Hi Jesus, we are very happy to talk to you! First, would you like to tell us a little about yourself? Who are you, where are you from, where do you live now? Tell us a little about your personal background!
Hi everyone! My name is Jesus Ortiz ( @jesuso_ortiz ) and I live in Malaga, in the south of Spain. I studied design and advertising at university and have been working as an illustrator for about 7 years now. Over time, I have focused mainly on illustrating children's books. I have illustrated numerous books for different publishers from all over the world.
On Instagram, you share the most enchanting designs that combine beautiful illustrations and everyday objects such as flowers or fruits - when did you come up with the idea of working with these different elements?
At first I posted minimalist photos on Instagram. I really enjoyed editing photos and one day I thought about adding an illustration to one of my photos. I really liked the result and so I gradually started combining more and more photos with illustrations. That was about 10 years ago.
Tell us more about the creation process! How do you come up with your ideas? Are they spontaneous or do you prefer to plan in advance? What are the next steps?
I like to take my time to think about a creative idea and look for elements that can complement the illustration, so this is usually the process that takes the longest. Once I have an idea in mind, I start working on it and see if I like the result or if I discard it. In fact, I also have a lot of discarded designs that were never published because I didn't like them. But sometimes the ideas come spontaneously and the process is much faster. I always do my illustrations by hand, with pencil and paper. Then I scan them and use an image editing program to improve and refine my idea.
Your pictures are very lovingly playful and often show small children - is there a particular message you want to convey with your designs?
As I mentioned before, I have been focusing on creating children's characters for a long time, but it wasn't a conscious decision. It just happened spontaneously and I learned that the combination of minimalistic images and cute little characters immediately connects the audience with a message. I like to convey tenderness in my work and invite the viewer to imagine a whole world of possibilities when they look at the image. I also like to incorporate elements from nature and animals, simply because I love them.
What inspires you?
This may sound like a cliché, but I can find inspiration anywhere, in any object or situation. Ideas just pop up. I've found that the more I try to force an idea, the less it comes and the more frustrated I get. I think it's better to just relax and trust that the ideas will come.
If you had the opportunity to talk to your younger self, what advice would you give him?
I would tell my younger self: follow your instincts no matter what others around you say, and don't listen to your own self-sabotage thoughts either. If you trust what your heart is telling you, the outcome doesn't matter; what matters is the peace of mind you get from doing what really feels right.
Do you have a favorite picture of yourself? Can you tell us the story behind it?
My favorite illustrations are actually always the ones I've worked on most recently. For example, I like an illustration I did recently: a little girl looks surprised because she's following the line that leads to the pencil that drew her. It makes her question her own origins. I think this illustration best reflects my own concerns and thoughts.
You've been sharing your creations on Instagram for many years now! What makes Instagram so special for you?
Instagram was the platform that changed everything for me, so it will always be my favorite. I started posting my first photos in 2013 and from 2014 onwards a lot of great things happened that made me want to continue working on it independently. The platform helped me to promote my work in many countries and brought me together with very important companies that I still work with today.
We have also had the pleasure of working together for many years! Do you happen to have a favorite Pickmotion product?
Absolutely! I would say we both started our journey at the same time. I feel like a part of your family and I have loved watching you grow as well. I love the care you put into all your products, but if I'm being honest, I have to choose your first product that started it all: the postcards.
Would you like to share a little story or anecdote with us at the end? Feel free to tell us whatever comes to mind!
Yes, of course! I will always remember a very special moment when I was working on an advertising campaign for a very famous watch brand a few years ago. It was a worldwide campaign to which I contributed two designs. One day, a friend who was on holiday in New York messaged me because he had seen a video of me on the screens in Times Square!!! I couldn't believe it! They had made a video of my presentation, but I never imagined they would show it in Times Square! It was pretty crazy.
ZG-1400-EN-KK, ZG-1280-DE, MM-1002-EN, MM-0697-DE
We are already looking forward to working with @jesuso_ortiz for many more years and to designing many more beautiful products for you! If you don't know him yet, be sure to check out his Instagram account and leave him lots of love! You can always recognize his PICKMOTION products on the back of our products, where we record the names of the respective Instagrammers.
