more “no’s” than “yes” when we are trying to put our work out there. Many people end up giving up. How do you stay motivated to continue going after your dream?
I would say that it is good to have more than one plan, and more than one skill so you can switch whenever it is needed. We have to be ready to develop and change. We can also leave the problem for a moment, take a break, do something else, maybe analyze it a bit, and then get back to the main issue. If everything goes right all the time, we would fall asleep, just like driving a car through a straight route. These meanders in our lives and works are necessary to develop, stay focused, and awake. We need to look for other, new ways of making things all the time, until we “make it”. That’s how we learn.
Taking art into consideration, I’ve always remembered that, after all, I make it because it makes me (or should make me) happy. The reason is that we need that quiet place in our reality where we can calm down and reset our minds just to stay healthy. If we keep our eyes open, we realize that regular life, and doing just regular things, can bring us the best inspiration.
If art is our profession, then like I said, we need to have a plan B in our pocket, other skills, new knowledge, and a team. Also, patience is a great virtue. Japanese masters always work on their crafts (martial arts, poetry, calligraphy) in silence and with patience, repeating movements until they’ve become as natural as breathing.
“Color” by Slavomir Hryniewiecki
If you could go back in time, what creative advice would you give to your younger self?
Always do the best you can, but don’t take it too seriously. Listen carefully to what the client wants (if you’re working for others). Do everything to the end. Learn more about art techniques and software. Look for new ways of making things. Collaborate with others - you can inspire each other. Sometimes it’s good to work in a team - different shades create depth. Find an agent if needed. Work more, think less (but sometimes, reverse this principle too).
Breathe. Go to the forest. Ride your bike. Travel more. Meet more people.
Website: http://hryniewieckiportfolio.blogspot.com/
Instagram: @slavomir.hryniewiecki
*Featured Friday is a series to introduce, support, and highlight other small and/or emerging artists, makers, designers, and creatives. Know someone who you think should be featured? You can nominate them here!
