Q: Originally from North Carolina what are some of your favorite things about living and working in New York?

A: Moving to New York was a sensory overload, but in the best way. I took a huge leap of faith and moved here without a job. A lot of people gave me the wary "good luck" when I left, but my motto was "be open to everything." Two and a half years later, I've had so many amazing opportunities that I could have never had down south. I've surprised myself by learning that I feel the most engaged and inspired when surrounded by the energy of a city. All of the people, sights and smells have me buzzing on a regular basis. Everything about this city has expanded my world and as much as I like to complain about it, I would never trade my experiences.

Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? What is the balance between the art you create on paper versus in the computer?

A: Yes! I don't know how to think without sketching the idea on paper first...I've tried and my brain shuts down. However, after I have sketched out my idea I almost always jump to the computer and start fleshing out the piece. My process is often a back and forth between hand drawn elements and computer elements. I'm never quite sure how much to use of one or the other until I sense an imbalance or feel like something is missing. 

Q: What is the most important item in your studio?

A: My random knick knacks. I often find myself staring at the walls trying to figure out how to solve a problem, so I try to surround myself with cool images or funny tokens from my life. Some of my favorite images to stare at are my vintage postcards of old food labels, black and white photo strips of my closest friends and an abstract lino-cut piece by my mom.

Q: What do you like best about your workspace?

Do you think it needs improvement, if so, what would you change?

A: I love the crowded walls in my work space. Every image/thing has a place and is arranged just so. I have to try and restrain myself from continuously adding things otherwise I would look like a crazy person. The ironic part is that I hate crowded workspaces. If anything is out of place or taking over my surface space I can't focus. Who knows what that says about me as a person...

I would LOVE to have a real studio space that isn't in my apartment. I often dream about converting a small shipping container into the studio of my dreams. One day...

Q: How do you know when the art is finished?

A: I don't. Usually the deadline is what makes me "finish" and if it weren't for deadlines I probably would never finish. I always reach a point in a piece where the art is half "cooked" and I feel discouraged, but the looming deadlines are what keep me pushing forward. My personal pieces usually end in some state of half-done, because I get frustrated and lose momentum (although sometimes these half finished pieces look pretty cool when I look at them weeks later). 

Q: What was your favorite book as a child? What is the best book you’ve recently read?

A: My most cherished books as a kid were the picture books I picked up over and over because of the illustrations. The books that are still burned into my memory are A Day With Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce (the details and composition of each spread still makes my heart melt), The Velveteen Rabbitwith illustrations by Donna Green and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein.

My favorite book in the past year is hands down The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. The cover design by Will Staehle is what caught my eye, but the story was impeccable. I recommend it to anyone who asks me "What's a good book to read?"

Q: If you had to choose one medium to work in for an entire year, eliminating all others, what medium would you choose?

A: I often get overwhelmed by having too many options and too many colors, so I like the idea of only being able to draw with black ink for an entire year. I might actually try it...except that I like color too much.

 Q: If you could time travel to any era, any place, where would you go?

A: I would love to experience one year of New York from every decade starting in the 1900s. This city has such a rich history in art, design, nightlife, exploitation and experimentation in the 20th century, that it would be amazing to see what those time periods felt and looked like. I'd love to witness the evolution of this city's aesthetic.

Q: What are some of your favorite places/books/blogs/websites for inspiration?

A: At first I didn't understand Pinterest and how it worked, but now I go there almost every day to see what new design work pops up on my feed. What gets me most excited is roaming through bookstores. I'm that girl who picks up every cool new cover and inspects it front to back.    

Q: What was the [Thunderbolt] painting or drawing or film or otherwise that most affected your approach to art? 

A: My senior year, I was painting everything in acrylic and had a more realistic style. For my senior thesis I had sketched up these super detailed drawings of major cities with their iconic buildings and pinned up the sketches for review. One of my teachers looked at the sketches and said "These are going to be drawings right?? You shouldn't paint them, it would ruin everything that's fantastic about them" That comment threw my whole process out the window and I developed a new style based solely around those drawings. It was kind of freeing...and terrifying, but I haven't looked back ever since.   

 Q: What would be your last supper?

A: A bottle of wine, a box of Annie's Mac and Cheese, and two chocolate chip cookies. Might as well go out with the warm fuzzies of my favorite comfort foods.

Ellen Duda is an illustrator and book designer from North Carolina, currently living in New York. Along with being a freelance illustrator, she is a senior designer at Imprint in Macmillan's Children's Publishing Group. Her work has been recognized by Society of Illustrators and Creative Quarterly.

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zippiteeduda/