1.Tell us a little About yourself.
My name is Faryn Hughes and I’m currently working as a freelance illustrator out of St. Paul, Minnesota. Most of the projects I have done have been children’s books, editorial work, and private commissions.
2.Describe your style.
Dreamy and ethereal. I love artwork that you can get lost in and that creates an encompassing atmosphere for the viewer while also telling some sort of narrative to hold that intrigue. Usually I don’t have a particular story in mind so I leave that up to the viewer, but I always try to accomplish that feeling of walking in a dreamscape for most of my work.
3.What tools do you find yourself using most the time?
For most of my professional illustration work I use waterproof ink and watercolor, but I also use tea to paint with in some projects. Recently I’ve been trying develop more digital drawing and painting skills as well.
4.A lot of your work seems to have animals or nature in it, why is that?
I’ve found that nature and animals in art is something everyone can recognize and appreciate in some way. They’re subjects that people generally find relaxing and immersive and most tend to want to bring nature into their environment through art so it makes for a diverse and sought after subject. But aside from audience intrigue, the natural word has always inspired me with its rhythmic flow and hidden patterns. Over the years it’s become completely instinctual for me to draw plants, animals, and to create natural scenes. Those subjects are what I find the most joy illustrating. I try to illustrate the wildness of the natural world while also capturing a more utopian, otherworldly view because I also love telling a story and adding details that persuade the viewer to lose themselves a little further in the piece.
5.What is your inspiration?
Aside from the natural world, I find a lot of inspiration in folklore and fairytale illustrations. I have always been inspired by illustrators from the turn of the century as well as traditional woodblock prints from Japan.
Examples of Faryn Hughes’s Work:
6.What do you do when you have creative block?
I find I get most moments of inspiration by looking at other artist’s work. I have a folder on my computer of hundreds of references and artwork I have collected over the years that I saved because I loved a design, composition, subject, or color scheme and I spend a lot of time looking through all those images until something clicks. Usually it’s more than one image at a time and I combine a lot of ideas and elements from different references to create something new.
7.What is your favorite work from another artist?
It’s difficult to choose one particular work, but I tend to be most inspired by illustrations from previous masters in watercolor like Warwick Goble, Arthur Rackham, and Alphonse Mucha. More modernly, I love Victo Ngai’s incredible sense of storytelling through her work. Whenever I need inspiration, these are my go-to artists.
8.What tips would you give to a beginner artist?
My biggest issue I had when I was a beginner was just starting a piece. I was always looking at these incredible artists with a much higher skill level and would get so discouraged I wouldn’t even start anything. These constant comparisons are what intimidate so many artists. My advice would be to recognize that no matter what level of skill you have, there is always going to be someone better that you’ll strive to become and even professionals with years of experience have these same doubts. The importance is to just start and try to put your ideas into something tangible. Learn from those who have more skill, be humble, make things you enjoy, and appreciate how far you’ve come in every step. It’s a lifetime cycle that never truly ends and you’re always going to strive to be better so you have to start somewhere. Remember that someone is looking up to you in awe of your own skill so don’t give it up.
9.What message do you want people to get from your work?
I want my art to offer a sense of calm and a peaceful escape. My wish is for my art to be completely immersive and create a tangible dreamscape with the feeling of a dream you don’t want to wake from.
10. What makes your style different from everyone else?
It’s a hard question because I’ve taken inspiration from so many artists to begin to develop a signature of my own. I guess my goal is to never settle into a completely recognizable style where people can say “That’s obviously Faryn’s work”. I want to constantly try new methods and mediums so I guess that may differentiate my style somewhat.
