Christophe Bugetti

QUESTION: What drew you to illustration/design? CHRISTOPHE: Illustration and drawing has always been an important part of my life. As a child I had a really good role model: my dad. Inspite of his office job he has always tried to spend some time to himself and draw. Kids are really good at mimicking their parents, and I was having fun doing that too. Later on, I have worked for more than 10 years in the advertising business as an Artdirector and in the evenings (whenever it did not get too late) I sat down at home and drew. It took a long time, until I decided to become an illustrator. A short while ago I dared to take the step. Et voilà! QUESTION: Do you have any formal design training? CHRISTOPHE: No, at first I have studied architecture for some semesters and afterwards I studied fine arts - in the area of new media. Drawing was always connected to it, but not really the goal. QUESTION: Where do you live? CHRISTOPHE: In Berlin Kreuzberg, between heaven and hell. QUESTION: Can you describe your studio for me? CHRISTOPHE: A small and cosy attic. I can easily access anything I need in reaching distance for work and more. QUESTION: How do you get the best ideas? CHRISTOPHE: In spite of all books, TED conferences and springs of inspirations regarding the theme „creative thinking“, the best ideas come to you by not thinking about them, right? Jogging works quite well. And to me it´s important to take the time to see the difference between a good idea and a really brilliant idea. QUESTION: Who or what is your biggest inspiration? CHRISTOPHE: I am inspired by urban surroundings as well as by anthills. So all the small and the big things of life. QUESTION: What technique do you use? CHRISTOPHE: I like to switch between analog and digital work. Analog with pencils, copics, poscas, black ink or watercolor in sketchbooks. Digital with anything available- Adobe programs, Cintiq tablet for 2D or Blender for 3D projects. By the way, I am also left handed and it´s a super tool but everything is twice the work because the world was build for right handed people. QUESTION: Tell us about a favourite project you have recently completed. CHRISTOPHE: An 8bit narrative video game (GameBoy Style) based on the webcomic „The House of Evil“. It is about a satyrical representation of the advertising industry and the daily business in an office surrounding. I was always a fan of black humor. In the 80s, as a kid with collections cards of the „Garbage Pail Kids“ and later with classics, like „South Park“, „Drawn Together“ and „Brickelberry“ from „Adult Swimm“. The project was a little bit of a challenge and great fun. QUESTION: What would be your dream job/commission? CHRISTOPHE: An illustrated travelguide book series with informations about architecture, food and culture. QUESTION: Who are your illustration heroes? CHRISTOPHE: Hayao Miyazaki, Tomi Ungerer, Moebius, Leiji Matsumoto, Mike Mignola, Jamie Hewlett, Otomo Katsuhiro, Genndy Tartakovsky or Hokusai. …and sometimes the people who claim, that they can´t draw. QUESTION: Do you keep a sketch book? CHRISTOPHE: That´s a mandatory item for my superhero costume. So yes, I almost always carry one with me. QUESTION: What are your hobbies? CHRISTOPHE: Sports have always been important to me. Since I have worked as a bike courier, I like riding my race bike. Apart from that, I like to read books- but that´s rather a duty, which I enjoy. QUESTION: If you were not an illustrator, what would you be? CHRISTOPHE: Sad. QUESTION: Who would you like to meet? CHRISTOPHE: Noam Chomsky. QUESTION: If you could travel back in time, where would you go to? CHRISTOPHE: Maybe towards yesterday morning. I have always found that the movie „Groundhog Day“ with Bill Murray was pretty funny but somehow really strange. It would surely help me get an empirical understanding. QUESTION: What kind of music do you listen to? CHRISTOPHE: Jazz and some Hip-Hop. Sometimes vice versa. QUESTION: What is the funniest thing you have ever done? CHRISTOPHE: Thinking that I can pick locks. Didn´t work. I quickly gave up. (No worries, I still can´t do it) QUESTION: If you won the lottery, would you still work as illustrator? CHRISTOPHE: Yep! QUESTION: Do you collect anything? CHRISTOPHE: „I am not a collector, I am an archivist“. So yes, maybe a little too much of everything, especially knick-knacks which I can glue into my sketchbooks during my travels. By the way, I have a great collection of doodled post-its, do you want to see it? QUESTION: Do you have a favorite game? CHRISTOPHE: The board game „Risk“, but only in connection with some diplomacy. That only happens occasionally.