Illustrator Interviews: Samantha Hahn

Marc Jacobs | Samantha Hahn Fashion Illustration

In this week’s installment of my new Illustrator Interviews series we’ll get to know a little about Brooklyn based illustrator Samantha Hahn. I first learned about Samantha a few years ago from reading her blog Maquette, enjoying her work as well as the things she chose to share. We’ll learn about Samantha’s upcoming book, what it was like for her to grow up with a mother who was also a professional illustrator (how cool is that?!), and see some of her amazing fashion and editorial work that she does for clients like Marc Jacobs, Chloé, Elle, Mac Cosmetics, and more.

Marie Claire February 2015 Gwyneth Paltrow Cover Illustrated by Samantha Hahn

Tell me how you got started in your professional illustration career. Did you go to art school? How long have you been a professional illustrator?

I studied illustration in college and got a BFA. I didn’t have any idea how to be a professional illustrator when I graduated so I worked at a magazine. I hated it. So I got an MA in Art Education and taught. I felt unfulfilled by that so I moonlighted as an illustrator. When my first kid was on the way I decided to ramp up freelance work and make a real go of it. When he was born I went back to teaching part time and put the pedal to the metal in illustration. I’ve been completely freelance for the last 5 years.

The Paris Review Cover Illustrated by Samantha Hahn

It’s so cool that you grew up with a mom who was also a professional illustrator! How did that impact your career path?

It showed me that it’s completely natural to pursue your craft as a profession. Her era was very different. It was pre-digital so she’d Fedex paintings to art directors. I scan and can make corrections and tweaks and send off files. Also, there was no online marketing. I have a blog that’s connected me with so many fellow artists all over the world. I have friends from Berlin to Portland and an agent in Japan. I don’t think the sea was that big during her time as an illustrator. That being said, there’s something appealing about pre-social media. She had to pay for a page in a big book of illustration called Showcase. Art directors simply found her there, no websites, no Instagram etc. I’m grateful that sharing work is easy but I do find all of this stuff to be a bit of a distraction from doing the work I love.

A Mother Is A Story A Celebration of Motherhood by Samantha Hahn Illustrator

Speaking of mothers, your next book A Mother Is A Story: A Celebration of Motherhood, will be published this spring (and is available for pre-order now). What kind of impact does motherhood have on your creativity and creative life?

I feel that parenthood and being an artist are similar in that you can never rest on your laurels or get used to things the way they are. Life is always changing and in flux. You have to be flexible in your thinking and stay on top of your game, at the same time you have to be nurturing to yourself or you won’t be of use to anyone else.

You work with a lot of fashion clients and I love your fashion illustrations! Are you a fashionista? How did you to develop your illustration style?

I’m not a fashionista. I love fashion and admire it as an art form but personally I’m more: Form follows function. I mainly wear sneakers because I am always running around, they’re high-tops, but sneakers nonetheless. I do have a style but am not beholden to trends. I think that’s a different mindset.

Fashion illustration is a way for me to convey the emotion of the figure. Painting from the runway is great because the figure is in motion and the fabrics, textures and colors have movement and grace. I love painting select looks from shows because it gives me the chance to convey the oeuvre, or at least the mood of a collection/designer and subtract extraneous details that a camera can’t help but capture.

What is the best advice you have for new illustrators who are looking for work?

Do as much as you can to get out there. Volunteer to illustrate your friend’s birthday invitation, concert etc. Reach out to lots of art directors with targeted submissions. That means, you have to be well acquainted with their publication or site or brand…you have to anticipate what they may be looking for. Be brief and succinct and yet friendly in your note and have a site that truly represents the work you are capable of.

What are you working on now?

I am in the midst of marketing my upcoming book as well as doing a constant stream of client work, from Seventeen Magazine to Marie Claire to Story in Chelsea.

Thank you so much for taking the time to hang out with us today, Samantha! If you love Samantha’s work and female literary characters, be sure to check out Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction’s Most Beloved Heroines.

The third Illustrator Interview will be published next Monday. Later this week…moodboards and more. Cheers! xoxo

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