Featured Art Student: Jonas Zavacky

It’s time for our next Featured Student! For July we are featuring:

Jonas Zavacky

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Below is an awesome Q&A that Kathryn Adebayo (@KATHRYNADEBAYO) conducted with Jonas:

Here is an invitation to sit back and relax for a moment. If you are a fellow creative, prepare yourself for a break from the hectic business side of your art career, the stresses of commissions, the worry of artist block, the question of whether or not you have the ideal portfolio... Just enjoy the next few minutes while you read this exchange with SVSLearn student, Jonas Zavacky, and let yourself be reminded of the most real and true reasons why you do what you do.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Absolutely. I am from the northern part of the Czech Republic. I currently live by myself in Prague and have a 9-5 job here. I work on my art in my spare time as much as I can. I love going to nature (that is an absolute must for me - it is my main source of inspiration and where I think my soul belongs). Besides that, I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli movies, various comics and manga and of course children's books.

Could you share a memory of one of the first times an illustration (of your own or someone else's) made an impact on you?

That would probably be illustrations from a book called "Pictures From the Farm". My mom used to read it to me, and I remember digging the pictures a lot. I would stare at them all the time. I still have the book and still love the illustrations in it.

In regards to your artwork, what genre and style are you drawn towards at this point?

I am interested in doing whimsical, mystical illustrations... Based on reality/the ordinary with some magical twist to it. In terms of style, I really enjoy ink, and so linework is my favorite way of doing things. It is still really unclear for me how to pull it off. But that is why it is exciting and I am drawn towards it.

Could we see a few examples of your art?

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Rabbit illustration: This one is the most recent one finished. It started as a totally different piece. I wasn't sure where to take it, and so I hopped on the SVSLearn forums and asked for help. The people here really helped me and answered a lot of my questions. The inspiration was one area I live near to, and I wanted to create something that would fit a children's book. Eventually, I ended up with this. I like the result. Feedback from the people on the forum was fantastic :)

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Mystical journey: I really wanted to create something magical with a tense atmosphere. It is about this boy on his life journey who is about to enter a strange forest. Drawing this was a fantastic experience - even though I struggled a lot. Again, people on SVSLearn forums were really kind and helped me.

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Art by Jonas Zavacky

Fall illustration: An older piece, but I still love it. It was for an SVSLearn monthly challenge with a fall theme. Autumn is my favorite part of the year, and so this one was a must for me. It didn't win or get an honorable mention, but I can still remember the days while I was working on this, and I enjoyed every second.

What's the most important thing you've learned so far on your path as an artist?

For me, that would be patience and knowing that I can always do better. Rushing things doesn't lead anywhere. It will only result in a half-baked product. Knowing that I have my whole life to do it strips down the pressure of this fast-paced society. If I keep exploring - I will eventually find it (or I will die :D ).

But still, try hard - just don't rush.

And that I can always do better goes hand in hand with patience. I think people have limited beliefs about what they can do, but really it's just about how much time and energy you put in. A couple of times I made something and in the end, I looked at it and realized that I can do it better (even though the result wasn't bad compared to my other pieces) - and so I did.

What's one thing you really want to learn about in the coming years?

I would love to learn about how to present the ideas and pictures like I have them in my head - and clearly.
Hope one day I will :D.

Do you have goals for what impression you'd like to leave with your art, or what kind of things you'd like to create?

I would like to create pieces that would leave people with a warm feeling inside. I think there is too much focus on what is bad these days. I would like to lighten the day for them. To inspire them. Connect them. I have no idea how to do it yet.

If you could make one illustration that all the children in the world would see, what would you draw?

Wow, that is a really tough question. But probably about Love. We are meant to love and so If I could make an image that would teach (or more like remind them) children to love, to give. I would do that.
And that doesn't apply just for children :D


If you would be interested in sharing your work for a chance to be featured for August head over to the SVS Learn Forum and post your best work by July 10th.