Daniela Attard / iella — Interview

Time to introduce you to our second judge for this year’s MCOI Annual. Well, if you’re a Maltese illustrator you will probably already know about Daniela Attard / iella, who we’ve already interviewed once before. iella is a Maltese illustrator who is based in London in the UK. From 2014 until very recently she worked full-time as a Warner Brothers Discovery / Cartoon Network designer, but she also does visualising / illustration / storyboarding / consumer product design / board game design and graffiti!

iella graduated with a BA in Art History from the University of Malta in 2011, followed by an MA in Communication Design (illustration) at Kingston University in 2013. Her specialisation is drawing from imagination and draughtsmanship and her favourite subjects to draw are fantasy creatures and allegories / interpretations of feelings. iella typically works in pencil and digital media.

Four of iella’s many self-portraits, via https://www.facebook.com/ielladoodle

Can you show us a project that you did that you’re particularly proud of?

I did my first board game project under the local company Mightyboards — ‘Petrichor’. The game was very successful and helped me gain some traction in freelancing.

https://danielaattard.com/petrichor-board-game-art

Can you mention one of your favourite illustrators? What makes their work stand out to you?

There are so many! Currently if I had to pick — I love Gastón Pacheco @gastonpacheco_art for their relentless appetite for drawing and making enjoyable work.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cty9He5OeHT/

If you had to mentor an illustrator who was just starting out, what advice would you give them?

It’s ok to work a non-creative job as long as you have time and energy to make illustration work for yourself. Also never stop drawing from life — that’s one of the secrets behind developing a distinct visual style.

A selection of incredible works by iella

Are you a Maltese illustrator or a non-Maltese illustrator who is based in Malta? We are documenting the best Maltese illustration year after year! Submit your work here.