IllustratorJon Juarezis driven by ideas.
An otherwise ordinary cityscape, for instance, will feature streets that morph into a bustling waterfall.
He describes the feeling this evokes, and it’s one that any creative is sure to recognize.
Such works are the ones you learn from.
When a project does not perform as expected, I just leave it for a bit.
Then, when I figure out how to fix it, the whole process turns into a lesson.
Scroll down to read our exclusive interview.
How long ago did you start drawing?
I first tried to in 2003, but it barely lasted for a month.
I later took it up when I attended a course on 3D animation in 2010.
What inspired you to start drawing?
Drawing is a tool for thinking, and so is writing, music, movement, et cetera.
Those are just cliches aiming to hierarchize one discipline over another.
The movement, the sport, for me, is a language as valid as the word.
Or know who I can convince to help me with their skills to define an idea better than me.
Years ago I had an idea.
I knew I could not convince anyone to draw it, so I tried to master that tool.
I have spent 10 years learning, and in the end, I have professionalized my own learning.
But I’ve always understood it as a gym, my goal is not the illustration.
The ideas I have do not depend on a single tool, or on a specific combination.
I’m not a cartoonist, I’m not a writer, I’m not a carpenter…
I just want to make some [stories], and define them as best I can.
What resources did you use to learn?
The piece of animation inKill Billwas revelatory.
It is, I believe, an author that managed to sneak into popular culture.
It is somehow impossible to avoid him, even though one may not be consciously considering his work.
On inspiration, youve said that uncertainty is one source for your work.
How do your illustrations reflect that influence?
I am talking about questioning yourself, your circumstances.
Your work focuses a lot on strange places weve never seen before.
What is the process for developing these microcosms?
What is your favorite thing about creating unknown places?
Im interested in world-building.
I like each universe to respond to its own rules, new ones.
During 2018, I engaged in designing speculative futures for a big telecom company.
Any exciting projects on the horizon?
Hmm… the horizon is always there, Ill let you know when I get to it.
