fashion illustrator/artist lisa grue is here today for a little chat. known for her signature mix of art and design, she was recently honored as one of the new design talents of denmark and won a grant from the national art foundation of denmark. special thanks to cwc-i for this interview.

lisa started the creative platform underwerket back in 2002 and has created a name for herself and underwerket for her illustration and graphic design work for books, magazines, and fashion. her clients include coca cola, nylon magazine, and fritz hansen.


fashion illlustration for a danish magazine

mj: when i scroll through your portfolio, i love each image better than the next. do you have a favorite piece? if so, why?


no. 11

lisa: i normally don't have any favorite piece in particular. i mostly like the illustrations i am working on at the moment. but if i have to mention a illustration, then one of my favorite is image no. 11, in the category crayon. i like this illustration style very much, and i think the girl is very cool and mysterious, she kind of hides something. that i like.



lisa's studio and artwork


mj: i also noticed that you work in crayon as well as pencil/pen. can you talk a little about your techniques. do you prefer one over the other?

lisa: i like to work in many styles, it kind of inspires me. if i should stay in the same style my whole life, then i would get bored. i need to test myself in other techniques. it develops me, if you can say so. but as i said, i like pencil/pen style very much. it has a lot of personality.

mj: how would you describe your own style?





lisa: i have difficulty in describing what my style is like. this i will leave for others to do.

mj: does fashion inspire or influence your work?



work for nylon

lisa: fashion inspires me a lot. i am addicted to fashion magazines. every month i buy fashion magazine from both europe and usa. some of my favorites are nylon magazine, french vogue, jalouse, another magazine, self service and black book. but i have a very ambivalent relationship with fashion. i both love and hate it. this fall i am doing a show/exhibition in copenhagen, during the fashion week, about fashion. it is about the many fazes of fashion, both the good side and a the ugly side. the show/exhibition is called, the fitting room.

mj: can you talk about the work that you do other than illustration?




lisa: yes, i like to work in the cross over between art and design. i paint every week and i love the contemporary art scene. art is a big part of my life. this week i have, besides illustrations for nylon magazine, been working on some paintings for a selected group exhibition in copenhagen.

mj: what is your favorite project/client that you've designed for so far and why?


lisa grue tee design

lisa: my favorite projects are the ones that i am working on at the moment. so that will be illustrations for nylon magazines, cosmogirl and glamour. and my own t-shirt line, and my recent paintings.

mj: in terms of your drawing style, who are your influences and how did you develop your style?


influence: aubrey beardsley rendering & lisa grue bag

lisa: i am very influenced by the contemporary art scene, fashion and urban life.
but i am also very humble to the the great artists such as picasso, aubrey beardsley, egon schiele and edward munch.

mj: what would your ideal project be?

lisa: i don't have an ideal project. i like to work in many directions. i like commercial projects, underground projects, cosmetic packaging, fashion illustration and i like to do very provocative art pieces. i am a very mixed person, and like to test my self in many directions. but art has a big place in my heart.



i was educated at the danish design school. it is a very creative school and we learned to be very independent and to work in many fields of design.


lisa's psykedelic girl for the dunny show.

here are a few things you might not know about lisa grue:

a) the four most stylish people that influenced me:
1 yoko ono, she is cool in her own way.
2 jane birkin, she has a great style, she is beautiful and is still going strong.
3 david bowie, he has all ways been stylish, even he has experimenting with many styles.
4 jenny wilson, she does very stylish music. music inspires me very much.

b) four ways that style makes the world a better place
1 style makes people interesting to look at.
2 style makes the world more beautiful.
3 good food style makes food taste better.
4 different styles makes the world more colorful.

c) four of my favorite designers
1 henrik vipskov
2 marc jacobs
3 anna sui
4 nikoline liv andersen (upcoming danish designer)

d) four jobs i have had in my life:
1 fashion illustrator
2 art director (fashion magazine in denmark)
3
4

e) four movies i would watch over and over (and do):
1 fanny and alexander (ingmar bergman)
2 virgin suicides (sophia coppola)
3 room with a view
4 das leben der anderen (florian henckel von donnersmarck)

f) four places where i have lived:
1 copenhagen (where i live now)
2 new york (3 month 2005)
3 alsgarde (north coast in denmark, where i grew up)
4

g) four tv shows i love to watch:
1 clown. (danish sitcom)
2 sex and the city.
3 fraiser.
4 desperate housewives.

h) four places i have been on vacation in the last four years:
1 cuba
2 rio de janeiro
3 paris
4 berlin

i) four websites i visit daily (or at least weekly):
1 my space
2
3
4

j) four of my favorite foods:
1 sushi
2 thai food
3 fusion food
4 french kitchen

k) four places i would rather be right now:
1 rio de janeiro
2 goa
3 new york
4 thailand

labels: cwc-i, lisa grue, underwerket