Life On Mars, Andrew Werdna

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am Andrew Werdna, an Illustrator based in London and working out of a studio in Hackney. My work is simple and playful and the aim is to break something down to a refined form. I love to use bold colours, subtle use of texture and no outlines. I try to replicate the aesthetics of print in my work.

What, or who, influence your creative style and/or ethos?

I take a little inspiration from everything; I have plenty of photos on my phone of things I see when I’m out. The photos can just be reminders of something that I thought about earlier in the day. I also love Tintin and Rupert the bear books from my childhood. 

What is something that we wouldn’t know about you?

Something you wouldn't know about me is I have started magnet fishing with friends in the canals around my studio in Hackney, hoping to find treasure.

Talk us through your design process, from the initial idea to the finished piece.

I start in my sketchbook or paper drawing lots of roughs until I have something I like. I then take  my design from the paper to my tablet where I work on lots of layers building up to my final image.

What is your biggest art pet peeve, and why?

My biggest art pet peeve is losing my rubber, I must of bought a thousand and never finished one! 

What are you most excited about at the moment?

I'm most excited by murals at the moment, I want to be outside painting more! I really enjoy making my work large scale but I don't get to do it enough!

Let’s talk more about A Decade of Change. What drew you to collaborate with us on this project? 

I was approached after BIF (Brighton Illustration Fair) by Evermade and thought it would be a really fun collaboration.

What’s the message behind your piece in the collection, and what does it mean to you?

My Decade of Change- 'Mission to Mars' I have always enjoyed drawing outer space and I think the next big step in getting to Mars and making ourselves at home there. In the print its a few month after landing on Mars and my space travellers are getting comfy.

This has a simple meaning to me, however far from home you are just make sure you have your friends and loved ones with you and it will all be alright :)

Lastly, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

My superpower would be to have the ability to make pizzas appear whenever or wherever I am!