Interview of Paulina Pulawska by Freya Bennett
What first drew you to lettering and typographic art, and who or what were your early influences when you began?
What first drew me to lettering and typographic art was Picnik back in 2010. Does anyone remember that editing website? I would edit photos for hours and hours with text and filters. My first influences in graphic design were my Art teachers in high school, especially my Multi-Media teacher. My Multi-Media class was the first time I designed a poster and felt like I was good at something and enjoyed doing. I went on to design for my high school theatre, creating t-shirts and posters for the shows.
Could you walk us through a typical piece’s journey? From concept or sketch to final artwork.
My pieces all start differently and depend on what kind of project I am working on. But everything starts with a brainstorming session. In October, there are a ton of different art challenges with a prompt for each day and I’m participating in one by Furry Little Peach called Peachtober! She releases the prompt list a week beforehand and when she does, I sit down and write all of the prompts down and think of what I can draw. I’ll look through Pinterest for references. I’ll google the symbolism of specific things or try to find an alternative meaning to the word. Or if I have a quote I want to use, I’ll look at what objects could represent that quote. Then I finally start sketching and drawing!
What has been your biggest struggle or obstacle as an artist working in this medium, and how have you overcome it or adapted?
I have struggled with comparing my work to other artists. I get nervous that someone thinks I am copying them or something. There is a lot of discourse about finding your style as an artist and if someone copied your work or not. Sometimes people have similar styles and that’s okay!
When someone looks at your work, what emotion or message do you hope they take away? Are there recurring themes in your pieces?
I hope that when someone looks at my art, they chuckle or feel inspired or even both. Recurring themes in my posters are usually something silly, relatable or motivational. I want to make people smile and feel hopeful!
Can you tell us the best and worst responses you’ve had to your artwork?
The best responses are of course when people find something relatable and makes them laugh. I love doing pop-up markets, selling my products in person and having people point at something I designed, showing it to their friends and saying “that is so you”. And I can’t think of a bad response to my artwork, the only thing I can think of is when I was doing my 365 days of posters series, I made some angel number posters and I had so many people telling me to do certain numbers or that angel numbers don’t exist in the Bible…
Have you collaborated with other artists, brands, or clients? Which project stands out most to you, and why? If not yet, who would you love to work with?
I have collaborated with April Supply, a kindle/ipad case shop! I got to license my popular “I love a good book, a sweet treat, and a fun little craft” design and I illustrated an exclusive design as well that I loved with bunnies and doves! In my head, it’s a step closer to designing a book cover.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start in lettering or type art today, and what are your artistic goals or dreams for the coming years?
My advice is that you should challenge yourself. Do a 31 day challenge or even a 365 day challenge. It’s incredibly rewarding and you can see the progress you make as you go! My other advice is don’t use artificial intelligence because it makes you lazy, is bad for the environment and is something that should be regulated!
