Mary Lenehan
Illustrator
Creative Director
Writer
Concept Artist
Art Director
Industrial designer
Product Designer
Diving into the Melody of the Main Character Energy
Daniel Hincapie: Most of what I draw for personal work or leisure comes from previous experiences or interest in exploring a concept I feel attracted towards. In the context of Obscure, it was mere explorations of darker tone imagery. While The Loop Series is for a short film I’m working on based on a previous trip to the mountains.
Daniel Hincapie: Unexpected, challenging, uncertain.
Daniel Hincapie: Self-interpretive.
I usually start with what I feel or think about a specific subject and then, I put the process in order with research and documentation. Preferably, I am inclined towards personal exploration more – (I) relish the accidents that occur at that stage!
“Call it obsession or intuition, but I, immensely, pay attention to what is constantly going on in my head. As soon as I capture the idea, I start planning on implementation. Once I’ve concluded that idea or made it reach its destination, I, generally, practice never reminiscing about it again.”
Daniel Hincapie: Ironically, keeping freelance projects aside, what has truly been most challenging this year was working on my short film! Personal projects are usually more taxing since I am the one responsible for everything. The pressure of accountability is comparably higher to freelance projects as I don’t have as much feedback as I have in client-based projects.
Daniel: Unlike the popular norm, my freelance journey started due to necessity, not because of choice. I learned my way through these years in this industry. There is no route to prepare for this. Usually, people may advise you to save up some money before you dive into the freelancing sea, but that wasn’t my case! I just jumped into it and now it’s been over five years.
Daniel: I’d say not that much; The outcomes and requirements for art pieces are different for sure, but it all boils down to solving problems visually. And, I believe this is why I have worked on such varying projects and product designs; I like solving problems visually, regardless of the medium of access!
Daniel: Clip Studio Paint.
Daniel Hincapie, being an introspective buddy: It is an assortment of varying ranges. It starts with a random doodle, a thought, or a memory. If that idea keeps circling in my head, then I know I have to do it.
Call it obsession or intuition, but I, immensely, pay attention to what is constantly going on in my head. As soon as I capture the idea, I start planning on implementation. Once I’ve concluded that idea or made it reach its destination, I, generally, practice never reminiscing about it again.
Daniel: I like working on story-driven projects. It is my ultimate goal to make people feel something. I started drawing because of this purpose and I like being able to produce art that connects to my audience.
Daniel: Extracting inspiration from music is not that crucial, but being able to convey or recreate it in my work is something that I have not done yet. Music is, still, so abstract to me.
Though, I do get inspired by all the Trap and Rap (Reggaetón) happening in Latin America, especially Colombia and Argentina. The story of these artists, who came from nowhere and yet, with an utter desire to speak out loud using their unique voices gained great success and popularity, inspires me.
Daniel Hincapie: My personal experience is the most prominent unique identity I possess.
Daniel Hincapie: Uno– Trust your gut. Your gut feeling decides your action which goes on to become your identity. Art is not about the industry; it is rather about your voice.
Dos – Be professional, easy to work with, and deliver on time.Tres (from background conscience)– Being an artist from Latin America is quite hard. It is a relatively different experience as opposed to other places. Just keep this in mind.
Daniel Hincapie: I believe any style of art is a constant process of questioning and answering your identity. It changes over time. Nevertheless, I have never entertained the idea of drawing and approaching a similar kind of imagery over and over again. I do not have a brand-like style and I am okay with it.
Daniel Hincapie: I’m currently exploring different aspects (referring to anime characters) during my free time. I hope I can share it soon!
Daniel Hincapie, on the dominoes, cascading in a line: It was all by accident I even was not drawing that much when I was a teenager. I started growing immense interest while being a student at Design College.
Daniel Hincapie: I like being at home watching animation or cooking. I’d love to mix those eventually.
Daniel Hincapie: Working on more short animated videos would be amazing!