Julia Christians

Where do you live?
Harz Mountains, Germany

Where have you lived?
Brunswick and Bayreuth.

What medium do you use?
Three P’s: Photoshop, Pencils and Procreate App.

How do you stay inspired?
Life drawing, music, documentaries.

Where do you buy your art supplies?
I live in the countryside, so I buy them online or at the local drugstore.

Do you work traditionally or digitally?
I work digitally, but I like to use textures to add a touch of traditional media to my illustrations.

What color combination are you most excited about right now?
All kinds of yellows, mustard and different ranges of pink and warm greys.

What blog(s) do you read?
I don’t have a lot of time, so I prefer podcasts at the moment. My favorites are “make it, then tell everybody” and “3 point perspective.”

Why do you like being an illustrator in 10 words or less?
I love making pretty things and creating stories.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?
I would be a dog trainer!

What illustration job would you love to get (your dream job)?
Since I do a lot of digital work for print it would be fun to create a product you can touch.

Name something you do in your spare time.
I hang around with my dogs.

What are you reading now?
Adelbert von Chamisso – Peter Schlemihl’s Miraculous Story.

What recent book do you recommend for a good read?
Walter Moers – The City of Dreaming Books.

Where would you like to travel to next?
The sea would be super nice.

What’s your favorite TV show?
Netflix!

What movie have you seen several times?
Moonrise Kingdom.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Finn and Jake (Adventure Time).

If you could name a nail polish, what would you name it?
“this is not ink”

Do you wear shoes when you do art?
Never!

What do you listen to while you work?
Podcasts, music, or ’90s high school movies.

What’s your middle name?
Katharina.

What do you wish your middle name was?
Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint

If you could eat only one food, what would it be?
Noodles.

How do you stay in shape?
Noodles!

How don’t you stay in shape?
Wine.

What is your current favorite font?
Hand lettering, always.

How do you take your coffee?
Milk and Sugar.

Whom would you like to meet?
You!

What question would you most like to be asked?
Do you really want all these puppies?

What was your favorite illustration assignment?
Creating characters is always fun.

Testimonials

I worked with Julia on a children's book series and I am blown away with how well she captured the characters' humor, and all the energy she injects in the stories! Julia is an amazingly talented illustrator!

Elisabetta Barbazza, Senior Fiction Designer, Nosy Crow

Julia is an absolute joy to work with! We have worked on a couple of books together now, and each time she has been great at listening to the brief and bringing so much more to the artwork – whether for a humorous scene or something more emotional, she always gets the tone of the artwork so right. She’s such a talent and her passion for the work she’s doing really shines through.

Rob Lowe, Senior Designer Children’s Books, Oxford University Press