Interviews
Agata Marszalek
Polish illustrator Agata Marszalek's lovely portraits are sooo satisfying—somehow both crazy-accurate and stylishly interpreted. She kindly talked us through her process, from Earl Grey to pigeons to color pencils.
What’s the first thing you do in an average day?
First I prepare myself a big jug of Earl Grey tea. Then I pour a bowl of fresh, clean water for birds outside, so they can drink and bathe, and I add seeds to their feeders. While eating breakfast I read and watch news (I’m a horrible news junkie), going through main Polish media sites, the BBC, and The Guardian. I start my professional work more or less at noon—be it drawing, emails, or just fumbling with paperwork. I work from home.
We’ve become very attached to the birds we see on your Instagram stories!
Ah, the birds are my latest hobby! It all started two years ago with feeding tits and sparrows in the winter. But last year a small gang of pigeons has joined and my love and appreciation for this species has been growing like crazy since then.
Average time per day spent luring birds?
Oh, that’s a tricky question, because I watch them, um… all day. I work in front of three big windows and I can observe them anytime they land on my windowsill.
Can you tell us a bit about the cast of characters?
Gosh, how much column space do we have? ; ) As for the pigeons, I noticed pretty quickly each one of them has a different personality, just like cats or dogs. That is not obvious when you see a flock of pigeons looking and behaving seemingly the same. Birds in “my” flock are such individuals that I gave them names (classic Polish ones). One female, a redhead, is a very chilled-out, composed, and stable girl; she often naps and is undisturbed by street noises or me moving near the window. The other female, who’s brown-black, sleek, and slender, is nervous and fidgety, very shy, and most difficult to capture with my camera. There’s the white-greyish male, much bigger than other birds, proud, domineering, but also super relaxed and lets me film him whenever I want. He’s the most bold and curious, he likes to lurk into my apartment, and can be easily lured inside with seeds – I don’t do that often though. I want him to be wary of humans who tend to be cruel, sadly. And last, but not least, there’s another male with classic steel grey plumage, who looks like he went through a lot. He has a stump so he limps a bit, he looks tired and slightly unkempt, but he’s the one who’s interestingly very vocal and he always greets me with a short, muffled “goo” when I approach the feeders. He also seems to be a loner, always arrives solo, and he eats last in this bird band. The pigeons make an amazing bird theater: they are smart, inquisitive, resilient animals, often hilariously funny. Science has proven they’re very intelligent. They are so underrated and treated unfairly by most people.
The windowsill gets visited by many more bird species. I’ve counted nearly 20 of them and I live in a big city; that’s pretty remarkable.
Ok, I’m afraid readers won’t bear these bird stories any more – that is not an ornithology site! : )
On to a different animal then! We love these dogs you drew. Who are they? Also…the style has a scrappier feel, like the comics sketches on your Instagram. Is that style something you’re interested in expanding?
One of them is a ceramic figurine I bought on an online auction. It’s a poodle and I’m a sucker for poodles and dogs in general (though I can’t have them due to allergies). I was eager to portray him as if he were alive. The sleeping one is my cousin’s real dog, Max. At the time I drew him, he was an adorable, silly, cuddly puppy. As for the style: I honestly don’t know how will it evolve, but I like the simplicity of quick sketches, it’s so natural and intuitive. I will probably always incorporate it in my work.
Are you organized? What’s the state of your desk right now?
Yes and no. No, because despite having a proper studio in my flat, for the past three years I’ve been working at a kitchen table which is HUGE (a very desirable trait) and the space has the best light and vibe of all other places in my home. Yes, because I don’t like mess and disarray. I keep my desk clean and my tools sorted in their respective containers. There’s never any scraps of papers or debris lying on the floor or any of that sort of thing! ; ) Also, I’m well organized digitally. BUT (there is always a but, right?) I’m a chronic procrastinator and that makes me unorganized at times I guess. So as you can see it’s complicated.
Have you ever been stumped on a portrait, unable to capture a likeness?
Oh, most definitely yes! It’s astounding how just one line or mark makes the likeness or just ruins it. And often times you don’t know which line it is… ; )
How do you research someone before drawing them? I know there are varying rules about intellectual property so it can be tricky to draw from photo references…
Usually I’m provided with pictures by clients. When in doubt, I Google more photos, just to check out facial features. In the drawing I make a few changes to clothing or hair so it’s not identical to the picture.
What tools do you use the most? Has that changed much over the course of your career? And what parts of your work are digital vs. analog, if any?
