Q1: Your works have a strong personal style. How did this style come into being? Is there a certain stage or event that has had a decisive influence on your style?
Leo: It took me a long time to develop my style. For the first seven years of my career, I changed my style and technique with every book I made. I remember feeling frustrated that I didn’t have a distinctive style. I was influenced by many different artists, but I couldn’t see the direction I was heading in. I experimented with various mediums, including pen drawings, gouache, watercolours, coloured pencils, and ecoline.
Two key things helped me develop my style. First, I discovered acrylic paint. Acrylics gave me freedom that other mediums did not. I could use the paint transparently, or in a thick, layered way, which was not possible with gouache. This felt like a revelation! There were so many possibilities.
The second key factor was my decision to write my own stories. Until then, I had only illustrated texts from other writers, but they didn’t inspire me. It was hard for me to engage with those stories because they weren't visually interesting. I suppose I also lacked the talent to be an illustrator for hire, and I saw that other artists did this much better than I could.
In 1999, I wrote my first story called "Happy with Me" and painted the illustrations using acrylics. The story was full of visual ideas and imagination. In 2000, I won an illustration award for this book, which confirmed I was on the right path. So after a long struggle, my style suddenly emerged.
The freedom to illustrate what I found interesting, combined with a new medium of acrylics, which I still use to this day, helped me to become the artist I am today.
Q2: Novice artists often have a unique obsession with painting materials, believing that excellent illustrators can create unique works only by using certain specific materials. May I ask if you have any particularly preferred tools or materials personally (such as paints of a specific brand or software tools)? How do they help you achieve unique visual effects in your paintings?
Leo: I have been painting with acrylics for a very long time, but my technique has evolved drastically over time. In the beginning I primarily used a classical approach, painting from dark to light with fine paintbrushes. Now, I mostly use sponges, razor blades, palette knives, toothbrushes, masking tape, and other materials to create my art. These tools allow me to generate more textures and effects. I'm always looking for new ways to create my illustrations because I get bored if I work in the same manner for too long. To keep things fresh and exciting, it's essential to keep evolving. This way, every new book feels like a new adventure, like a research project where I invest time in experimenting, failing, and starting over. In my latest book, I took it even further by incorporating pen and ink illustrations. It took me six months to learn how to use a fountain pen and create the black-and-white illustrations. I learned so much during this process, and it opened up many new possibilities for the future.
Q3: What abilities do you think an excellent picture - book illustrator should possess? How do you usually enhance the narrativity of your works through creation?
Leo: 1) Be patient. For me, patience is an important aspect of the process. For example, the sketching process takes longer with every book I make, because I continually seek better solutions. I also create a lot of dummies and I compare them to see which version works best. I want to produce work that has matured, and feels consistent and natural rather than rushed or contrived. That’s why I increasingly postpone the final execution of the illustrations until I am confident that the story, characters, colors, and other elements are just right. When I was younger I often rushed to start with the final art, excited to start painting. But too often I found I found myself fixing problems I should have addressed much earlier. By then it was too late.
2) Ask yourself, "what if?" It is probably the question I ask myself most often. What if I try this, would it be better? What if I change this colour, or composition. Most of the times these questions lead to important improvements. Exploring alternative solutions freely keeps my mind open and prevents me settling too soon. Most of the times there are better ideas just around the corner. Many times good the best ideas came to me fairy late in the process, and you have to be open to catch these them, even if it means that you have to start over.
3) It’s all about visual storytelling. This seem so obvious, but many stories are not very interesting on a visual level. I know I have a compelling story if I can convey the storyline in a dozen of images without adding text. Communicating ideas, stories in a clear, uncluttered way is what our job is all about. It is important to simplify things, in illustration and story and produce work that is both meaningful and fun.
Q4: As a renowned illustrator, your works have inspired numerous aspiring illustrators. How do you view novice illustrators learning from your works? Do you think that a similar style among "successors" constitutes a form of plagiarism?
Leo: I believe that the best way to learn is through imitation. When I first started out, I copied many illustrators as I was figuring out my own style. Each book I created looked very different, reflecting the styles of various illustrators I was inspired by at the time. This made me feel insecure because I didn't know who I truly was as an artist. Over time, all these influences blended into a unique personal style.
But copying is merely a phase in the learning process. It allows you to understand how other artists work and grasp their creative processes. Additionally, it helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses. The challenging part comes when you stop hiding behind your artistic heroes and show your true self. This requires standing on your own two feet and taking responsibility for your own decisions. Ultimately, this is a necessary step to becoming a real artist. If you remain stuck in the habit of copying others, you will never be able to express yourself in a personal way, which is unfortunate and a waste of time. So, if emerging illustrators are influenced by my work, that's perfectly fine. However, at some point, they need to carve out their own path.
