Hello fellow artists,
Making art can be a lonely process,but some artists show us it needn’t be.
Our second guest speaker on Art-Talk is the multi-faceted Yves Kervoelen and we’re in the same classroom doing Assignment Bootcamp together(yay!) and the sense of community he inspires is awesome.
In short,he makes the group 10x more fun and interactive,giving detailed but honest critiques that are on point.He doesn’t sugarcoat them either ,but puts them across very kindly in a way that motivates the artist always.He’s motivated me and many others on the group to do their best work.That kind of energy is infectious.
We’re all in our corners of the world doing the same assignments but it feels like an actual classroom because of people like Yves.
Well Yves certainly has led a very colorful life.Read on to find out.
Hey Yves,your artwork is amazing.Your enthusiasm is super contagious.It pushes everyone to do their best work. Please tell us a little about yourself?
Thanks, it is touching to read this. Originally I am French, but I have been living in many places before settling in Berlin. Australia, England, Mexico City, Stockholm and Berlin. Job wise, I have been studying and working to be an actor as I was younger, before moving into interior design and later architecture. Which I actually have a degree for, and worked for a couple of years before falling into a pencil case and becoming an artist/ illustrator.
I love chocolate, and I used to have a passion for baking and traveling. Both of those have been reduced for the last few years, though I have been able to enjoy cakes and visit new places nonetheless through work. Chocolate never stopped though.
Nice!So many skills!! You made so many variations for the assignment.Which was your favourite?
My favorite is the art-nouveau butterfly. I really hope to make a collection of those.
What motivates you?
To create those you mean? Well, as I explain in my newsletter; it has been a process. A slow-motion of sort filled with both frustration and aha-moments. It is also a long-dream come true.
Can you tell us more about the 365 Draw With Me prompts you’re doing??Why did you start it?
I started it both for my nephew and for myself. I should actually say; for all the young artists out there willing to practice daily and not knowing where to start.
Truth be told, there are thousands of prompts on social media, and thousands of challenges for artists to use to practice their skills. But I have always been doing my own things, as it feels closer to me. Plus, mine are aimed at young artists and illustrators. I break each week with a sentence prompt which helps you using the daily prompts as an illustration. I also plan them for you to build a visual library and in comparison to the challenges - as a way to fill your own sketchbook. And not to feed the instagram algorithm.
I’m definitely going to include these in my art practice.
What’s your favourite piece you have ever made?Tell us about it.Why do you love it?
Oh gosh!! That is a tough question, I love many of my pieces. Equally as I hate many others. Looking back at it, I think my favorite pieces would be my abstract plaid-patterns. They really got me out of a down phase and they truly helped me connect daily with watercolors without feeling like I had to create a masterpiece.
They also constantly remind me that one piece on its own has not much value, but that many of them become a collection.
How was making this piece of art different to what you usually make?Did you use new techniques and processes?
As said above, it was about creating art without thinking I was creating. It was about using the leftovers of my ceramic flower palettes as well as getting out of bed and putting colors on papers and filling my heart with joy when I was sad, and when I felt like I lost my artistic purpose.
Best tip you’d give your fellow classmates and anyone making art in general.
I would say consistency! I am terrible at it myself (or so I feel at times) but the truth is simple - show up every day. Make art for the sake of making art, not for a product or someone. But for the joy it gives you!
Who or what are you inspired by?
Many artists inspire me. In the illustration world if I were to name five: Tom Froese. Rebecca Dautremer, Quentin Greban and Julie Mellan. But there are literally thousands of others like Lisa Congdon, Sielke Schmidt, Martin Memphis Richter, Susan Faye Carr, Erica Root, … In fact many artists represented by Lilla Rogers Studio. Architecture wise, I am a big fan of Tadao Ando’s work, and MRDV - but also Haussmann and Gaudi. Manet, Monet, Mucha, and the art and crafts movements - especially William Morris; as well as one of the Japanese master Hokusai. I also have a strong eclectic pull towards music - Bjork is at the top, but I enjoy Zagal equally as I would listen to classical works from Olafur Arnalds.
Were there any sources of unexpected inspiration for your journal cover?
Yes, and it often happens to me that when I get an assignment life throws something at me that I had no idea about. And for the assignment, I was given the joy of visiting a friend who works for the senate in one of the oldest buildings of Berlin. built in 1914 - it has intricate ornaments everywhere. On the balustrades, the doors, the windows… And It was really interesting to reconnect with those, though I did not use them for my journals. At least not consciously.
Would you say your piece is You?
Yes and No. Yes, because it definitely is a process I have been working towards. No, because I am a watercolorist at heart and so a piece made with Procreate is out of my comfort zone - portfolio.
If not an artist,what would you be?
I often dream of changing the world and making it better, so I would say politician. All jokes aside, I would love to build more, so maybe I’ll reconnect with architecture or interior architecture later in my life. Or maybe a baker.
Digital or traditional?
Traditional all the way. Though there is a true bliss in digital work. I also feel grateful to live in an era where there is so much to be done thanks to the digital world as an artist. A small passion of mine is to find ways to mix both. As you can see in my abstractealism works.
Why do you create art?
Oh gosh!! Another tough one! I often question myself to be honest. Or ask myself why.
I often end up saying: because I must. I think I would not be fulfilled if I did not create art. I started painting/ drawing when I was in architecture. I often did as a child, but never saw myself as an artist.
What in recent times had a significant impact on the way you approach art-making?
I am currently trying to reorganize my office/ studio as well as my computer and put processes in place on how to make art, store it and create an income with it.
To answer the question I would say, winning the bootcamp class has been a huge motivator.
What practice do you swear by?
My daily prompts are currently my bundle of joy. Even if that means I end up having more ideas and more pieces I would like to create that I can timely afford to, it really is a pleasure to sketch.
Top 3 favourite artists at the moment(not necessarily illustrators)
Right now, I would say William Morris, Julie Mellan and Brian Lambert.
What’s one class you’d recommend to everyone and why?
There are too many to select just one to be honest.
How do you deal with self doubt?
Oh gosh, yet again. When I started as an illustrator I drew this: ‘Inner Promise’
These are all the monsters I (and many other artists) deal with. I should hang it above my desk, like I intended to. It is on sale on my webshop: here.
That’s brilliant,Yves.Do you listen to specific types of music while drawing?
I tend to have tv sitcoms, or series on. But sometimes I need music. I can not listen to podcasts as this feels like my brain has to be split in two. Which is actually quite weird because I can follow two discussions in two different languages while sketching outside. I need noise though… silence is my biggest enemy!
What’s the one thing you don’t like about being an artist?What do you love?
I have a hard time dealing with people’s ‘stupid sentences’ - especially the one where they ask me if I make a living out of it!! You would not ask a baker, an architect or a freelance journalist but artists are constantly being reminded that money seems to be a worth factor. I truly hate this. I actually touched on this in my newsletter.
I love sketching, and I love resolving a problem through art - providing a client with something that makes their life brighter, better and a lot more joyful.
How’s the art scene in your country?
Berlin is saturated with artists, which means that the competition is high and that people are not always willing to pay an artists’ worth. Germany in itself is more graphic and minimalistic (think Bauhaus) in general; but this means I have a niche market which is very keen and demanding more filigrane and softer work. That being said, it is not always easy to find my audience.
Did you go to art school or are you self taught?
Self-taught. As said in my first answer, I studied theater and architecture - both fields dealt with drawing or sketching but I had to figure out what it meant to be an illustrator in the first two years of my practice.
Would you like to talk about the assignment?
Sure! I love Lilla Rogers and MATS! I love how she breaks the assignments and how we get to be us! This is something I have tried to bring in every class I thought, while respecting the curriculum of course. Whether I taught watercolors or graphic design students.
Are you taking any classes at the moment?What are you learning?
MATS BOOTCAMP and I have signed up for Julie Mellan’s classes on Domestika, trying to do those too. I also have lots of saved classes on Skillshare but not enough time to do them all.
What’s your favourite art related book at the moment?
William Morris - father of Modern Design and Pattern.
What does your workspace look like?Does it affect how you make art?
I have three desks. One for digital work (admin, photoshop..) one for creating and one for orders … I recently added a lot of shelving, which still needs to be organized. It totally does affect my practice, first off I had no processes as I started, so I have flying artworks and sketches in many places. Second, if my ‘office space’ is messy I can not create! It’s a bit like my head, if I am full of thoughts I get paralyzed. Thankfully, I have lots of ways to deal with that.
If you’re a digital artist,how do you make your art feel more alive or traditional?
I am actually an analog artist. I suspect that you are referring to my Art-Nouveau Butterfly piece, then? First, I would say it is all about the palette. Second, well about the joy one puts in his/her/ their work.
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Well this kid is gonna go far that’s for sure.That was a fun sneak peek into Yves’ artist brain.Art friends and non-art friends- do try his 365 day fun challenge.
These art talks are fun. Hope you keep doing them!