“My Art Is My Way To Connect With The World” – Meet Erika Bonezzi, a Concept Artist from Italy

A highly passionate and an immensely motivated Freelance Artist and Architecture Postgraduate, Erika got herself hooked on to Concept Art – a form of illustration used to convey an idea for films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final outcome.

Here we have a conversation with Erika Bonezzi who squeezed in sometime from her busy schedule for Roots and Leisure

Share a little detail about yourself and what you have been up to?

Hi! My name is Erika Bonezzi and I’m Italian. I graduated in Architecture in 2017 however, during the last years of studies I got more and more passionate about art, character design and concept art. After graduation, I chose to take a concept art course in my city and now I’m about to finish my studies and hopefully become a Professional Concept Artist.

What initially sparked your interest in this field?

I’ve always loved art since I was small; creating something from zero. Being able to communicate and share emotions with the world is something that has always fascinated me.

“I’ve always been quite shy, but since I started sharing my work online, I felt like people could hear my voice. Positive feedback about my work helped me a lot with my self-confidence during the past few years.”

What do you do full-time? If part time, how do you manage?

At the moment, I’m studying Concept Art and working as a Freelancer. My goal is to become a full-time Professional Concept Artist, and I’m working really hard to improve and for sure I’ll do my best to reach my goal.

What’s your creative philosophy? Where do you take inspiration from?

Since I was little my biggest inspirations have always been other artists. I love seeing what other people are able to create.

“Every artist has a different vision of the world, giving different interpretations of life and of what they see. This makes me want to improve and share my vision with people who would like to see it.”

What do you hope people take away from your art?

I often try to send positive messages with my drawings, about self-appreciation, self-love, about fighting to reach your goals.

“It’s amazing to know that my art inspires people to draw and practice more, because art is all about practice and hard work.”

I had a huge art block a few years ago when I stopped drawing. It was in 2013 when I turned 22, I found inspiration again because of music fandom and I never stopped drawing since then. My improvement and hard work has really paid off and I continue to make my art perfect.

What gets you particularly excited about your art?

My art is my way to connect to the world. I observe everything around me, every detail, how the light reflects on a surface, the motion of a particular animal running in front of me, the posture of a person reading a book in the train. I register these little things and re-interpret it into something new.

“You can create with your own hands, with your artistic taste and give life to something new that doesn’t exist yet. Art is freedom and creation.”

Can you single out an item from your work which you are particularly proud of?

A few years ago, in 2015, I drew a short comic about body love and self-appreciation. That drawing went viral on social networks around the world and I started receiving thank you messages on how I changed their points of view. I’m still glad I was able to draw something that touched so many people; looking forward to do something like that again.