From young Kunstbende talent to professional illustrator
- Design
In addition to her daily obligations in secondary school, Sosse Serpenti also attended drawing classes in her spare time. It was here where she learned about Kunstbende, the creative platform for young people to develop their creativity. As a finalist in the Expo category, she was offered a workshop at ArtEZ. Now she is in her fourth year of the Bachelor's course in Illustration Design at the Academy of Art & Design in Zwolle. But how did she get to this point?
From perfectionism to ease
“I really developed myself at ArtEZ in terms of perfectionism. I have always had a very structured way of working. Everything was all planned out before I even put paint to canvas. Upon seeing that, my teachers asked me what the point of creating the painting was. I have learned to embrace the unexpected and 'mistake' parts of my creative work. It all has its place, either as a learning experience or as a remarkable, perhaps mildly disturbing part of an image.”
“Additionally, with the number and diversity of assignments in the programme, I didn't have the time to worry about getting each and every little detail perfect. I was able to turn that dynamic into a sort of ease and freedom towards my work. Now I find some of my doodles in my sketchbook just as beautiful as a mural I have worked on for days."
Study trip to Berlin
What has become one of Sosse's nicest experiences in her time at ArtEZ as an Illustration Design student also marked a turning point for her. "When I started the course as a 16-year-old, it was quite a big step for me. I had a tough time feeling at home, in an unfamiliar environment and with so many new experiences. That changed during the study trip to Berlin. We took this trip during our very first semester with all the first-year students of the Academy of Art & Design in Zwolle. I bonded a lot with my classmates on that trip. In Berlin, after an intense month at the academy, I was able to find the lightness and joy in creating again."
Without the feedback and spirit of discovery from the students in my class, I would have become a very different artist. Through the freedom ArtEZ provides, I have become a versatile artist.
Guerilla drawing
You can discover a lot about yourself from being in different surroundings as a first-year student. This self-discovery is one of the goals of the trip to Berlin every first-year Illustration Design student takes. “At night, I went to do a series of ‘guerilla drawings’ with a group of students,” Sosse recalls. “We would walk through the city, sketchbook in hand, sketching everything we could as fast as possible. The immediacy of drawing at Alexanderplatz and in the U Bahn made me gutsier with my creativity. I discovered that I am quite an observant sketcher through these impromptu, fast-paced drawings.”
Becoming a multifaceted artist
Sosse emphasises the dual benefit of the autotomy provided by the Illustration Design course and the act of learning as a group. “Without the feedback and spirit of discovery from the students in my class, I would have become a very different artist. Through the freedom ArtEZ provides, I have become a versatile artist. I don’t only work with drawings but also with textiles and printing techniques - and I also create physical objects. I find it incredible how broad illustration can be.”
Getting to work
This notion is also factored into her plans for after she graduates. "I would love to create a picture book and organise an exhibition. By creating exhibitions and writing books and articles, I ultimately want to continue working as an illustrator and visual artist, showing people and the various worlds they find themselves in."
In this Dutch video from Kunstbende, Sosse discusses her time at Kunstbende and at ArtEZ.
