Biography Interview
Dominic Bodden is an award-winning illustrator and animator based in New York City. Working primarily with chalk pastel and paper collage, Dominic’s style of illustration is a blend of traditional and digital image making techniques. After working for ten years in the fashion industry as a fashion stylist and costume designer, Dominic attended ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, CA, where he studied Illustration. With a passion for storytelling, Dominic likes to create meaningful images with a strong emotional impact. Dominic is an honoree of a Silver Cube Award from the Art Directors Club, a Bronze Award from the 3x3 illustration annual, and he has also been recognized as the New Talent Award Winner of the World Illustration Awards.
Awards
- Art Directors Club 100: Silver Cube Award
- World Illustration Awards 2021: New Talent Exploration Category Winner
- 3×3 Illustration annual competition : Bronze Award
- Graphis New Talent Competition 2021: Silver Award
- American Illustration 40
- American Illustration 39
- Illustration West 59
- Society of Illustrators NY 63
- Communication Arts 2020
- Society of Illustrators NY 62
- London International Creative Competition 2021
- Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2021
- Graphis Poster Annual 2021
Dominic Bodden in the Spotlight
Dominic Bodden
Illustrating the future
We work with the world's most brilliant and visionary creatives to bring the boldest concepts to life.
Your pronouns:
He/Him
How do you define your identity? Do you identify with (or advocate for) any marginalized communities?
I identify as a gay man, and I advocate for LGBTQ+ representation for a more inclusive society.
Where is home?
I currently live in the Washington Heights area of New York City
Describe your illustration style in one sentence
I create figurative illustrations composed of chalk pastel and paper collage.
What lights your soul on fire?
Learning something new stimulates and inspires me. I love to feed my brain with information. A good book, a classic film, or a trip to a museum is my idea of heaven.
What themes do you enjoy exploring in your illustrations?
I am inspired by narratives of survival and endurance. I love to investigate how people adapt to change and their own rites of passage.
What techniques do you use?
I have an experimental image-making technique that incorporates a wide range of practices including printmaking, traditional and digital drawing, collage, and painting.
How much of yourself and your own story can we see in your work?
Having once worked in the fashion industry, my love of color, pattern, and texture has become a continuing motif in my illustrations.
Is there an unmistakable thread in your creative work?
There is a drama and theatricality to my illustrations in the way that my compositions are composed. I like to think of myself as a movie director arranging figures on a set. So much of my work is inspired by great films that I’ve seen.
What do you want to be known for?
I’d like to be remembered as an artist that perceived the world in his own unique way and brought beauty to areas of life that are sometimes hard to look at.
Which projects excite you most?
I love projects where I can discover and learn something new. My recent collaboration with the RAND cooperation was particularly exciting because I was able to research and investigate numerous public figures for their latest calendar. Many of these individuals were new to me and I was able to learn so much about their life and impact on the world. I couldn’t help but be inspired.
What is your dream gig?
I’d like to write and illustrate my own children’s books. I’ve dreamed up a lot of beautiful stories which will one day find a place in the world.
What would you tell your younger self?
I would encourage my younger self to be courageous and to spend less time trying to recreate himself in the image he THINKS that the world wants him to be, and to spend more of his time living authentically in his own skin.