September 24, 2022 - Autumn is on the doorstep; the leaves are crunchy, and the air is crisp. Vukovar is still full of life. Not that it matters which season it is. The new generation that breathes life into the city is agile, resilient, and adaptable. They create digitally and remotely; they take inspiration from the world around them but do not fear stepping out of it and finding creativity or letting creativity find them at every step. The digital era has made it significantly easier to make progress and expand. Today, meet Karla. She draws.

Tell us about Karlas Arts, what do you do?

I'm Karla Fehir, on Instagram as @karlas.arts; I'm 21 years old, a computer science student, and I do digital drawing. I've loved drawing since kindergarten, but it wasn't until 2018 that I became more serious about digital illustrations.

How and when did you start, and where did the inspiration come from?

When I was little, I watched my mom draw, and that inspired me to start mainly drawing cartoon characters. At school, I always drew in my notebooks; it was just a hobby and something I enjoyed. But after a while, I stopped until 2016, when I came across several profiles of artists engaged in digital art on Instagram. I fell in love with the digital style and started drawing using Photoshop on my laptop. On paper, my favorite was the realistic black-and-white style, while on digital media, I prefer the "cartoon" style. The combination of these two styles led to a semi-realistic style that is now my favourite. Two years ago, I started using the iPad as my primary medium for drawing, which drastically affected the progress, drawing speed, and appearance of the illustrations.

What was it like to start such a business in Vukovar? What were the main challenges?

It took a long time to find my style and clients who were interested. I didn't have a client for the first 2-3 years until I began to take the potential of digital illustrations more seriously. The key was daily practice and finding my style. I tend to be a perfectionist and found myself in many blocks where I could not progress, but I continued until I was satisfied with the final look of my illustrations. Eventually, I found my voice in the Beauty Logo area. My clients are mostly young female entrepreneurs from the USA and Canada. After the first client advertised my work on her profile, other clients from the same area started coming. And that's how things developed. One of the biggest challenges of drawing was the cost of materials; that's why I switched to a digital medium where all the colours, brushes, and backgrounds for drawing are readily available. These days I enjoy drawing with pencil and watercolours, which is something I would like to devote more time to and improve.

Does the fact that you are in the east of Croatia affect your work and art?

Initially, I thought it would have an impact, but since we live in the era of social media and online payments, we can reach clients from any part of the world. I have had a lot of clients from Croatia, but it still took place online. The final product is an illustration that can be printed on any medium, and I give my clients the freedom to use that drawing.

Are you satisfied with how your business is developing? What is the outlook for the future?

At the moment, I am satisfied with the progress, although, at some points, I have not been as active as I planned, which has a lot to do with finding clients. But I believe that in the future, it will be even better; I am planning different projects and to one day combine my professional work with digital illustrations.

What opportunities are there in our city and region?

I believe that it is much easier to "breakthrough" in our city than in bigger places due to the smaller population and fewer people who are engaged in art on a serious level. But on Instagram, it is much more difficult to gather an audience on a global level, as in every field of illustration and art, thousands of artists see each other as competition.

Are you connected with other artists in town? What's the scene like?

I am connected with several artists from our area who are also engaged in digital drawing. We share illustration tips and techniques. Each person I meet has their unique style, illustration look, and specific client group. The relationship is friendly, and we do not see each other as "competition" as one might expect.

Finally, tell us about life in Vukovar. What do you like most? What would you say to potential visitors?

Vukovar is the city where I grew up, and it will remain in my heart forever, even though my career and education temporarily moved to Osijek. When I have time, I like to walk along the promenade along the Danube or cycle to Adica, and during the summer, I also go to Vukovar Ada. Vukovar is a small town, but it has many attractions and ways to spend quality time.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

August 26, 2022 – Meet Antonio Horvat, aka Jones Wire. Having developed an interest in Photoshop, and then digital art, this young graphic designer now regularly creates and sells works of art and has developed an interesting visual identity to go with his alter ego. His Instagram looks professional and artistic, his art has a retro-futuristic vibe inspiring a pleasant, cosy feeling. At least that is the beauty that the eye of this beholder sees. Read all about him, learn about the process, and appreciate his art with us.

Tell us about Jones Wire, what you do, and what inspired the name.

I create digital collages, which basically means combining different images to achieve one that can convey multiple messages or a story. The name Jones Wire comes from a play on words that have a special meaning for me. The name Jones can also mean an appetite or lust for something, in this case, art, and personal expression, while the word Wire in American colloquial speech denotes a lack of self-control in terms of inspiration and work. Sometimes I can work on collages for days, and sometimes I don't have any ideas for days.

How and when did you start, and where did the inspiration come from?

The world of collage attracted me recently after graphic design became monotonous. Projects I did for other people, unfortunately, lacked personal expression. Some works are based on my dreams, thoughts, and films, and some are inspired by the music I listen to.

What was it like to start such a business in Vukovar? What were the main challenges?

Currently, I still do digital collages as a hobby, and my main source of income is my full-time job from home.

Are you satisfied with how your business is developing? What is your outlook for the future?

I'm happy with my personal progress as far as collage design goes, but I also have a couple of digital collage artists who helped guide me on how to do the skin and avoid some rookie mistakes. In the future, I would like to do this full time and I would like it to become my job. I would like to expand my scope of work into albums, book covers, and commissioned paintings.

What opportunities exist in our city and region?

As for work, I wouldn't know because I have been working from home, for foreign companies, or I have been doing work with foreign clients. As far as art is concerned, I think that in larger cities there is an advantage due to the ease of connecting with various mentors and meeting new people at art events, even though these days everyone is relatively connected via the Internet, so living in a smaller city does not pose a challenge for learning about my current work.

Are you connected with other artists in town, what's the scene like?

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who does this kind of art here. Due to a lack of connections which are important in this business, I try to use all resources, in my case the Internet, for promotion.

Finally, tell us something about life in Vukovar. What do you like most, what would you say to potential visitors?

Everything is close at hand and life is slower than in other parts of Croatia, which suits me. I would recommend everyone take their time, walk along the Danube and go on a walk through the times visiting the Water Tower, Eltz Castle, the City Museum, and the Vukovar Baroque Centre. Discover that this city is so much more than meets the eye. Of course, everyone should also try the top Slavonian food and Vukovar beer.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.