5 minutes with... Serval Fandango

5 minutes with… Serval Fandango

Serval Fandango is Tāmaki Makaurau based illustrator, artist and graphic designer. His lively brilliance, and unique flair has been seen across the city from coffee cups to digitised large scale installations. Annie McCulloch from Portfolio Recruitment recently caught up with him and had a chat.

When did you discover or realise your talent for creativity? How old were you when you decided to follow this path?
I think it was at a young age, my dad would encourage me a lot, he would buy me those A4 copy paper sheets you get in huge packages and sit down and draw with me while we watched movies or cartoons. My dad would encourage me to be abstract. I decided to follow that path as a career when I was in my early 20’s.

What do you draw inspiration from? Who influences how you conceive and create your art?
I draw a lot of inspiration from the mediums I grew up with, comics, anime, movies etc. I love colour and not shying away or muting it.

My dad, brother and aunty are artists too and it helped me to see their processes and how they develop and personify themselves into their work. Other artists I’ve read about, seen work of or met in my life have shaped me and the life experiences I’ve faced.

You’ve had a few opportunities to blend your graphic design skill set and your illustration. Is this an angle you enjoy?
I love being able to incorporate both my skill sets. Being able to use the knowledge of design and illustration in a way that can be seen with function and style.

Is there one project, so far, that has been most important to you, or most pivotal in your development?
It’d have to be part of the UN Women Australia campaign: When will she be right? which was directed at the topic of gender equality. It was a project where I actually created work for something tackling a serious issue, where in the past I was doing projects on light hearted fun things. This gave me some perspective that my work could be used in a more influential way to help, not just inspire.

How have you stayed inspired and creative during lockdowns? Have you found space to work and create?
I have been lucky enough to have a good workspace set up. I’ve stayed active with creating mood boards, scrolling social media platforms, exercising and hanging out with my flatmates and cat (Mr. Business).

Dream project? What would it be? A collab with someone, something that reaches out or speaks to a particular topic or issue?
I’d love to do a mural at the UN Secretariat Building, that would be amazing or a collaboration with Ariana Grande, either is all good.