Juan Carlos Federico

Heres the answers iv got back from Juan Carlos Federico, i think hes misunderstood one of the questions a bit cos of the language, but i plan to follow this up anyway.

Hello,
I am a third year undergraduate studying Illustration at Stockport college (near Manchester, England). I noticed your work on the IllustrationMundo website, and i love the metal creatures you have designed - its really inspired something im doing in my final major project. I was wondering if you would mind me asking you a few short questions? I realize that you must be quite busy but id be really grateful if you could spare a few minutes.
Thanks, Jenny Reed.

Hi Jenny!
It will be a great pleasure to answer your questions.
Only I warn you that my Tarzan-English is very limited. I hope you understand :)
Moreover, the questions should be in writing, because my oral English is almost nothing :(
Have a nice day!
Juan

Hello Juan, how are you?
Thanks for getting back to me. Your English is much better than my Argentinian! I have attatched the questions to this email, just send them back to me when you have time. Cheers again!
Jenny

Hi Jenny!
Here are my answers.He joined the 2 and 3 in oneI remain at your disposal for any question. I wish you good luck with your final major project!!
Cheers, Juan

1. I love the metal creatures on your website, have you actually made them in 3d or did you just photograph each part and put them together digitally?
I do not do 3D drawings. They are digital assemblage (Collage / Object resignification), from fragments of photographs and textures

2. Was this a brief given to you, or is it a project you invented yourself? If so, what do you plan to do with them next?
3. What influenced you to work in this way?
I became involved in illustration in two stages: the first one 12 years ago as part of my teaching activity. In those years I devoted many time to the writing of theoretical essays about design and I tried to apply those principles in the workshops with professors and students. I was interested in verifying how theory could be applied to the composition of a visual piece.
This became an exercise where the objective for the students was to make the portrait of a character and the technique pre determined was collage/ assemblage.
It wasn’t the technique that I cared about, but the strategy used to choose the pieces (images or part of them), in a way that by yuxtapositioning them, they became completely different from its individual parts. The practical work implied a “mise en scène” of a group of objects related directly or not with the character. The assembling of these objects should be able to produce a new discourse telling a story about the character that a caricature or a photograph could not tell.
Some of the illustrations I show today date back from these years. I just made them as an exercise before the other professors in my team so that they could guide our students through the process. Later, I gave up teaching and illustrating. I devoted 100 % of my time to corporate image projects.

The second stage connected to illustration began a few years ago, partly as a game with my son Joaquin, aged 7. Sometimes he comes to my studio in the evenings since last year, when he started primary school. We have fun composing imaginary characters. He can’t deal with the Photoshop yet, but he actively participates in the choice of objects, in the photo production and he also enjoys naming the characters.

This year I have written and illustrated a book for children which will probably be published soon. I have also finished another one and looking for a publisher.
I have also developed an educational illustrated game of cards (http://algebranos.com.ar) which I will try to have it published.
e than a decade ago. I am currently finishing two other books, one for children and one for teenagers. I have also started to illustrate them. But sometimes it’s the other way around and the illustrations determine the stories.

In the long run, I am starting a pending activity: sculpture. I have been filing sketches, which will resemble the final works, and I will make them out of metal, pieces that I have been keeping and documenting in photos (the same photos that I use to create my preliminary works.)

4. Have you noticed any difference in the amount of work you have been getting as a freelance illustrator since the global recession?
The global recession has not affected me yet. But I guess I feel its impact in the short term. It will be a good time to apply creativity.