I was hopping around websites looking for inspiration – again – when I lucked upon the portfolio of Swiss illustrator Jürg Lindenberger. I really liked the fun, eccentric and slightly ironic style so I dove in to the work. The more I saw, the more roused I became; his tone is unusually quirky and creative – the illustrations somehow neatly messy. I was so jazzed I asked him if he’d be so kind as to share some of his experiences and talk a bit about his work and how he got to the illustration world – he graciously agreed, here’s Jürg:

TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?

Hi! My name is Jürg Lindenberger. I studied illustration in the UK and now live in Switzerland and work as a freelance illustrator.

ANORAK Magazine – every character is so hilariously vibrant, my favorite is the walking dice

HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR ILLUSTRATION BEGIN?

Haha, I think it all started with Tintin comics which I looked at when I was really really young, way before I knew how to read. Later I was obsessed with metal band visuals and skateboard graphics. So I always dreamt of doing some kind of an artsy job.

I don’t even know what to say

SO WHAT FINALLY CONVINCED YOU TO GO FOR IT AND BECOME AN ARTIST?

It took me quite a while to realize that there is an actual profession where you get paid for making images. But when I figured out that being an illustrator is a profession, there was not much that could have stopped me to become one. Or at least give it a proper try. First I did an apprenticeship as a typographer though. This profession was never really fulfilling but I think I learnt a lot that now comes in very handy, like knowing about offset printing and colors for example.

This pumped me up, time for a run

SO IS THAT YOUR CAREER NOW?

Yes, I graduated from Falmouth College of Art two years ago and since then I have been working as a freelance illustrator. I’m really happy about this and it’s very thrilling to find unique ideas and make artworks that please my art directors. To work freelance also allows me to be flexible with my working hours so I have time for my little baby daughter and sometimes to sneak out with my skateboard.

WHAT MEDIUMS DO YOU LIKE MOST?

I love to do sketches with pencil on paper when that’s done I’m really thankful for Wacom and Photoshop. Besides that I like ink and brushes. Coloured pencils are also nice.

HAVE ANY CURRENT TRENDS INFLUENCED YOU?

I think I’ve stopped to look out for new trends consciously but there is still a lot of artworks that I really like and I’m sure it influences my work. There are so many awesome illustrators and artist at the moment!

WHAT UPCOMING PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE?

For early next year there are plans for doing an exhibition with Kridders, which is a design collective I’m involved in. Some nautical related action hero comic idea is swirling around too. Then of course I look forward to get more interesting illustration jobs from all the amazing art directors I work with. Apart from that a series of skateboard graphics I did with Sirilak Zutter for Word Skateboards are getting printed at the moment. So I really look forward to seeing them live.

That’s one seriously moody cloud

What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators?

Oh gosh, that’s difficult. I think once you decided you want to work as a freelance illustrator then you should really give it a go. It’s not the easiest field of work so don’t give up right away if there are difficulties. Develop your personal voice of illustration and don’t forget to trust your heart.

THANKS JÜRG! SWEET SKATEBOARD.

Want more Jürg (that was rhetorical). See more of his work here:

PORTFOLIO – www.jlindenberger.ch

DESIGN COLLECTIVE – www.kridders.de

ANORAK – www.anorakmagazine.com

WORLD SKATE – www.wordskate.ch

AGENCY CLIENT – www.finna.ch

Hope you enjoy Jürg’s work as much as I do! Til’ next.