In this feature, we dive into the world of vibrant and mystical art by chatting with Helena, NERDs illustrator, whose colourful, detail-packed work is nothing short of mesmerising. From the early days of experimenting with digital tools to exploring a mix of styles and influences, Helena’s journey is a whirlwind of creativity and discovery. We sat down with Helena to talk about how she’s evolved her unique voice and how she embraced the thrilling opportunities of modern art spaces. Helena’s story has blown us out of the park with her incredible examples of different art eras she went through and we hope her story helps you find and refine your own artistic flair as well as see how this kind of style can be applied commercially.

How would you describe the work that you do?

Floral, full of fine detail, packed with endless symbolic elements, cosmic, portraiture, colourful and bright.

How did you gravitate towards the particular medium you work in?

By accident! My preference is for oil painting or graphite, but in the early days of doing commissioned work I realised that it was much more time effective to draw on a digital tablet for pushing creative boundaries - when everything is in layers it’s much easier to move around elements and try new ideas without risking losing hours repainting. It also makes alterations and revisions much quicker when working with clients.

And when you started developing your creative skills and styles, what were your inspirations and influences?

It was such a melting pot of so many influences that I find it hard to single them out, though art nouveau as a general style played a very large influence in helping form my initial handwriting. Photo collage also played a part in my inspirations, along with simple face sketches, baroque catholic sculptures and art, cosmic/spiritual art styles and beautiful flowers.

How has your style evolved over time - and can you talk to us about some of the stylistic experiments or avenues you’ve explored over the years?

I’ve been experimenting with art since I could hold a pencil! My parents were very supportive of my love for art and creativity, and I’ve done works in sculpture, japanese style manga, watercolours, landscapes, portraits, animals…the list goes on! The only things I’ve not tried are some of the more technical digital art forms such as digital 3D rendering or animation.

And was there any one particular moment or project that really crystallised your understanding of what your style is or should be?If so, can you tell us about it?

I took six months off from my previous career to focus on art while living in Vietnam, and having that time to spend 12 hours a day every day painting really helped me hone in on a personal style.

Helena's Van Content

What sort of ideas shape your style today?

I’m trying to grow my art to explore emotion a little more, along with deeper themes and meanings rather than focus on aesthetics. AI art has really changed the current landscape for art, and I think the natural step forward is to create art that has a real human edge to it that is immediately recognisable.

From NFTs to the metaverse, there are more spaces for your work to show up - what are your thoughts on the impact, challenges and opportunities brought up by these spaces? And do they influence how you think about your style (ie. is there pressure to adapt or change your style to fit these new digital frontiers - or is it kind of exciting?)

I’m an extremely optimistic person, so I always like to find the positives in a new situation or space and find ways to use it to my advantage rather than complain about change. There are always challenges that arise, however these often are the roadblocks we need to grow and become better. Good art often comes from being pushed rather than being complacent.

Working in the commercial sphere, is it more important for an artist to have a distinct brand or style? What’s the balance between having a distinctive voice and being able to accommodate the visual language of the brand/campaign?

Yes I think so, I think having a brand approach you because they know the style that you are able to deliver ensures a smooth process with expectations met on both sides. It’s important however to grow your style over time and not become stagnant - art is ever moving and it’s easy to become left behind if you never grow.

What projects have you worked on recently that you feel were a really satisfying marriage between a brand and your own style? What was it about these projects that made them really interesting to work on?

I’ve been working on a lot of Romantasy book covers lately, and I find that my work lends itself really well to this genre. I’ve also had some very enjoyable interior artwork projects for astrology or spiritual based calendars which lend themselves well to my more cosmic/detail based style.

See more from Helena here.