Wilmer Murillo’s Work Draws Inspiration From Retro Sci-fi and Oriental Imagery and Music
Coffee lover Wilmer Murillo is an illustrator and designer based in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America. His quirky and much-coveted work draws inspiration from retro sci-fi and Oriental imagery and music ‚ and expresses a warm sense of wonder and humour.
Wilmer shares some of his thoughts here, including more about the collaborative process he went through when putting together his book ‘Giants in Our Lands’.
“The main obstacle was that there’s not an illustration industry in my country, so I had to create and open my own doors, and promote my work mostly outside my country. My creative process is very organic for every project.” – Wilmer Murillo
ABOUT WILMER MURILLO
CM: Where are you from?
Tegucigalpa City in Honduras, Central America.
CM: What and where did you study?
Graphic Design at the Central American Technologic University.
CM: What inspires you most in life?
Retro sci-fi, robots, machinery, people, music…. and other artist’s work.
CM: Are there any challenges to working as an illustrator in your city?
The main obstacle was that there’s not an illustration industry in my country, so I had to create and open my own doors, and promote my work mostly outside my country. I decided to go freelance because I don’t like the idea of having a routine. I like managing my own time and my own projects by myself and having the ability to change my mode whenever I need it.
CM: What does a typical day as an illustrator consist of for you?
I usually get up late because I prefer to work into the night. I like to start my day with a good coffee and check my google reader to see what’s new in the world of illustration everyday. The rest is about doodling, replying to emails, doodling, dealing my time between making illustrations, proposals and things for client work, then more doodling and so on.
CREATIVE PROCESS
CM: From concept, to final product, do you have a method that you follow as a rule, or is the process organic for each individual project?
My process is very organic for every project. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to follow routines and rigorous methods, but usually I start my process with searching for references and sketching. The production can be quite tedious because I’m very picky and indecisive, so I have to work a lot to feel satisfied with my own work at the end.
CM: What materials and programs do use?
Sharpies, Pilot markers, moleskine, wacom tablet and PC.
CM: Do you ever suffer from creative blocks?
Yes, a lot. Mostly my creative blocks come when I feel bored, or fall into routine, so I try to push myself to find something to avoid that, something the break the routine, boredom and maybe laziness – like taking a walk, dancing in my room, listening to some different music, etc…
CREATIVE LIFE
CM: You recently illustrated the book ‚“Giants in Our Lands‚, a collaboration with writer Madelline Sevilla. Tell us more about that.
I proposed the project of the book as my thesis in university and invited Madelline to be part of it, and we did it! We worked hard together for three months and finally a Spanish organization in our city helped us to publish it. The first stage was to define the concept of the whole book: It’s a story about an old man who remembers his childhood years in a small village that was surrounded by mountains ‚ mountains that were populated by friendly giants, and the book is about the personality and features of each one of them. I wrote the basic concept of the story, and Madelline made the magic happen, it wouldn’t have been so cool if I had written it. So the next stage was to define, write and sketch each one of those giant characters, coupling my drawings with Madelline’s writings and vice versa, it was fun team work. The final stage was the final arrangements of the illustration work and the graphic design of the whole book.
CM: What is the basis of successful collaborations?
A lot of enthusiasm on both sides!
CM: Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Mike Perry.
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