Mm Interview with Vera Bee

In what we can now claim to be a regular happening, we sent over some interview questions to the awesome artist Vera Bee, whose sticker pack will be changing the face of LittleBigPlanet from today! She sent the questions back to us with some answers on the bottom, and now we have an interview. That’s how that works folks!

So pull up a seat, chill out with some tasty cake, and meet Vera Bee…

Mm:Please introduce yourself!

My name is Vera Brosgol. I’m a lady living in Portland, Oregon, where I draw storyboards for an animation studio called LAIKA, and comic books and illustrations when I’m not doing that.

Mm:When did you start drawing? How did your style emerge?

I started drawing pretty much as soon as I had my grasping skills figured out. My style used to be pretty complicated, but after going to animation school I settled on my own simple cute thing. Animation is a lot of drawing the same stuff over and over so you learn quickly that a simple design is probably best.

Mm:What inspires your work? Do you have any things that you come back to when you are needing some inspiration?

I’m inspired by movies and fashion and plants and birds and what my friends are drawing. When I need some inspiration I trawl the internet for a while and that usually takes care of it. Drawn.ca is a great place to start.

 

Mm:Do you carefully plan your pictures or do you prefer a stream-of consciousness approach?

I used to be pretty cool with just making things up but nowadays I am a big-time organized planner. I bought a Wacom Cintiq and now I can get a rough sketch just right on the computer before printing it and going to the next step. Maybe it’s taking the spontaneity out of things a little bit, but I will accept that for access to an undo button.

Mm:Who are your heroes in art?

I am brimming with admiration for Jillian Tamaki, Frank Stockton, and Bill Presing, who does some wicked cute-girl art. My friend Jon Klassen is the best designer I know. And Fred Moore drew my favorite ladies of all time maybe.

Mm:Have you ever committed a crime against art?

There were some rough patches in high school, that is for sure. I watched more animes than I maybe should have.

Mm:Have you ever committed a crime?  A proper one.

I stole a police notebook once from a college bookstore. It was worth less than a dollar but I think it being a police notebook makes the crime more badass.

Mm:What is your ultimate artistic dream?

I have very small unimpressive dreams because I would like to have them come true someday. Currently I would like to make a children’s book or another short film. I guess if they both won awards that would make it more ultimate. Yes. I would like to make an award-winning children’s book and/or short film.

Mm:Who is your favourite cartoon character in general and why?

I really enjoyed Joan of Arc on the late great Clone High. I related to her on too many levels I think.

Mm:Do you ever play videogames? If so, which ones?

I try not to play too many because life is fleeting, but I just bought a PSP and I am going to play LocoRoco on it like crazy! I love that game so much. If anyone can suggest other adorable PSP games I am all ears.

 

Mm:What do you hope to see people using your stickers for in LittleBigPlanet?

I hope they use the plant ones to make verdant jungly environments. And that the can-can girls will be made enormous and threatening with monstrous animated kicking legs.

Mm:If you were to build a level in LittleBigPlanet, what would it be like?

It would consist entirely of the cabbage sticker in different scales. Cabbageland.

Mm:If you could add another word to the following mantra, what would it be?  Play, Create, Share and…....

Destroy.

Thanks for that Vera! The Vera Bee sticker pack will be available on the PSN store today, as soon as it updates in your region, and costs $1.99 / £1.59.