Check out Dylan Bonner’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Bonner.

Dylan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Michigan and have always wanted to create artwork for Disney since I was a kid. Lots of drawing princesses on my homework assignments. Made me super popular growing up. That’s false. Then after high school, I went to Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, FL where I majored in Illustration and minored in Visual Development. After college, I applied to every position I could and was rejected by all. I believe I only had two interviews for artist positions for several years and was taking odd jobs to make ends meet. The whole time I was doing this, I was posting my work on Instagram and trying to find new opportunities and an audience for my work. I started freelancing in 2015 and haven’t looked back since. Hopefully, I’m able to do this for the rest of my life.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My professional artwork is mostly Disney characters and my personal artwork is I’d say 95% mermaids. I grew up drawing Ariel, so mermaids always have sort of been my comfort zone. I made some original mermaids over the years and they’d always gotten a good response so I just decided to lean into it and make them my main subject. I like my mermaids to feel like a mix of opulent fantasy and realistic. Basically one big contradiction. I want every piece to look like it has some interesting backstory or a mood that the viewer can easily pinpoint. I also like my mermaids to feel realistic in terms of posing, body proportions, stomach rolls, freckles, strong tails and arms, etc. I Don’t want them to feel super skinny or like bobbleheads, I want them to feel structured and like they’ve been propelling themselves through the ocean 24/7 for like 25 years. But I also gotta bring the glam so I love adding detailing to their tops, hair accessories, etc. I hope people take away from my artwork than anyone is magical and can sparkle. I’m well aware of just how eye-rollish that sounds, but that’s the best way I can articulate it. I want people to see themselves in my artwork as well as allow themselves to fantasize about the stories and adventures of these characters.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I would say the internet/social media is like the saving grace for artists today as well as the thorn in our sides. That’s to Instagram, my work was seen by people who hired to jobs that have made my career possible. Also, thanks to Instagram, my work has been found by many people who have just done a simple screenshot and sold it themselves. Pinterest tends to be more of a problem because of higher resolutions and muddy source links that tend to get artists separated from their work. I’ve had my work used for apps, sold on products by major retailers, sold on Easy tiny boutiques. You name it. A common excuse I run into when trying to get people to stop selling my work is “Well, it’s online! I can sell it”. Yeah now. People seem to think that art theft is a victimless crime, which it is not. If you sell my artwork illegally, here are some effects. I do not get a cut of these sales. It also looks like I’ve approved the manufacturing of the product, which could cause trouble with my employers. It could also make me lose potential work by way of not being credited and people not knowing how to reach that artist who created” that one thing I saw on that one site that one time”. But like I said, the exposure and putting your work out for everyone to see why I can do this for a living, so it’s a double0edged sword. All I can say is, watermark your artwork! I know it makes it uglier. I know it messes with the composition you worked so hard to perfect, but it will help although I’ve had watermarks erased from my work plenty of times, so nothing is fool-proof, but it does help.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I post all of my work on Instagram @DylanBonner90 and you can support me via my shop www.society6.com/dylanbonner or by buying me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/dylanbonner. I also hold sales from time to time with products such as Mermaid sketchbooks, calendars, coloring books, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dylanbonner.com
• Email: dylanbonnerart@gmail.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/dylanbonner90/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylanbonnerart/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/dylanbonner90
• Other: www.society6.com/dylanbonner

Image Credit:
Dylan Bonner

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