Valentina Verč
Illustration
From a young age, Valentina was fascinated by drawing and painting. She grew up in Slovenia, playing in the Mediterranean countryside, watching Japanese anime and reading. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, completing a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Design for Visual Communication. Book and editorial design became her main interests, alongside typography and illustration.
A thirst to widen her knowledge and enjoy a different experience led her to London, where she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Design for Visual Communication at the London College of Communication. She currently works as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, producing varied pieces such as these images for The Times Literary Supplement.
The inspiration for Valentina’s work comes from art, visual communication, literature and more. She is passionate about paper, collage and print, valuing contemporary digital solutions.
She likes to get her hands dirty and experiment with collage, which often includes using unusual materials like sandpaper and gauze. The experience of working with real collage enables her to transfer the concepts of ‘tactile’ and ‘handmade’ to the digital image. In digital collages, she aims to achieve the feeling of real hand-cut compositions. She also makes typographic illustrations combining images and letters by playing with negative space.
Valentina’s work is based on literary ideas. She strives to create a symbolic, poetic, visual interpretation where the image complements the content. She would like her work to be a rewarding exploration for the viewer, aspiring to William Blake’s ideals in his verse:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
