Artist Interview: Nathalie Rattner

     

     Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorite artists, Nathalie Rattner. She is a Canadian artist specializing in pin up illustrations and hyper realism. From galleries to commercial work to product art her career is truly inspiring. She is quickly becoming a household name in the world of pin ups and it's not hard to see why. I have always loved her work and wanted to find out more about her and her process.     

At what age did you fall in love with art? When did you know you wanted to be an artist? 

A: I think that I fell in love with art the minute I saw my first painting. My dad’s an artist, so our house was filled with art and we were always going to museums and art exhibitions. Once I discovered Degas and Lautrec, I was hooked. There was never a question in my mind that I would do anything other than art. The only thing that took some time was figuring out what kind of artist I wanted to be.

What are your holy grail art supplies?

A: For me, the magic is in the brushes. The holy grail brushes are Silver Monza brushes (round tip and angled) , faux squirrel long round tip brush and a set of tiny 5/0 -20/0 paintbrushes.

I am always fascinated by what artists listen to while creating. What do you listen to while you're creating? 

A: Sometimes I listen to podcasts like Nerdist with Chris Hardwick, but mostly I pop in my earplugs and listen to music. Sometimes I hit upon a small group of songs that put me in just the right headspace for what I’m working on, so I listen to those few songs for hours. Earplugs are a must while I’m working or I would dive everyone in ear shot of my studio crazy with the repeat of songs..lol I have a great love for the oldies, so I have a large collection of music from the 20’s to the 70’s. Some of my staples right now are Dinah Washington, George Harrison, Stephen Sondheim, Sammy Davis Jr, Jamie Cullum, Bruno Mars, Phoenix and Louis Armstrong

Who are your favorite artists? Who are some artists that have inspired you?

A: I absolutely love Toulouse-Lautrec, Gruau, Ramon Casas, Degas and vintage commercial illustrations. There are so many artists that inspire and delight me that I don’t think there’s enough time or room to list them all. I would have to say the artist that’s influenced me the most is my dad. I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without his support and guidance.

Pin up illustrations are a very specific niche. Do you have any words of advice for artists working in a specific niche? 

A: Becoming a working artist doesn’t happen overnight and there will be many highs and lows along the way. It’s important to find your own unique voice in this style, never stop experimenting and pushing your work to new levels.

If you weren't an artist what career would you choose?

A: Something artistic for sure, such as a cake decorator or special effects makeup artist.

What celebrity would you like to draw/paint that you haven't already?

A: Debi Mazar

If you had to choose one vintage pin up, who would be your favorite?

A: Jackie Miller.

What are you currently working on? Do you have any projects coming up?

A: The most recent project to launch was a collaboration I did with SurfTech. I created a vintage style pin-up illustration named “Heidi” for a limited edition paddle, which ended up looking gorgeous. I can’t wait to see people gliding through the water with one in their hands.

Right now, I’m working on a Bill Ward style series for the wonderful Onyx Love, who’s going to turn them into a book and calendar. It’s going to have that great tongue and cheek feel and captions that the great illustrations of the 50’s had, so you can imagine what fun it’s been working on each piece for the last year.

What is one thing about you that people would be surprised to learn about you?

A: I’m a hug Broadway nerd.

You have already accomplished so much in your career, what are some goals you have for the future?

A: I love being a part of a creative team and contributing to a large scale projects. I would love to create the illustration for the cover of a Broadway playbill, do some more tv/ move work and one day I would like to design for a ballet company much like Leon Bakst did for the The Ballets Russes

What is your favorite piece of art you've created?

A: It’s a toss-up between Lavender Seduction and a men’s fashion illustration I did of Gerold Brenner.

A huge thank you to Nathalie for taking the time answer my questions!