The Q&A: Cecilia Ruiz
Q: Originally from Mexico City, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in Brooklyn?
A: Having lived most of my life in an enormous city such as Mexico City, there is a certain intensity that I crave and that NYC fulfills. I find Brooklyn to be a perfectly balanced place where I’m close enough to all the wonders that New York offers but I can also find everything I need within walking distance from my house when I’m feeling too overwhelmed. I also love living close to the water. There is something about cities with bodies of water in them that I find fascinating. From my house in Greenpoint I can walk to the East River and, even if it’s just for 5 minutes, looking at the water changes me; time seems to slow down and I am reminded of where I am. It works like a reset button.
Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? What is the balance between art you create on paper [or other analog medium] versus in the computer?
A: I usually buy several sketchbooks at the same time and I try to give each one a different purpose—book projects, drawings on location, editorial assignments, etc. In the end, I never follow through with my system and end up having complete chaos in all of them. Somehow doodles, quotes, book ideas, shopping lists, etc, end up living all together in harmony.
One of my favorite things to do is to re-visit old sketchbooks. Every time I do, I learn something about myself that I didn’t know or that I had forgotten. A lot of times I surprise myself in pleasant ways, but most of the times I feel completely embarrassed by the amount of teenage-emo output that I am capable of.
I would say that my work is 50% traditional medium and 50% digital. I always start with a pencil sketch and refine it until I am happy with the composition and overall look. I then decompose that drawing into shapes that I later carve on rubber and print on bristol paper with black ink. Once I’m done carving and printing all of my pieces, I scan and re-compose them in Photoshop, using my initial drawing as a guide. I also color everything digitally.
Q: What is the most important item in your studio?
A: A fabric ink pad that is responsible for the textures in my illustrations.
Q: How do you know when the art is finished?
A: It is always different. Sometimes I effortlessly know that a piece is done. Other times, getting to that point is a very painful path in which I go back and forth changing things until the deadline arrives.
Q: What elements of daily life exert the most influence on your work practice?
A: Coffee is a big one. I don’t think I can start working if I haven’t had a cup of coffee. Sometimes I even plan my day around coffee. Since I work from home, I often need to get out of the house to keep my sanity and productivity. I like working from different coffee shops in my neighborhood and that’s ultimately what determines my location and a lot of the interactions that I have with people throughout the day.
Q: What was your favorite book as a child?
The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde is one of the first books that deeply moved me.
Q: What is the best book you’ve recently read?
A: I recently had one of the richest literary experiences ever. I reread The Brothers Karamazov while listening to a podcast on existentialism in which Professor Hubert Dreyfus analyses the book.
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 think I would choose to do linocuts. I feel comfortable enough using the carving tools that it doesn’t sound super intimidating. It would force myself to not rely on the computer, work with a limited color palette and have less control. I would also love to end up with a physical original piece, which is something I don’t have right now.
Q: If you could spend an entire day away from work and deadlines, what would you do and where?
A: I would just stay home watching movies and eating comfort food with my husband.
Q: What was the [Thunderbolt] painting or drawing or film or otherwise that most affected your approach to art?
A: Edward Gorey is definitely someone who struck me. His books make me feel something so unique, both dark and beautiful, that I only experience when I see his work. It was Edward Gorey who expanded my idea of what a book could be.
The French filmmaker Robert Bresson is also someone who has affected the way I relate to art. His movies, just like Gorey’s work, are subtle and austere. Bresson believes that art lies in suggestion and that things must be shown from one sole angle that evokes all other angles without showing them. I think that is exactly what I aspire to as an illustrator.
Q: What would be your last supper?
A: A strong cappuccino with a freshly baked croissant
Cecilia Ruiz is a Mexican author, illustrator and graphic designer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators and American Illustration. Some of her clients include the New York Times, Penguin Random House, Fast Company, Hemispheres Magazine, Life&Style magazine and more. Her first book, The Book of Memory Gaps, published by Penguin Random House was considered one of the best books published in 2015 by Maria Popova's Brain Pickings.
She is currently working on two other books that will be published in 2017 and 2018 by Penguin Random House and Candlewick Press.
