Meet the sketch artist for The Sheepish Piarate~Andrea Genteman

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have been sketching and drawing as long as I can remember. More on the fashion side, but also landscapes and animals for more of a challenge. I was able to take that passion as a child and study design and art  at Stephens College and the Paris American Academy and turn it into a fashion design career.   I am currently working in the fashion industry in Los Angeles, CA as an associate designer at such places like BCBG, Guess and now currently at Secret Charm/Luxology. It’s a bit different from my childhood of living on a farm and growing up in a small town in Missouri, but my sisters and I were very lucky. Our parents always took us on trips to different locations around the country and always made it a learning adventure for new coulters and history. I was also very fortunate to be able to study with fashion designers in London, Jenny Packhem, and in Paris, Allan Lalou and be able to work from the very couture side of the field and in a very different European style.

 2) What are you hobbies?  What do you like to do for fun?

My main hobby currently is practicing Wing Chun Kung Fu, it’s been a very big passion of mine for over three years, though it’s very far from inside the box of hobbies. I think it’s good to throw a curve ball in a routine to keep a balance of life. I also keep up with drawing and a little bit of watercolor when I get the chance.

3) What is the first thing you think of when you start to design?

How the figure needs to look once completed. If it’s an outfit how do the pieces fit together and if it’s a painting are the colors complementary to each other, and are they unique.

4) What inspires you the most to draw?

Nature has always been a big factor in designing for me, for fashion and any art styles. Is it organic, is it natural and sometimes that creates a bigger challenge, but then it’s more rewarding when completed.

5) When starting a new character what do you think of first?

Who they are and why they are wearing what they are wearing from clothes, to hair to the expression on their face. The character drawings have proven to be a big challenging since my focus has been clothing and now it’s creating these characters that are animals, but have the human qualities and trying to balance between what you keep and what you give up as an animal for the story.

6) When did you decided to start your career with design?

I really decided when I was a senior in college and I had been inspired by a few fashion documentaries and realizing that I could take my love for sketching and turn it into something more.

7) What was the first thing you drew?

For fashion it was wedding dresses. I had started sketching like mad my senior year of high school I just could not get every idea out of my head fast enough and new ways of drawing details. I just loved the idea of nontraditional styles with vintage twists.

8) What do you prefer to design/draw?

I love fashion sketching, it’s a bit more on the creative side than technical drawings and a bit more liberal with proportions and details. It doesn’t have to be real, just pretty. I am also enjoying drawing the characters more and more. They used to be such a challenge, but now that I am finding ways of creating these new members of the story it’s getting to be more exciting.

9) What plans do you have for the future with design?

As of right now, I am really excited to see what new characters there are for the next books and exploring their style and background and developing them into the story. Until then fashion will have to do