Kareena Zerefos

Kareena Zerefos is an artist from Sydney, Australia.

"With a background in design, graduating from College of Fine Arts in 2005, Kareena works using a variety of media, including pencil, gouache, tea and ink, and often combines traditional drawing with contemporary digital graphic techniques."

Kareena has exhibited in solo shows in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as in numerous group shows across Australia. She also works on commercial illustration projects for the music, fashion and advertising industries.

I emailed Kareena a few questions on her work, luckily for me she took the time to answer them:

What tools/materials do you use? Do you use the same materials each time?
Pencils/graphite, gouache and ink on paper, I’ve recently been playing with copic markers too which is a lot of fun.
The materials I use kind of evolves and changes every now and again, when I started out I would just draw with whatever I had lying about, biros and old scraps of paper.
I've been working on pine plywood boxes quite a bit too, and have been experimenting with watercolour canvas too,

Three words that describes your style?

1. Nostalgic, 2. delicate, 3. bittersweet

Do you have any artistic influences?

I take inspiration from so many things like my collection of old super-8 footage from my dad’s childhood in rural NSW, travel, vintage postcards and photos, children’s books…
Egon Schiele has been a major influence I saw his figurative sketches and watercolours on a little trip to Vienna back in 2006 and that’s when I really felt inspired to draw.

Why do you like what you do and how did you first get into it?

I've always liked to draw, for as long as I remember, I don't really know why I like it - it's kind of just something I have to do compulsively!
I studied design at the College of Fine Arts, but I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember - it all started out like everyone does, sticking macaroni to paper plates and painting with my fingers!
I worked as a graphic designer for a while and it wasn’t really until about two years ago that I took the plunge to do art and illustration full time.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Hopefully exhibiting in places like the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

Who/what/where are important parts of your process?
Before I start drawing I make collages from photocopied bits and pieces to plan out the composition and to find all of the right elements to bring into the work (I’m completely a Virgo).

Then I use my collage as my reference to draw from. I always work with a really light and loose outline layer in pencil, work up a couple of layers by spilling and dripping ink, gouache and tea and then work over it all with the detailed pencil lines.

What music are you into now?

Ah, at the moment when I'm working, Iron & Wine, The Stone Roses, Animal Collective, The Sisters of Mercy, Doves, Kings of Convenience, The Church, Siouxsie & The Banshees...