Andrius Banelis’ journey into illustration started when he was just a kid. Originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, he recalls drawing throughout his childhood, though he never dared showing his illustrations to other people.
“Then, when I was around 13 / 14 years old – by sheer luck – my mother’s friend, who is an artist, saw some of my drawings,” he recalled in an interview with Inky Goodness. “Soon after that, she literally drove me to the art school in Vilnius, and helped me get accepted onto a course. I spent around 3 years there. It was a really inspirational time and experience…that’s where everything began.”
It might have begun there, but the best was yet to come. Now based in Bari, Italy, Banelis works full time as an illustrator and graphic designer. “Everything starts with paper and pencil,” he says. “Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of working digitally; I prefer to use traditional techniques. I think it helps me add and welcome diversity to my everyday creative routine. It can be really tiring, staring at the computer screen every day for hours on end. There are disadvantages and advantages, so it’s a compromise between them.”
And when he’s not illustrating, he’s skating which helps him unplug, after long hours of staring at his computer. Sound like an ideal lifestyle if you ask us.
