Though Alizée De Pin is currently based in France, she’s left her mark on the Boston art world with her illustrations. De Pin became involved with Boston Hassle in its early days, drawing headers and comics for Boston Compass issues. One of the featured artists for the Confront Your Issues party and pop-up art show at the Garment District on Dec. 14, De Pin discusses her artwork.
De Pin’s flyer for B.O.W. Shows from 2011
Olivia Deng: How did you become interested in illustration?
Alizée De Pin: The first act I committed to illustration was back when I was 19, which was pretty late. I had too much energy and I was studying philosophy and my roommate was doing art stuff and I was like “whoa, this is what I wanted to do.” My sister’s been drawing since we were kids [so] that was [always] something around me.
OD: How would you describe your illustration style?
AD: My goal was to do a clear line drawing. It’s probably the only accurate definition for drawings in comic books. Everyone knows when you refer to clear lines, it is a very precise drawing. When I was in the [United States], I would be influenced by this. It later changed when I started to get into computers a bunch.
De Pin frequently experiments with different mediums of illustration, like these animated creatures for a GIF book
OD: What is the most memorable piece of work you produced?
AD: For illustration, I am super happy about how I worked with channels of colors, doing all these things on Illustrator then going to Photoshop, [working with] all the textures and vector drawings, mixing techniques and software. I feel most happy [with my work] when I mix techniques, software, and graphical renditions. When I feel like I use all my techniques and skills from all levels of my life. It’s nice to combine everything in my art.
OD: What makes a comic interesting?
AD: It’s hard to talk about a comic when the story is not good. When you talk about comics, it is hard to ignore the narrative component.
OD: What projects are you working on next?
AD: I’m working on exhibition on the 12th of December and it’s [at an] artist-run space. There is a new tendency, when you present your drawing, you [also] turn it into an installation. I’m going to use rock-climbing materials to hang my drawings. I’m using the laser cutter to draw on the paper.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
