Pintachan: an interview with licorice flavor

We start the week interviewing Pintachan, one of our favorite illustrators and graphic designers. We love his naïf, pop, colorful and ultra-referential style.

PLOM: How do you spell your name? Pintachan, Pintachan or Pinta Chan?

PINTACHAN: The truth is that at first I thought of calling myself Pintamás but as luck would have it, the domain was occupied by a renovation company. I kept the “pintar” part and added “chan”, which is the suffix they use in Japan to affectionately call children. So I guess it’s Pintachan, all together and without a tilde.

Little Pintachan

PLOM: Did you draw as a child? When did you start drawing?

PINTACHAN: Yes, I drew. I think like any other kid, although my drawings were not exactly the ones the teacher hung on the wall in class. What I liked most was drawing comic book characters using tracing paper. Now it sounds almost prehistoric to me!

PINTACHAN: The idea of starting to draw more seriously came much later. Twenty years ago art education was very different and my teenage self didn’t believe that someone could make a living drawing without being Picasso. I enrolled in Biology at university and when I finished I didn’t see myself working in a laboratory. For the sake of humanity, trying to avoid major catastrophes that I could have caused surrounded by flammable materials, I put the test tubes aside and gave brushes a chance.

PLOM: Who introduced you to the art world? Any special person?

PINTACHAN: I guess art is something that hooks you little by little: a book, a movie… Although I consider myself just a spectator. My thing is drawing. Illustrated books have always caught my attention, ever since I was very young. When I accompanied my father to bookstores I could spend hours in the children’s section, browsing through books by Richard Scarry or Alain Grée. I would always take a couple home. There are still some on the shelves in my study.

Juan José is not San José

PLOM: Tell us something about your childhood in relation to the art world.

PINTACHAN: I can tell you the story of what we could say was my first commission. When I was 6 years old, I started elementary school in a school for priests. Most of my classmates were well versed in the subject but, for me, religion was unknown territory. One of the first days of class I was asked to draw a picture of St. Joseph and I took it very seriously. The next day I handed the work to my teacher and, by the look on his face, I understood that it was not what I expected. I had drawn Juan José, a Cádiz defender at the time!

PLOM: Do you believe in the Superpowers of Art?

PINTACHAN: Of course! Art is magical for everyone who approaches it. It is able to move, it helps us to discover ourselves, it invites us to visit imaginary worlds created by other people. I think you discover the superpowers of art when you forget everything you’ve been told, what you’re supposed to like, and you just look or listen. I have two children and with them everything is much clearer. There are no prejudices. They just enjoy it or not.

Pintachan has 2 Art Superpowers

PLOM: What is your Superpower?

PINTACHAN: I have two, actually. The first one is that I’m very stubborn, which is a good and bad thing at the same time, like almost everything in life. The good part is that when I start something, I don’t stop until I finish it and I consider that the result is acceptable (although it can always be improved). The bad part, I’d better not tell you… Let’s focus on the good part. My other superpower is that I have a great facility to remember faces. It’s something I find very useful when working because most of my projects are based on creating characters, so I always find inspiration.

PLOM: When and how do you like to work?

PINTACHAN: I always work in my studio. I am a “houseplant”. I share the space with my girl, who does calligraphy, and also with my children, who do their homework and draw on the table next to me. We decided to set up a space for the whole family, as we spend a lot of time there.

PINTACHAN: When it comes to work, I’m not much of a schedule person, more like very intensive periods that I alternate with rest days. When I’m immersed in a project I work many hours in a row, as many as my family life allows. From very early in the morning (I start working at 7 a.m.) until the children are already in bed. The last hours of the day are usually very productive. While working I like to listen to music or podcasts, I don’t like absolute silence.

Children’s language, adult ideas

PLOM: What are you working on right now?

PINTACHAN: I’m illustrating a collection of children’s books in which the protagonists are iconic pop music bands or soloists. It seems a cliché but it’s the dream assignment.

PLOM: Do you think that some of your works may appeal more to children than to adults? Why is that?

PINTACHAN: Yes, I’m sure that’s right. The simple shapes, the cheerful colors, the type of characters I draw… They are part of a language that children understand perfectly. The projects dedicated to children are some of the ones that have given me most joy on a professional level. I think that this children’s language also helps to make some of the more adult ideas more digestible.

Children are the best critics

PLOM: What interests you more: the opinion of an influential critic or that of an 8-year-old child?

PINTACHAN: I have never been in contact with any influential critic, I don’t even think any influential critic has ever bothered to criticize any of my illustrations, although of course I would be interested in their opinion. Children are very critical, they know if they like something or not, and their opinion is very valuable, it’s not conditioned or at least it shouldn’t be. I like to know what they think. My children advise me all the time, although I don’t always listen to them, to be honest.

PLOM: What do you think of PLOM Gallery?

PINTACHAN: Well, I think it’s a fantastic project! A space for art created especially for children. I wish there were more. It’s a beautiful project. The world needs many PLOM Galleries.

The illustrator and graphic designer Pintachan was born in Seville. His real name is Pablo Rueda.

Before settling in Gijón with his family, Pintachan lived in Madrid and Barcelona. He collects children’s picture books, likes old science fiction movies and loves licorice.

His clients include Hachette, The Telegraph, Samsung, Lidl, Galison, Peaceable Kingdom, Scholastic, McDonald’s, Monocle Magazine and the City of Paris.