NERD Productions Welcomes Illustrator Amanda Lanzone

Amanda Lanzone is an award-winning illustrator born in Queens, New York. With her bold and playful visual style Amanda has created art for brands such as Universal Music Group, Converse, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vice Media, Cosmopolitan, Procter & Gamble, Scholastic, Papyrus Greetings, Penguin Random House, TD Bank, and Time Inc. to name a few. 

Alongside crafting for commissioned pieces Amanda is also a professor at her alma mater, the School of Visual Arts, where she teaches illustration courses.

Even when she isn't working, she is creating! 

Catching up with Amanda, we took a peek into her creative journey and explored her sources of inspiration, her favourite work, and found out she really is a true NERD!

Q> What has been the most exhilarating source of inspiration shaping your bold and playful style in illustration, and how has it evolved throughout your career? 

Amanda> I have always drawn from my own life and interests. I enjoy drawing the things I love, things I think would be clever, my surroundings, things inspired by memories, current happenings, or things I wish existed. Inspiration can really come from anywhere at any time. I have taken pictures of trash in the street because I liked how the colours looked together.

I think it's very natural for an artist to continuously grow, and at the same time hone in on what makes them consistently and uniquely themselves. Over time, my style evolved naturally. I pretty much use the same base formula when I make new work, but expand it by tweaking things here and there. I just do what feels right to me at the time.

Q> Could you share with us a memorable project where you offered a clever creative angle to a concept, and how did you approach the process to achieve it?

Amanda> Vice had me come up with some unique banners for each of the astrological signs for their horoscope section. This concept was inspired by a big cork board I had in my childhood bedroom that had a bunch of my stuff stuck to it. (photos, drawings, stickers, tickets, small toys, crafts, trinkets, etc)

The creative process for this was very involved, but also very fun since they really let me run wild with this idea. I worked closely with an astrologer to come up with specific items to fill each sign's 'cork board'. Putting these together was meticulous since each item had a specific purpose behind it, which I still think is really cool when I look back on it.

Q> As both an illustrator and a professor at the School of Visual Arts, how do you balance your creative pursuits with teaching and mentoring aspiring artists?

Amanda> You have to make time for the things that are important to you. Both creating artwork and teaching are very rewarding to me. With my art, I do my own thing, and I guide each of my students to do their own thing, too.

I remember what it was like and how it felt when I was a student at SVA, I learned so much while I was there. And over the years, my career experiences and personal work have taught me things, too. I'm grateful to be at a point where I can pass my knowledge and help young artists blossom. Even as someone who now teaches others, my learning and development are constant.

Q> And finally, tell us a NERDy fact about yourself :) 

Amanda> I definitely have a bunch of niche interests, but some of my more 'nerdy' ones revolve around Japanese media. I have a few different old video game systems still plugged in. I never gave up playing games like Katamari Damacy and Dance Dance Revolution. I also still take care of Tamagotchi. I read manga and watch a lot of anime, too. ✌️