An Artist's Insight with Lina
With An Artist’s Insight, we invite you into the inner world of the creatives who shape our collections. This series offers a chance to meet the people behind the motifs, exploring their inspiration, craftsmanship, and the creative rituals they use to transform an idea into a finished piece. We uncover the stories that bring each artwork to life, revealing the artistry, emotion, story and vision behind the works.
Lina has been an in-house artist at Desenio for seven years and has painted some of our bestselling designs such as Vintage Doggo. She sometimes brings her spaniel Harry, into the studio – Harry is something of a canine celebrity, featuring in a Dogue Print. Lina is a self-confessed nerd and once slipped on a banana skin, which she thought was something that only happened in cartoons.
Describe your style in three words.
Whimsical, colourful, minimalistic.
What inspires you to paint dogs?
I love animals in general, I have ever since childhood. I feel more at home with animals than humans. Dogs are special. I grew up with one, and the bond we have with them is so special, I don’t think I’ve ever met two dogs that are alike. That’s what I like to portray – a dog with a strong personality that we humans can relate to, and laugh at a little.
How hard is it to work with dogs in the studio?
If you have a high energy cocker spaniel with extra spaniel like my dog the answer is very hard. It’s exhausting.
Which piece are you most proud of?
Probably 'On my mind'. I like the simplicity of only using a few colours, the texture of the oil pastels and that stupid look on his face still makes me smile.
What inspires you when you paint?
A lot of things. My very talented colleagues are a great source of inspiration. But I’m also very inspired by pop cultural in general, like movies, TV and music. It’s always been very central in my life.
What does your creative process look like?
I always start with a digital sketch of an idea that I work a selected colour palette into. I play around with the colours until it feels balanced and cohesive. The sketch itself is usually really simple using blocks of colours rather than details and shading. I do that when I make the actual painting. I pick the medium depending on the piece and what I’m in the mood for.
What is your favourite material to work in?
Probably oil pastels or acrylic paint. I like the messiness of it.
What’s it like to work as an artist at Desenio?
It really depends on where we’re at in our design phase. A typical day could be anything from sketching, researching, testing colours, filming Behind the Art material, creating files for printing. Every day is different. What’s constant though is that this job keeps me evolving and improving my skills and I’m very grateful for that. It’s a unique job.
Quick Questions
Favourite subject?
Animals in human contexts.
Favourite painter?
Egon Schiele. Dark and disturbing and beautiful at the same time.
Favourite shade of paint?
Peach, probably. Or something pinkish.
Do you prefer to work alone or with others around?
Considering how easily distracted I am I have to say alone. And being alone also enables you to connect with yourself which is what art really is, I think.
Do you listen to music, podcasts or have silence when painting?
I like having a noise of choice! I like news podcasts and old TV shows I’ve seen many times before that I can just listen to. Can’t explain it, it just works for me.
