In early winter, when the amount of daylight diminishes in temperate climates, many of us, along with plants and other animals, turn inward and prepare for a period of hibernation. But, when crocus bulbs break out of the ground in the early days of spring, we emerge from the slow, dark months filled with anticipation and relief. In her cover for the April 3, 2023, issue, the cartoonist Luci Gutiérrez uses vertical thrust to express that yearning for sunlight. I talked to the artist about her rituals and what she finds most rewarding about illustration.
You live in Barcelona, Spain, which I tend to think of as a sunny place. Do your daily habits change with brighter, longer days?
I didn’t always care about the light or the sun, but, now that I’m older, I do—and I care a lot. My apartment doesn’t get sun in the winter, so the arrival of the sunshine in the spring, after a long wait, is a cause for celebration. But the first ray of sunlight is too far up and out of reach, so I have fantasized about having a really tall chair, like the ones that lifeguards use. Of course, this option of piling up furniture could also work.
Are there other springtime events or rituals that you look forward to each year?
Yes. I look forward to spending time on my patio, which means moving my studio outside. Fortunately, it’s easy because I only need paper, a pen, and my iPad for the majority of my process. But working outside is never as idyllic in practice as it is in my mind: it’s difficult to draw on a screen with the sunlight; it may be hot; it may not be comfortable. Nevertheless, when the weather is nice, I want to be outside.
Every week, you illustrate the magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column. Do you find illustrating an ongoing series rewarding or challenging, or both?
Illustrating Shouts & Murmurs regularly is a gift to me. I’m in my element because of the kind of humor and irony. And it gives me the chance to develop a specific voice that can be refined over time. It’s also a great exercise, like going to the gym for the brain. However, it can also be challenging: sometimes the ideas don’t flow easily and there’s still a deadline you have to meet.
You have told me you doodle in your notebooks for inspiration. Do you prefer to draw in outdoor cafés or in the solitude of your studio?
I do both, and each practice feeds the other. Drawing outdoors means capturing what happens outside, while drawing in the studio means capturing what happens inside oneself. I used to do both, but, since the pandemic, I haven’t been drawing in outdoor cafés as often.
You often use a limited palette. Do you think it’s easier to communicate jokes or ideas with a sparse use of color?
I’m of the opinion that less is more. I use only the elements that are essential to communicate an idea, and those elements include color. That doesn’t mean the illustration always has to be minimalist: it can have plenty of elements or colors if the idea demands it. But, generally, I’m more interested in simple images. I find them more powerful.
For more covers by Luci Gutiérrez, see below:
Find Luci Gutiérrez’s covers, cartoons, and more at the Condé Nast Store.
