Artist Interview: Bene Rohlmann

Bene Rohlmann's collage-style illustration is pleasantly fresh and exciting. I'm always thrilled to see artist's process, but there's something especially cool about the tactile process of collage work. His process photos are really great to see—needless to stay he has impeccable craft! 
Today we feature an interview with him and his Macro+Micro process. In the meantime, check out the rest of his collage drawings.










Tell us about why you chose the subject of your piece. Is it something you’re familiar with?


I've chosen plants as my subject cause I just really like drawing them. I often get inspired by illustrations of plants, especially the ones that you find in old encyclopedias.
To make the piece more personal I've added elements like the spirit that comes out of the plant, cause I somehow believe that there is something spiritual in everything natural.
The elements in the corners of my artwork are pollen, or at least how I imagine them. Pollen are familiar to me, cause I've had hayfever for a long, long time now.


Explain a little about your process in creating this illustration.

The first thing I did was draw the big illustration in the middle and then the four smaller ones in the corners with a pencil. After that, I cut out the drawings and glued them on the background, which is a cardbord that I painted with white acrylic.
Then I cut out some border elements of old maps for the frame and all the other small elements from old encyclopedias and comics. Some fit the topic and some are just for fun or because they have a personal meaning. I glued all those elements on the background, too, and filled the rest of the blank space with decorative elements.


Are you reading anything currently? We’d love to hear about it!

I recently started reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and also No Man's Land by Blexbolex. I often start reading comic books while I'm still in the middle of a novel cause I'm not patient enough to wait till I'm done with the book. I love comics. I grew up with them and I've read my first comic even before my first book (if you don't count school books).
And when it comes to books, there's no bigger pleasure for me than reading Charles Bukowski. Too bad he can't write any more.


If you hadn’t chosen art as your career, what would you be doing?

There has never been anything else that I really wanted to do (except for wanting to be a paleontologist, when I was a kid). So I really don't know. But probably something with movies or literature.


You were given a free science class, just for the heck of it. You even get to choose: Biology or Chemistry. Which would you pick?

I haven't been the best in both of those classes, but if I had to choose it would definitely be Biology. I've always liked animals and plants and have been fascinated by the wonders of the human body. Learning about all that is quite essential and important, I think. Chemistry on the other hand was the first class I cancelled, as soon as I had the chance.



For more of Rohlmann's work, you can look at his site, his flickr or his blog!