@labrossesstuff

Instagram: @labrossesstuff Facebook: www.facebook.com/LabrosseStuff Website: www.labrossestuff.com  

1. What's your story? Where are you from?

I was born in 1997, in Budapest, Hungary. As far back as I can remember, I was constantly drawing. Whether it be with markers, pencils or crayons, characters from my favorite Nickelodeon shows or comic books, bugs and birds in my grandparents' backyard or just buildings I liked in my neighbourhood. I haven't slowed down since, it's just what I enjoy doing and it's what keeps me going.

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

In most of my illustration work, I depict highly detailed cityscapes with all sorts of characters going about their daily lives, using bright colors, stark shadows and strong black outlines to show the individuality, and uniqueness of people, their stories, as well as their roles in society. In my Bubblegum and Ritalin series, I combine photographs with illustrations submitted to me through social media, with similar concepts in mind. My art's heavily influenced by the linework and coloring of 70s and 80s comic book art, the pre-digital textures of mid-to-late 90s fashion photography, junk food packaging, as well as artists like Hieronymus Bosch, Keith Haring and Salvador Dalí.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a filmmaker, hand-drawn animation in particular is my favorite, that's mainly what I wanna focus on in the next couple years. With animation, I get to bring whatever's on my mind to life, in a way. I find that I can't really do that with any other medium. I have a lot more freedom to tell my stories and convey my ideas through animation, rather than through live action or illustration. However, while it does give me that certain level of artistic freedom, it's also very restrictive inasmuch as it takes a ridiculous amount of time and effort. I've been working on a 3-4 minute rotoscope animated short film for nearly a year, titled The Man Who Ate Himself.

4. What is your artistic process like?

Stand at my desk with a cup of black coffee, put on some Duke Ellington or Fugazi and draw whatever comes to my mind. I usually don't think about "what" the illustration will be about. I definitely start off with a certain concept in mind, but I don't really think of it when I'm actually in the process of creating it, most of that happens subconsciously for me.

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

I'm inspired by a plethora of things, everything and anything from a meal I had, a trip to the grocery store, a cup of coffee, a movie, a commercial or just zoning out my window and staring at the rooftops of the buildings around me can pop an idea in my head. It's quite unpredictable when I get ideas, sometimes I won't think of anything for weeks and sometimes I have dozens in a day, so I always keep a notebook handy to note down whatever I thought of.

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

Creating art, (whether it's a film, a drawing, a comic book, a video game, a pack of stickers, whatever it may be), is pretty much what keeps me going and gets me out of bed in the morning. I've met lots of wonderful people and made lots of friends solely through making and consuming art. It just keeps me constantly thinking and it's something I'm very passionate about, and I firmly believe in the positive aspects it can have on society.

7. Where did you study?

I dropped out of high school when I was sixteen, to focus my attention on building my career as an artist and, so far, it has honestly been the best decision I've ever made. Everything I learned about art, I learned outside of school, mostly through my mom taking me to galleries and museums all the time when I was a kid and bookworming myself through a bunch of art books. I do plan to graduate, and study animation at a certain uni in Budapest, but it's not really a priority for me at the moment.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years? Working in an agency?

I really wanna get a cat, so hopefully chilling on my couch with my cat and my girlfriend. I wanna keep doing exhibitions, short films and juggling all sorts of different projects like I am now. I also wanna start my own animation studio.

9. What about in ten?

Chilling on the same couch (if all goes well, it's been moved my animation studio's office), with a bunch of projects under my belt, including a feature film.

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

I'd like to put more art in people's everyday lives, whether that be my art or my contemporaries' art, I think it makes people happy and breaks the monotony of their week when they see a sticker on a subway or a street art mural where some pharmaceutical or fast food ad should be. I aspire to make people happier in general and hopefully inspire them to make their own art.

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

I used to be a huge junk food connoisseur, despite being a vegetarian and on-and-off-vegan for the past 8 years, but I try to cook all my own food, and I can make a pretty sweet pizza from scratch now. I drink lots of black coffee and my girlfriend can make some bomb zucchini bread too. Zucchini bread + coffee is a really good combo, I think that's my favorite.

12. Favourite book?

Momo by Michael Ende is probably my number one favorite, it's one of the most imaginative, thought provoking and original works of fiction I ever read. It also tremendously influenced the graphic novel I'm working on right now, titled Death of an Astronaut. I also dig Filth by Irvine Welsh, The Stranger by Albert Camus and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, to name a few.

13. Favourite genre of music?

I was raised on a steady diet of punk rock and jazz, that's still what I mainly listen to. Both genres have a very strong influence on my creative process. I always listen to music when I draw, it inspires me a lot. Punk rock wakes me up, keeps me going and jazz makes me pay closer attention to details, it's a nice balance.

14. What are your hobbies?

I love cooking, I'm half french so I kinda have to. My family is full of really good cooks, so it rubbed off on me, I guess.

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

I'd probably be a chef, seeing as I'm already alright at that. I'd like to say astronaut, but I'm myopic as hell, so that's doubtful. Maybe a chef on a space station.