To celebrate one of our latest artist collaborations, we caught up with Barcelona-based illustrator Tiago Majuelos to discover more about his work and creative process, his love of birdwatching and why he especially enjoyed about designing his card collection for Wrap.
How would you describe your creative style?
I like to describe my work as optimistic and colourful. I love flat, vibrant colours and bold black lines. I use this basis to explore and connect different worlds that I like.
And what inspires your work?
Nature, art, the internet world and archeology are my main inspirations. I like to mix them and play around extracting bits of each universe to create new concepts.
You originally studied engineering but then moved into illustration. How was the transition?
Yes, I studied technical engineering and then product design, but I've always been painting and drawing since I was a kid – so it wasn’t a radical change to illustration. When I started drawing digitally, I discovered a faster way to create full colour illustrations, and series of drawings. It was a big push forward for me, and allowed me to start doing little illustration assignments and develop as an illustrator.
Can you tell us about your creative process, and how you like to develop your work?
I tend to start by doodling on paper, and then when I have a concept for the illustration, I sketch it again digitally on a tablet. I do the final lines over the sketch, and at the end I play around colouring it…sometimes endlessly, until I find the right combination. I also paint on canvas. I tend to be more free with these pieces, and let myself be playful; it feels good, and I find it therapeutic.
You live in Barcelona. What’s life like day-to-day?
Barcelona is a brilliant city and the weather is great – excluding August. It’s culturally rich, and because of its location there’s also the possibility to easily escape to the seaside, the countryside or the mountains.
On a regular day I wake up and see the sunrise through my window, have a quick coffee and then ride my bike to my studio. After another coffee I start answering emails and doing paperwork, and then I am ready for the real deal!
Aside from work, what do you like to get up to?
I really like birdwatching; it’s a big passion of mine. As often as I can, I like to visit several of my favourite spots in the city to watch how the birds are living their lives. If you’re not paying attention you only see the pigeons, but once you start looking around more, you discover a whole new world – it’s awesome.
I also really like visiting spots in the hills to see the city with some perspective, and I enjoy going to the beach; it’s great to feel the salty air from time to time.
We're so happy to have collaborated with you for this card collection. How did you approach the project, and did you enjoy creating the designs?
I’m super happy with it too! I really enjoyed the process; I started doodling many ideas and then selecting the best ones with the editors. It was so great to work with greeting cards because they are nearly always giving good news, and used in happy, joyful moments. This might sounds obvious, but I can’t think of many other assets that involve so many good intentions and happiness. A couple of my favourite designs are the Cellphone Birthday Reminder and Congratulations Popping Champagne Bottle.
Finally, do you have a design motto or any rules for life that you like to follow that might inspire us too?
Just be genuine, don’t compare yourself to others, be productive and try hard to enjoy the process. When you feel free and confident, you always find the best of yourself.
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