I was first introduced to the work of London based illustrator Gina Baber a few weeks back by master remixer and producer Gold Panda after his gig in Sheffield when inquiring who had designed his amazing t-shirt print.

Crafting her beautiful illustrations for some of  the most prestigious names in electronic music ( including Gold Panda, Erol Alkan and Primary1), Gina has begun the move from the album cover and flyer design to build up a strong portfolio of delicate drawings and t-shirt prints. I recently caught up with her to reflect on her current works and find out what we can be expecting in the future:

First I’d like to thank you for taking the time for answer our questions, would you like to introduce yourself to our readers, any formal art training or qualifications? how did you start out as an illustrator?

Hey, my name’s Gina Baber. I studied BA Illustration at The Arts Institute at Bournemouth. I moved to London 4 years ago and started working as the poster designer for Trash & then Durrr. I make artwork for bands, musicians, clubnights & various other projects and spend the rest of my time working at Rough Trade, buying records, playing tennis and watching cookery shows and hip hop videos.

We’ve seen a fair bit of commercial work from you in the music industry. What are the benefits of working as an illustrator for other creative industries? Do you have a lot of freedom over what you produce or do you still have to work to a very strict brief?

I love working with musicians because music is my other main passion and I find it exciting to produce images that reflect the feeling of the  music. With most of the people I have worked with I have been lucky enough to have the freedom to produce images that have been inspired by  the style or feeling of the musicians work.

So what music inspires you when you work?

I am inspired by punk, post-punk, new wave disco and 50′s/60′s  rock’n'roll and the style and imagery that goes with it. I also love hip hop & RnB and listen to that a lot of the time. I really like the  type and graphics used on 90s hip hop records and music videos.  It really depends on what I’m working on or the time of day but I do  seem to work at night quite a lot of the time and disco seems to fit  that nicely.

Top 3 tracks at the moment:

1. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – They Reminisce Over You

2. Washed Out – Belong

3. Harlem – Gay Human Bones

There’s a consistent set of soft colours used in your illustrations and  I’ve noticed you like to include images of “hands” in many of your pieces. How  long did it take you to find your style, and what has inspired it along the way?

I think I have always used a lot of colour in my work. I am inspired by the paintings of Hockney, Matisse, Warhol, Keith Haring & Richard Hamilton amongst others, punk sleeves & posters, North American Indian, South American, Egyptian & Aboriginal textiles and painting. Clouds & sunset.

How would you normally start a new piece of work? What process do you go through?

It depends, but I usually do lots of drawings and bits of collage and  somehow piece them all together. I often use my own photography as  initial inspiration as well. I am currently doing a lot of screen  printing and making marbled & collaged backgrounds that I then print onto and embellish.

Where do you go for artistic inspiration? Who are your favourite artists/illustrators working today? Any favourite galleries?

Some of my favourite artists/illustrators working today include Bjorn  Copeland of Black Dice, Shawn Reed of Wet Hair & Raccoo-oo-oon who  runs an amazing label called Night People records and does all the  artwork. I also love Susumi Mukai (Zongamin). He is incredibly talented.

From your website I’ve only been able to find one print for sale, entitled “O//wl_s”. Is there anywhere else we could purchase your work from? will you be releasing anymore prints at your next exhibition?

I am currently working on a set of limited prints, zines & t shirts  which I will be selling through my website and at the exhibitions I am  currently planning with my friend Patrick.

What can we be expecting from you in the second half of 2010?

I will be doing solo and joint exhibitions with a couple of friends, and hope to start a very small clothing range (mainly printed shorts),  learn to play the drums, do more artwork for bands and start a record  label and an RnB/hip hop night with a difference.

You can find more of Gina’s illustrations on her website.