Natalya Balnova — New York, USA

Why do you like silkscreen? “First of all it gives me the ability to freely transfer my ink drawings to the print-making format and preserve the organic nature of the brush lines. The original drawings are done in black ink only, but while I am working on the final files for the silkscreen separations I add extra colours digitally in order to bring some emotional, visual, or conceptual accents. What is also important for me is the hand-made aspect of this technique in comparison to the risograph, where the whole process is mechanical.”

Natalya Balnova is a New York-based illustrator, designer and printmaker. She received an MFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts, as well as a BFA in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design and a degree in design from the Academy of Industrial Art and Design in St-Petersburg, Russia. She works in a variety of artistic mediums, from ink washes and digital to traditional print-making.She illustrates for books, magazines, newspapers, posters, CD covers and packaging as well as self-publishing her own silkscreen books, zines, cards and apparel designs.