Liselotte Watkins

Swedish Elle - By Liselotte Watkins

I met illustrator, Liselotte Watkins for the first time in Stockholm last winter. Swedish Elle wanted illustrations of me for their magazine, and I was happy to finally work with Liselotte. Her work has been a huge inspiration to me. After meeting her, I discovered that she is a wonderfully warm person with exuberant energy and a fantastic eye for beauty, working constantly with new and exciting projects.

On this day, I met Liselotte and her son, Wim in Milano. We went to the big Sunday market around the river. The sun was shining, with beautiful old vintage bags, jewelry, furniture....so many people all gathered around together.

Why did you start with drawing?

Drawing is what I have always done. Not better when I was a kid then anyone else, just a lot more. And I do believe that practice makes perfect!

What is your thought of beauty?

Beauty is like what Bob Colacello once said, the hardest drug. I get completely lost in beauty. And finding it everywhere all the time. Beauty is anything from that perfect cup of coffee in the morning to getting a drawing just just right! But beauty is also about balance. There has to be a edge to it, perfect beauty can also be quite boring.

What inspires you for your drawings?

Everything, but of course most of all I am inspired by faces. New faces and faces of friends. I keep all the faces in my head like a library and then check them out when its time to draw, very handy!

How do you define good style?

There is no such thing as good style or taste. It's all individual and about the element of surprise. It has of course nothing to to with money, but all about imagination and creativity. Usually the most interesting people who are full of ideas and opinions have the best style.

Tell me a secret about yourself?

I have no filter between my brain and my mouth, everything comes straight out. Really bad at being all secretive and mysterious.

Which is your favorite city and why?

Paris is definitely my favorite city. But actually Milan where I live at the moment is growing. I am liking it more every day. It's all about the people in the city where you live.

What are you doing in your free time?

In my free time (which nowadays I have very little of), I try to teach my 6 month old how to crawl. It is a challenge. And I am finally learning how to be patient. It's about time!

Who's your favorite artist?

My favorite artist is definitely Lucian Freud. He captures people in a breathtaking way.

Also check out Liselotte's blog:
http://liselottewatkins.blogspot.com/