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Interview with Illustrator Dina Razin

31/01/2025

What drew you to illustration?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t see the world around me as if flipping through a picture book full of patterns, colors and untold stories to be shared. For me illustration has served as an inner monologue to help me navigate my personal life. During the ups and the downs art in general has been my refuge which eventually transformed into a career path. What captured my attention at a very young age were the beautifully illustrated books that I got as gifts from family members and family friends who traveled the world. Illustrations have been my window into the outside world! I remember one of the dearest books to me as a young reader was a fascinating Japanese book I got as a gift accompanied by beautiful illustrations telling the story of a lost and found love. As a child I loved drawing how I felt and used colors to highlight the intensity of my emotions. My art is a coping and a therapeutic mechanism so in return and after doing this for as long as I remember, practicing illustration as a professional became an excellent way of exploring abstract ideas and bringing them to life in a way that is accessible to an audience.

What was the most formative time in the development of your career?

As a professional illustrator I believe that every time I get commissioned a new project that project becomes part of the overall creative experience. I see my artistic path as one journey that has no true beginning and no end. However, if i want to be exact I believe my experience illustrating Muse, a book by author, Ruth Millington, and published by Penguin Random House would be one of the most formative experiences in my career given the quality of the project and the time dedicated to the work.

What series of work are you the most proud of?

I’m overall proud of any artistic work I produce, even the ones that don’t necessarily see a big success or the ones that get rejected. It’s all just part of who I am and the way I express myself as an artist. However, if I have to choose one illustration work that I am mostly proud of it would again have to be my collaboration with Penguin Random House to illustrate over 30 artworks including the front and back covers for the wonderful book, Muse, written by author, Ruth Millington. This project was so satisfying creatively given the large number of artworks I needed to create. In addition to the fascinating subject matter of the book exploring the stories of thirty muses and the roles they played in some of art history’s masterpieces. Moreover, what makes this specific body of work so important to me w the harmonious relationship I have had with the author, Ruth Millington and the publishing team at Penguin Random House. I also found it a challenging task to be able to work on 30 different images of different muses which had their own fascinating stories to tell through Ruth’s words. I often needed to adopt a new strategy in the way I approach every single illustration of each of the muses as their stories span across many centuries reaching our modern day. This made the experience feel as if I am working on a new illustration project for each illustration that needed to be visually intriguing, true to the author’s words while still fitting the overall atmosphere of the book.

Do you have a preferred medium?

I love mixed media! I find it very satisfying a exciting when I use different mediums in o artwork and I especially enjoy using collage in many of my works. Currently, I am obsessed with oil and soft pastels. I find the experien of pressing and holding the pastels so close to the paper or the canvas very intimate. What has been your biggest challenge as an artist? As a freelance illustrator it is always a challenge to find a consistent flo commissions. Sometimes you might have 3 commissions all at the same time and there will be months when you barely have one. This sense of financial instability is definitely one of the big challenges in any artist’s life.

Who are your 3 biggest inspirations?

Paula Rego would have to be at the top of my list, after moving to Portugal with my family over 4 years ago I got to know her work better and her influential presence on the Portuguese art sce but also Portuguese social and political history. She was an artist on a mission to fight f women’s rights and advocate for their liberation from restraining and crippling social norms. But what makes her so inspirational to me is her use of pastels in her masterpieces. Another inspirational figure is Georgia O’keeffe her case, what inspires me the most is her dedication to pure nature in her work. She rarely painted anything else but nature. And being so fascinated with the botanical world myself, I fi her work inspiring. My third inspiration is Marc Chagall. I love the childhood dream quality in most of his work in addition to the relentless playfulness of figures a subject matters in his artworks.

Can you tell us more about your collage series?

I became passionate about collage after moving to Portugal and the reason being is the availability of quality antique paper materials that can be easily found. I frequently visit flea markets and antiq shops that carry vintage magazines, books, postcards and photos.This inspired me to create a collage series using elements from different pap sources I have gathered. While looking at this material with contemporary eyes, I usually try to preserve the essence of the material giving the final artwork a vintage look. Most of my collage work is surrealist and consists of botanical and animalistic elements.

Do you have any advice for younger artists wanting to become illustrators?

In my experience illustration is not only about talent and craft although that is your most important asset, it’s also about networking and getting connected with the world of illustration. For example, visibility on social media while demanding is crucial as most art directors and talent scouts rely on Instagram as one of the main tools to find talented artists  also find joining art and illustration webinars in addition listening to illustration podcasts very educational and keeps me updated regarding the latest trends in illustrations.

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?

I am currently working on illustrating the front and back cover of a book published in Moldova that shares a series of letters written and sent by a Moldovan man from his captivity in a labor camp during the Soviet occupation of Moldova. In his letters he shares the details of his daily struggles at the camp in which he was placed with many other captives from different Soviet republics at the time. For the cover am using a collage technique utilizing copies of the letters and images of the stamps that accompanied them in addition to photographs the author of the letters has taken while in captivity. Also, I am currently focusing on painting a series of artworks to be on display this upcoming summer at my new studio in Lisbon, Portugal.