Being True to The Best in Self: A Conversation with Alicia Buelow
by Molly Joss
Alicia Buelow is a San Francisco-based illustrator and designer with an impressive client list: the Washington Post, the Harvard Business Review, Adobe, Cisco, and numerous other newspapers, magazines, book covers, packages, Web sites, and advertising. Here’s what she has to say on working with those clients; how she mixes photos and line drawings; her design philosophy; and more.
Molly Joss: You use Photoshop, obviously. Do you use any other software tools?
Alicia Buelow: I use Photoshop and Illustrator and tend to spend most days working with both programs running constantly. Photoshop plays a huge role in my process. I love that it allows me to manipulate photos and compose collages. I shy away from effects and filters, using them subtly, if at all. I tend to use the blending modes and drawing tools rather than effects like beveled edges, lens flares, and third-party filters.
I use Photoshop mostly as a tool to execute my ideas, yet I find that I am also inspired by its capabilities. I do need to be careful here: While it’s critical to know how to use the software very well, to me it’s also important to be conscious of putting my own personality and sensitivity into the work.
MJ: You take your own shots and use royalty-free images. What’s the mix?
AB: I take a pluralistic approach to my illustration work, combining my own photographs with stock photos plus many other types of imagery. I use stock photos only when I need a very specific image that I don’t have easy access to, such as a photo of fiber optics or a microscopic image of bone cells. I like to add other styles of art to my images, such as line-art drawings and typography. I especially love clip art for the ability to convey a quick and simple symbolic meaning. Sometimes I draw my own clip art to maintain that same feeling. All of these images combine into an overall recipe. This is the way I experience the world–starting a few steps back to take in the whole picture, then stepping closer to see the details.
MJ: What’s your computer set-up?
AB: I have a Mac G4 Dual 1GB with a ton of RAM. It’s about three years old, and I keep thinking I should update it but it still works very well. I tend to keep my software up-to-date mostly because I hate to miss out on anything. Like many other artists, I realize that I tend to stick to the old methods of working in Photoshop even when using new versions of the software. I get into a rhythm that is hard to break. But when I do find myself in a position to learn new techniques, I’m delighted!
MJ: Tell me about your work background. You worked for Adobe at one time, I know. How long have you been on your own and what’s that like?
AB: I loved to draw when I was young and always hoped to make a career of it. In college, since illustration was a subset of the graphic design program, I took a lot of design classes. I found that in addition to my interest in illustration, I also loved typography and photography. I had a special affinity for graphic design.
I ended up getting a B.S. degree in graphic design and also went through the graduate program in special projects in design. As a student, before computer use was so widespread, I used a Xerox machine and stat camera to manipulate photographs and create texture.
As a graphic designer I always tended toward image-intensive work where photography, illustration, and heavy typographic treatments dominated the layouts. In 1987, Adobe hired me as an intern and soon after that Photoshop was introduced to the in-house artists at Adobe. We fell in love with it! A couple years later Adobe gave me the opportunity to create identity images for Adobe Illustrator and PageMaker. That’s when I really found my illustration style.
I worked at Adobe for six years, and I continue to work with them as an independent contractor. I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator from my own studio in San Francisco for about eight years, and I love it. I have had a pretty steady flow of work since I started out on my own. When I think about it, I’m actually amazed by how consistent and regular my workweek is… almost like that of a normal person! The only hard part about being independent is that I have to keep my art fresh and promote myself. This means doing things such as creating my own Web site and keeping it updated, plus maintaining my portfolios on illustration sites such as altpick.com, theispot.com, and folioplanet.com.
MJ: What do you keep in mind when creating your designs? Do you have a design philosophy?
AB: Good design solves a visual problem in a simple and clear manner, even when the elements of the design seem complex. I’ve heard that good design is hard but looks easy. With this in mind I’m very careful not to take shortcuts or over-use ideas, even when I’m on a tight deadline. I know I need to be present and focused to create a strong piece.
My personal philosophy includes being true to the things that best represent myself. Even on the most serious and technical project I try to express something about the things I love and hate, about things that are close to me. By including personal elements, the art may be felt on an intrinsic level along with an undertanding of the greater message. My hope is that this connects the subject of the illustration to both a personal and universal context.
MJ: What’s your process for working with clients?
AB: When working with clients I usually get the subject of the project or title of the article if it’s for a magazine. Rarely do I see the entire article. I have a brief phone conversation. Then I receive an e-mail with an outline including minor details such as the image dimensions. Sometimes the client will refer to another image of mine that they liked, which really helps me get a feel for the direction.
Because my work is expressionistic rather than narrative, I have a lot of freedom as to what type of imagery I include in a collage to ultimately convey the overall message. I’m fairly structured about work. My projects have very tight turnarounds (about one to two weeks from sketch to final) so I can get a pretty good feel for how a certain week will go. I have a three-month calendar next to my computer so I can just glance over to stay on track. I sometimes have as many as 8 or 10 illustrations projects going over any given week, so I’ve learned to work quickly and condense a lot of work into a small amount of time.
I have found that working on my own saves a ton of time. I almost never go to meetings anymore, and I rarely schedule conference calls. I work directly from my office and generally speak one-on-one with the client by e-mail or phone.
Working as an independent artist requires much discipline and hard work, but it also allows for a lot of freedom. Sometimes I work on weekends, and sometimes I take a day off in the middle of the week to go snowboarding or biking. I work hard when I’m in my studio, but I take advantage of being able to have a flexible schedule.
Read more by Molly Joss.
This article was last modified on December 14, 2022
This article was first published on November 30, 2005
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