Frank Höhne drawing on a HUAWEI MediaPad M2. Image courtesy ignant.de
Through his unique grotesque-looking characters inspired by daily humours happenings, Frank Höhne has become one of Germany’s most celebrated illustrators. His work which has a very idiosyncratic aesthetic and free style has been published in a number of newspapers, books and magazines such as Vice. Based in Berlin, Frank has an analytical eye for the ludicrous of day-to-day life, from Segways to horizontal bikes, which he then later sketches. Yet he approaches his work and his life with a healthy dose of facetiousness, showing as much humour in person as his drawings do. We spoke to the artist and illustrator about the things in his Berlin life he finds funny, how he works with technology and what’s it like to draw on a HUAWEI MediaPad M2.
What was the last funny thing you drew?
Recently I drew a horizontal bike, which I find really weird. I saw this guy who was on one of them and was cycling on the road along the traffic. And then this driver who almost drove into the bike started shouting at him and they had an argument. It was ridiculous and it made me think of who the real victim was because the by riding one of those bikes you really out yourself and the people around you in danger.
How do you work with new technologies and the pad?
I work mainly with analog so I scan a lot of stuff and put them into layers in Photoshop. Most of my drawings are analog and I also have like a graphic tablet that I use just to erase details from the drawings and to do collages. Using the HUAWEI MediaPad M2 was actually the first time I drew something digitally, and that’s really nice because it’s easy to use. I’m happy about it because I can easily sketch something anytime.
Do you think you could work nowadays without technology?
No. Maybe if I worked for just books, but since I work for editorials, which need everything to be done quickly, I wouldn’t survive a week without technology. A graphic tablet helps a lot because it eases the process of drawing, especially time-wise.
What tips would you like to give us?
I know I just said I couldn’t work without computers but on that note: please stay human!
Given his spontaneity and his mind full of ideas, iGNANT featured him in their Illustrated Interview series, in which artists respond to questions with drawings. Drawing his answers on HUAWEI MediaPad M2, an elegant tablet that redefines the possibilities of design, functionality and user experience, the artist tells more about his life and illustration in the age of ever evolving technology. Watch the full video below.
Frank Hoehne’s illustration done on a HUAWEI MediaPad M2