AGNOSTICO ARTIST 2023 – INTERVIEW WITH DAVID SOSSELLA

It’s been seven years now that we annually celebrate our passion for art by collaborating with an artist, who is able to satisfy our creative stimuli and shares the style and spirit of the Bullfrog world.

After a long selection process, we chose David Sossella: a 360° professional with an eclectic and open-minded personality, capable of giving life to pieces of layered complexity, which reveal themselves only to the eyes of those willing to observe it.
Enthusiastic about the collaboration and the final result, we asked David few questions to get to know him better and discover all the secrets behind the creative process that brought to light the two new Agnostico Artist 2023 illustrations.

Hi David, let's break the ice, tell us something about yourself: when and how did your career as an illustrator begin?
"Hi everyone! Before starting, I would like to thank you for involving me in this exciting and stimulating project, thanks to which I had the opportunity to learn more about the world of men’s grooming. At educational level I first carried out the classic artistic studies, then concluding with the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice, where I graduated in painting. At the same time I started working in a communication agency, where I dealt with both graphics and illustration. My career as an illustrator was actually born with the advent of the first online portfolios, thanks to which I had the opportunity to share my pieces with a wider audience (particularly through Behance): a springboard from which the first important collaborations started".

Where do you draw inspiration from for your illustrations? And what message or emotion do you try to convey through your creations? 
“I am inspired by many things, all different one from another. My great curiosity leads me to draw inspiration from everything I come into contact with. Artistically I have strong ties with Japanese culture, both traditional and contemporary, with street art and the world of comics. If I had to name three artists above all from whom I draw inspiration, I would say Hayao Miyazaki, Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) and Akira Toriyama. Personally, I try to bring to life my pieces, I like them to gradually reveal themselves to those who want to stay and look at them, which is why they are rich in details and layered stories. My pieces don't have a "hit and run" logic, they are complex and full with everything I'm passionate about."

Solid theoretical foundations combined with a strong creative streak make you an established professional in the world of illustration: what would you recommend to young illustrators taking their first steps in this field? What are the most important skills and abilities to develop?
“Nowadays the creative business is undergoing rapid and continuous change: new technologies alternate with new ways of doing things. From my point of view, the essential skill to develop today is the ability to convey one's taste and communicate through one's artistic language. The successful artist is able to delve deeply into his art, without hesitation and with love, deviating from the conventions that society imposes”.

Moving on to the Agnostico Artist 2023 project, how would you summarize the creative process that brought to light the two illustrations? From the initial idea to the final result.
“The initial idea itself was very simple and almost self-explanatory. The main subject comes from the name of the brand and it is literally a being half frog and half bull, a magical animal that lives in a magical pond. I was very interested in conveying this feeling of magic and mystery, a story and a world to discover and invent. For me it was very important to leave my personal touch on the illustration and, at the same time, stimulate the imagination of those looking at it, giving them the possibility to completing the story on their own”.

And how is the day-night combination expressed in this lake setting with our frog protagonist at the center of the landscape?
“Having to think of two color versions of the illustration, the day/night combination immediately came to mind, because it works both from a representative point of view with evident chromatic differences, both from a symbolic point of view, the classic pairing of opposites from whose polar tension arise all things".

We know that, as an artist, you make the use of color one of your distinctive traits, with what principle did you use it in this illustration?
"Yes, it's true! I have a natural inclination for color. When I think about how to distribute color in my works, I always associate it with a sense of taste. From my point of view, the colors must always be "appetizing", so as to create a harmony that makes you want to eat the illustration with your eyes. In both versions created for Agnostico the chromatic aspect is treated with great attention, both in the tonal relationships of the colors and in the representation of the illustrative details. Color speaks the language of emotions, which is why I find it of primary importance."

Last question, but not least... have your grooming habits changed after this collaboration?
“I've kept my hair shaved since I still had it all, for about 25 years now. Lately I've also had a bit of a beard and I'm certainly interested in keeping it well-groomed. Thank you for making me better acquainted with high quality products, such as Agnostico All-In-One Balm!”