Designer Interview: Lena Heto, Creative Illustrator

I recently celebrated my birthday and was given a very personalised gift from my amazing sister : An illustration of me and my beloved dog, Soda, on my preferred form of transportation (other than a hot air balloon) in my one of my favourite cities, Rome.

The designer behind this fun illustration is the uber-talented, Lena Heto, Director of Creative Boutique, design & illustration.

Melbourne based, Lena has been designing all her life making it official in 2007 when she opened her studio. An avid traveller for inspiration and art collaborations, Lena’s passion is evident through her playful but powerful messages delivered through her illustrations. Her work flows across various mediums including murals, canvases, prints and web and there is quite a joyous quality about them.

I caught up with Lena to discover more about her delightful illustrations:

1. How did you start designing? 

I loved art from a very young age and was committed to pursuing it through subjects in secondary school with a future objective to move beyond traditional art techniques. I studied a Bachelor of Arts Multimedia Animation & Interactive Media at RMIT University but it wasn’t until my second year of tertiary study that I realised I could turn my love for art and design into a business.

So in 2007 I began freelancing in graphic design and illustration under the name Creative Boutique.

I’m very proud of the work I’ve created to date and one day when browsing the web for some inspiration, I came across a Spanish artist’s website – David Cantero – and instantly fell in love with his style. I contacted him to let him know that I was a big fan and we kept in touch via emails, Facebook and Skype where he became my mentor and encouraged me to have a solo exhibition.

I did this in 2010 titled Coffee & Friends Creative Boutique Exhibition which was a huge success which promoted David and I to collaborate and run an exhibition together –  a dream come true for me!

In 2012, I travelled to Spain to work with David and we created 12 collaborative artworks which were fun, exciting and happy! I don’t like gloomy, depressing art. I believe happy and colourful art can be as effective in evoking a reaction from the audience.

2. Tell me about your illustration techniques.

Studying Multimedia helped me to bring my art into the digital world, bypassing the restraints and costs of traditional mediums.  All my concepts start with a pencil and paper which is then enhanced and coloured digitally. This is quite time consuming but it also allows my work to be more flexible and able to be printed on a variety of materials such as canvas, posters and even fabric.

This year I’ve also ventured into the exciting world of drawing large scale murals for a few restaurants including Taco Bill and Bar Napoli in Melbourne.

3. Which of your designs would be your favourite?

I would have to say my favourite piece was from my collaborative exhibition with David Cantero in 2012.

The piece is called Fair Love – Balloon (featured above). It has a really fun vibe to it, but a strong message to deliver. It shows a young woman holding a balloon who appears quite cheeky and happy and in the background there is a young man floating away with a bunch of balloons looking a little surprised.

This artwork is about showcasing the strong independent woman. She is happy with herself, with what she has, and isn’t phased by what is going on behind her. She doesn’t need a man (or anyone else for that matter) to validate her happiness or success and she can stand on her own two feet. I love this message.

4. Tell me about your upcoming Brazilian exhibition? 

My next exhibition is going to be held in Sao Paolo Brazil later this year.

It is a collaboration with a Brazilian digital artist, Luciano Dias. All I can say at this stage is that the theme is Discrimination and touches on aligning concerns including racism, age, gender.

The message from the work is positive, embraces diversity and encourages acceptance recognising that we are all different and should not be discriminated against.

 5. Your work is quite fun with captivating characters. Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from life, travels, beauty, colour, fashion illustrations, and of course Walt Disney. I love colour and cartoons particuarly Disney characters and draw a lots of inspiration from this.

I am a very happy and positive person and I like to my work to reflect this. I’m a really big dreamer and often my characters cite a part of me that I would like to express. For example, a positive and ambitious nature or the ‘future’ me. They are like my dreams coming to life.

 6. What does the future hold for Lena Heto if you could help it? 

I want Creative Boutique design & illustration to become a worldwide, lifestyle brand, which brings my characters to life on canvas, merchandise and fashion – with no boundaries!

As Lena Heto, the artist, I want to continue to spread a positive message through my work and inspire people as I go about my journey, holding more exhibitions and working with great artists all over the world.

Lena Heto can provide graphic design and illustration services including personalised murals. To get in touch with her, email info@creative-boutique.com.au

www.lenaheto.com

© All images, artwork and content is Copyright, Lena Heto Creative Boutique. The use or reproduction of any image is prohibited, even for personal use. Written permission from the artist is required. Reposting of images (i.e Tumblr – must include Creative Boutique logo). Creative Boutique is a registered Trademark.