Echo Chernik has over twenty years’ experience as a professional commercial artist in the advertising field and has served as an instructor of graphics and digital illustration at Pratt Institute, Westchester Community College, Marymount Manhattan, and Skidmore CCI. She specializes in art nouveau influenced poster design, advertisements, package design, and book covers.

A traditionally trained artist who focuses on skills such as drawing and painting, Echo is comfortable translating her concepts into whatever media best suits the job.

Since 2016, Echo has served as an Illustrators of the Future judge for L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. With Volume 36 coming out in April 2020, Echo has taken on the challenge of coordinating judge and cover artist. The volume will also feature a piece presenting Echo’s tips and advice for aspiring artists. 

We understand that, for WoTF Vol. 36’s cover, you created the illustration first, and Jody Lynn Nye wrote the story based on your art. At DreamForge, we took a similar path in our first issue, when Jane Lindskold wrote the short story “Born From Memory” based on a Hugh Ebdy’s illustration of a surreal cityscape. How did this process work for you? Was Jody presented with the challenge of the completed piece? Was there any communication between you on theme and the meaning it held for you? Did the completed story surprise you in any way?

When I am commissioned to create artwork for a book cover, the process normally takes place in the opposite order! It was a real treat to craft a visual piece and then have the story come to life because of it, and by such a talented author as well! 

When they asked me to create the cover, I wanted to create a piece that truly reflected the soul of the contest. The contest is about hope and promise and stepping into the unknown. In the synopsis that I provided to the author, a beautiful priestess is heir to a tradition of watching the Phoenix egg, should it hatch — but the last time the phoenix went up in flames, she left behind two eggs, instead of the traditional one egg. What did it mean?

It was so exciting to see how that premise was taken and crafted into something truly amazing. Jody is an incredible author, and she surpassed all of my imaginings of what the story could be with her beautiful rendition!

In your work as an Illustrators of the Future judge, what qualities are you looking for in the pieces submitted for consideration? Your cover, for example, shows design and layout expertise in addition to the visual appeal of the central illustration. Are you looking for the same mix of sensibilities in the art being judged and the illustrations the winners produce for the Writers of the Future?

As the coordinating judge, all of the entries come to me first. I then choose my finalists and semi-finalists. The finalists are sent off to the judges to be narrowed down from eight to three. This happens quarterly, with the end result being twelve lucky and talented winners. 

I am looking for several factors in an artists’ submission. I look for consistency — is their skill and talent apparent in all three of their submission pieces? 

I am looking for a basic grasp of elements such as composition and color theory, as well as technique. This is a student competition, so I expect there to be room for improvement, but the bones are always there, to the trained eye. 

And if it comes down to a choice between a few pieces — I always go with the illustrations that tell a story. This is an illustration contest, so a visually interesting narrative is preferable to a beautiful still life. 

It’s difficult to choose winners each quarter — so even if your work doesn’t get chosen, by all means, submit it again the following quarter. Success as an artist require perseverance, so I’m very pleased when I see the same artist submitting every quarter, and when I see their art improving. You have to keep creating your art.

From what I’ve seen of your own portfolio, a lot of your work focuses on women, as does the cover for WoTF Vol. 36. Your female images range from the alluring and dynamic to the dignified and powerful. Is your focus a natural inclination or an artistic decision to explore the many faces of women? 

I have always enjoyed painting and drawing women. As an art nouveau artist, the genre lends itself towards curves and flowing lines — which are much more inherent in women. I illustrate much more than women. In fact, I have a large collection of work that is cyberpunk / Shadowrun themed, and this includes a great deal of men. I also love to illustrate animals, and decorative patterns. However, to answer the question, yes, I have always been inclined towards drawing or painting strong, confident, and powerful women.

When you create these works, what are your references? Do you work with models, stock images, or take inspiration from past masters?

I have archives full of shots from photo shoots that I’ve taken with many models. When I work with a model, I like to shoot the particular job that I’m hiring them for first – and then I follow that up with an hour or two of fun shots — images that I may or may not use in the future. Some pieces use the same model, and some have a combination of several models (such as this one). Sometimes I do use stock imagery, and other times I go out and take photos of objects that are included in the scene. As a classically trained artist, I am a huge fan of art history, and take inspiration from past and present artists. 

You appear to work with both digital and traditional methods. Which do you prefer?

I am asked this question a lot. I equate it to cookies versus cake. To answer truthfully, I love BOTH cookies and cake. In other words, to me they are mediums. I enjoy working digitally, I enjoy oils, as well as pen and ink, gold leaf, watercolor, graphite, or whatever else I feel is right for the particular project at hand. I often work on both traditional and digital pieces as the same time, and sometimes work with both mediums on the same piece.

Who influences you? What illustrators do you follow in order to find inspiration or be challenged?

Everything influences an artist. Good art, bad art, the way the sun rises in the morning — that’s the joy of growing as an artist, and that’s also why it’s so important to get out and see new things. If you never get out, you never become influenced (for the good or the bad). 

I am influenced by art nouveau (obviously). Alphons Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley. I also love neoclassical artists such as Jacques Louise David, and romanticists, and baroque, and old medieval art, and pacific northwest sculptures. I enjoy Japanese woodcut, Russian poster design and primitive art amongst everything else. For contemporary art, the modern concept art is amazing. If it’s amazing, I enjoy it, and I keep an open mind about every new thing I see. Which is one of my strengths as judge for IOTF — I judge each artist with fresh eyes and an open mind. 

How has your style changed over the years? Have you gravitated toward a particular strength? What weakness have you worked hardest to shore up?

An artists’ body of work is an organic thing that grows and changes, like a beautiful tree. If you look back at my early work, you can see similarities to my current work — I favor symbolism and lots of details and elements. This has never changed. I feel that the more meaning that is hidden in a piece, the better. My technique has expanded, and my arsenal of media has grown — but the core of my work is in the sensitive touches and the meaning. This remains solid. I’m a big believer in trying new techniques and in learning and experimenting. 

Your portfolio of commercial work is stunning in both its depth and variety, with far too many ‘name’ clients to list here, though it includes the likes of Disney, Hasbro, and Wizards of the Coast. How does your work for advertising clients and commercial products inform your personal projects?

I love being a commercial artist. Each project comes with its own challenge — who is the piece for? What is it saying or trying to sell? What are my limitations in regards to production of the piece? I enjoy everything about the process. This is what I focused on for the first twenty plus years of my career. It’s only been the past six or so years that I’ve started creating and exploring my own works, and I enjoy that equally as much. To answer your question — commercial work requires thinking about the audience, while personal work can be much more a representation of the artist and their inner feelings. I tend to blur those lines in my work — which I think makes it stronger. 

For instance, for the IOTF cover Uncertain Egg, I was allowed to create a piece that a story could be written about. This is a pretty open specification. Being true to my commercial roots, I felt it was stronger to create a piece that conveyed the meaning and feeling of the contest — the positive hope for the future — thus, blending both my commercial and personal sides of my art.

What advice would you give to beginning illustrators in finding and building a client list? Is it all about word-of-mouth? Displaying at conventions? Building an online portfolio? Contacting potential clients directly?

Create art. Share your art. Post it, enter contests, and do what you love. People will see your love in your work, and they will feel that love coming through. This is what draws fans to your work. Don’t try to force yourself to fit in a mold. Then, share your work online, go to conventions, make friends, and just be out there. Prepare and the opportunity will come, and you never know when and from where — so keep an open mind!

We realize we’re putting you on the spot a bit, but we’ve shared with you some of what we feel to be DreamForge Magazine’s best illustrations. Can you give us a few comments on how you think we did in our first year?

I am so excited to see such great work in one place. DreamForge has done a fantastic job, and you should be thrilled, celebrating your one year anniversary! The art is consistent, but also varied! I think it’s important to look at each artist for their personal vision and style — and this comes across clearly and beautifully in the art you’ve chosen. I like variation in styles – and all are strong in composition and color. Great job!