Maren Amini

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Illustrator

©Petra Herbert

Heartwarmingly modest

Maren draws funny stories in a pared-back cartoon style
She uses digital tools but often finishes her works with materials
She has written a first illustration novel about her father’s life

Maren Amini can still remember the very first drawing she made. She was a child then, and she had seen a monster drawn on the wall of a trendy store in Hamburg. When she went back home, she tried to reproduce it. The result hit her like a blow: she could not believe that such an amazing picture had come from her own hand. From that day on, she has never stopped drawing. Maren's passion was encouraged by her family – her father is an artist himself – and her imagination was fed with comics, cartoons and fairy tales, in particular with the works of Wilhelm Busch, André Franquin, Jean-Jacques Sempé and the brothers Grimm. She graduated from the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg with a degree in Illustration and Communication Design, and began her career as an illustrator, focusing on “the small, silly, smart, loving human being,” as she likes to describe her main subject. “My aim is to touch people’s heart and make them laugh,” she says. As an illustrator, Maren is represented outside Germany by the agency AnnaGoodson. Her book is due to be published in 2024 and is called Ahmadjan und der Wiederhopf.

Interview

©Petra Herbert

©Petra Herbert

Can you describe your style and technique?: I would describe my style as a very reduced cartoon style with charming characters. As for my technique, I draw mainly with the iPad using digital watercolour and ink. Then I often edit the printouts with watercolours, crayons or wax crayons. Essentially, the more important the work is to me, the more I work on it in an analogue way.
What is your use of colour in your works?: I often use black and white for my images when I want to tell something clearly and directly. In this way, my drawing can be read quickly, like a font. On the other hand, I use colours as punctuation marks. Whenever I want to emphasise an element or make it centre-stage, it gets colour.
How do you combine tradition and innovation in your work?: Drawing and storytelling have the most ancient traditions, and it is hard for me to compete with the old masters of art. That is why I feel more free when I work digitally. On the other hand, technology can be scary. I find it daunting to see how many good illustrations can be created with AI. As a human, I will always have my style, sense of humour and view of the world.
Is there a project you are particularly proud of?: I have just written and illustrated my first book: a graphic novel about the life and art of my father, who moved to Hamburg from Afghanistan in 1972 to become an artist. The project is very important to us both. With it, we have honoured our roots, got closer as a father and daughter and refused to accept silently what the Taliban have been doing to our country of origin.

Maren Amini is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2006