This month’s second PixArt feature comes to us from the mind of UK artist James Burlinson. James has a unique and fun style that shines through with this great Ratatouille piece. Check out his site and explore his fantastic character-based illustrations and images. We’re so pleased that James took the time to contribute this great image. Read on for more about him in his own words!
Name: James Burlinson (Burlisaurus)
Website/Blog/Portfolio: www.burlisaurus.co.uk
I currently live in… Brighton, England
I consider my hometown to be… Uttoxeter, England
My Favorite Pixar Movie is…
This is a tough one! I’d say it was a three-way battle between Toy Story, The Incredibles and Wall-E. Toy Story started it all for me – it was the first Pixar movie I saw and it felt revolutionary, even at that young age. I’d never seen something that special before – 3D was a new world. The Incredibles is hilarious, full of clever and thoughtful action set-pieces and boasts some great characters. Wall-E felt truly unique and the warnings it provided about issues facing us in society were surprisingly poignant. I think The Incredibles edges it, it’s just too fun.
My Favorite Pixar character is…
Wall-E. I’m a huge fan of characters that can’t speak and as a result have to rely on their physicality to express their feelings. Wall-E couldn’t say a word and I think there’s a real purity of character in that. They don’t have the personality of an actor projected on them, they’re entirely unique. I think this love for muted characters started with Gromit [from Wallace & Gromit].
Tell us about your piece:
I racked my brain for some time as to what I wanted to draw. Finally, I settled on re-creating probably my favourite scene from Ratatouille; the visualisation of Remy’s tasting process.
Who/What inspires you?
The Million Dollar question! I’ll be vague and ethereal and say life inspires me. A bit of everything, from everywhere. I grew up completely enthralled by computer games and films so they’ve obviously played a huge part, but I also think the personal and unique experiences we have are important. They’re part of the creative soup that allows so many artists to exist yet to have such varied styles and messages (unless they’re copying some other artist, that is). I try to draw inspiration from other artists without trying to emulate them. I found when I was young and artistically immature I would get hung up on my admiration and try to replicate the illustrations I loved. That’s a dangerous path and instead I learn to play on my own abilities and hopefully a relatively unique approach. That’s the most important thing an artist can do – trust themselves. Then again, everything has been done, right?
Recommend something, anything to our readers:
Nothing has kept me more entertained whilst working than Radiolab, a podcast about Science, philosophy and life in general. I sing its praises all the time but it’s really the perfect accompaniment to working. Unfortunately I’ve listened to them all now, which means a month’s wait in-between. Rubbish.
Shameless self-promotion:
If you’re a fan of Bannoffee Pie, I make the best ones in the world, seriously. I even make the that caramel stuff from scratch. On a more relevant note, if you’re in England and near to London, there’s a great exhibition coming up at the end of April with my work included alongside that of a ton of other illustrators. It’s called The Poop Deck Project and boasts a deck of cards decorated with 54 unique sea-faring characters. You should check it out here.
Thanks to James for the great Ratatouille piece! If you’d like to be considered for a feature artist spot, send us a link to your portfolio for consideration. Contact us today!
View all of our past PixArt features here.
