Artwork From Home: Greg Kletsel

It’s safe to say that you’ve probably encountered Greg Kletsel’s illustrations at one point or another, either in magazines or around the Internet. Kletsel has lent his creative talents to features for ESPN, award-winning title cards for Adult Swim’s The Jellies, The New York Times, promotional artwork for the Netflix series Disenchantment, and murals for several New York City-based companies, just to name a few. In 2017, he created the Nickelodeon animated short, Farkels. Greg’s 2012 sketchbook, “Numbered, Weighed, Divided,” is a great example of his vibrant cartoon style, and he’s helped members of our community fill their own sketchbooks through his popular “Cover to Cover” workshops since 2018. Now living in Atlanta, you can keep up with Kletsel’s work by checking out his Instagram and Twitter, and you can even get your hands on his zines and risograph prints by visiting his Etsy shop.

On April 30th, 6PM EST, Greg will lead a virtual workshop on character illustration in the lead-up to our Telethon to Benefit the Brooklyn Art Library. Make sure to sign up and  join our virtual fundraiser to help support the project!

When did you first begin making art?

I’ve drawn for as long as I can remember. I studied graphic design in college and began working professionally in 2006. I started to transition my career to illustration in 2011 and around 2013-14 made it my full-time gig. 

What does your workspace look like now?

My workspace is in my house, in a converted attic. It’s a little messy at the moment (although it usually is). My family and I just moved to Atlanta from New York City so it’s taken a bit of time to get my space fully set up the way I’d like it. I have a little nook where I’m usually working, but my stuff is spread out everywhere in the attic.

How have present circumstances affected your creativity?

We have a 1-year-old daughter and, since her daycare closed, I’m taking care of her during the day while my wife works from home. I work at night mostly, and sometimes during the day while my daughter is napping. I’m trying to be as productive and creative as possible given the circumstances, I think it’s working out so far.

What or who do you look to for inspiration?

I’m inspired by a lot of stuff. It’s always awesome to see the things my friends and peers and other artists I look up to are creating. It definitely motivates me to make my own work. I pull a lot of inspiration from my youth, growing up watching TV and movies constantly. So much of that shaped who I am today, so I try to bring that into my work whenever I can. Certain movie directors and musicians/bands also get me going. 

What are some art-making materials you can’t live without?

The main thing is a pen (I mostly use a Staedtler 0.1 pigment liner) and a sketchbook (my workhorse sketchbooks are by this Japanese company called Maruman). Besides that, I need some sort of digital coloring device like an iPad Pro or my Wacom Cintiq. I also like working with Posca paint pens.

How do you make time for your art practice at home? 

I find I’m most productive later in the day/night, definitely not a morning person. I work alone usually, but I love to collaborate with other artists when the opportunity arises. I wish I had more of a work routine or ritual to get motivated. If i’m stuck or procrastinating on something, just sitting down to draw freely in my sketchbook will be enough to kick me into gear.

You’ve created visuals for companies like ESPN, The Baffler, The New Yorker, and The Hollywood Reporter among others. Can you talk about how you decided to pursue illustration as a career?

I just knew I loved to draw. I wanted my personal work (which is mostly drawing in my sketchbook) to be the driving force behind my career. There’s a lot of overlap with design and illustration, so it felt like the logical next step for me coming from a design background. It took me awhile to learn the ins and outs of illustration as a career and industry, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Being an illustrator means drawing is my job, which was the ultimate goal for me.

Do you have any advice for artists who are interested in pursuing animation and developing their own illustrative style?

The best advice I can give is to make a lot of work. I don’t know any other way around it. Make a mountain of stuff. The 1,000th thing you make will be better than the 100th thing you made which will be way better than the first thing you made. Along the way of making that mountain of work, you’ll meet other artists, learn about yourself and your work, learn about where your work can live and how to make it a job.

What role have sketchbooks played in your art practice?

The sketchbook is pretty much everything for my work and my art practice. Every creative endeavor I go on makes its way into my sketchbook first and then out into the world. It’s the most important thing for me as an artist.

Can you speak about your process when you embark on a new sketchbook? 

Just start drawing! I don’t usually have a set idea for a sketchbook. It’s just “this is where I’m at now.” One sketchbook finishes and another begins. Just fill it up. 

How has illustration changed the way you see the world?

I’m not sure really. It’s changed how I see myself in the world. It’s given me more confidence to put myself out there and show people who I am through my work. 

How do you get through creative blocks?

Drawing. If I’m stuck or in a rut, I’ll just draw as much as I can, even if I think the drawings suck, I’ll just keep going until I’m on the other side of the blockage.

What’s the best piece of art-making advice you ever received?

My friend Andrea asked our friend Boyd to give us some advice on our last day of college (he graduated a semester before us) and he said  “Tell them to do and make as many things as possible and to not overanalyze everything and not care whether it’s good or bad and to not try and understand who they are and what they’re doing because that always matters at the end but during is what counts and doing is what probably matters.” That has always stuck with me as a sort of manifesto. Although now I realize it’s good to understand who you are and what you are doing, but I think the gist of what he’s saying is be present, make things and don’t let overthinking stop you. It’s also kinda like Nike, “Just Do It.” Make stuff and figure out what it all means later.

How can people support your work?

You can follow me on Instagram to see what I’m working on at any given moment. If you’d like to hire me for an illustration job, you can check out past examples of my work and clients. Support the arts and artists in general and you’ll be supporting my work as well!