City Illustrations that are Full of Life, by Farida Zaman

Cities like Paris, Venice, London, and New York are so full of colour and vibrancy that it’s difficult to capture them in one image. However, Farida Zaman’s bright, quirky illustrations of these places seem to reflect them perfectly, don’t you think? Enjoy!

Your illustrations are refreshingly unique and colourful. How did this style develop?

I have been illustrating, forever! I trained at some of the best art schools in England , with instructors who were just fabulous. I have always been attracted to bright playful colours ad pattern making ever since I started creating fine art and illustration.

What inspires your work?

Travel, culture, beautiful objects and surroundings, nature, flowers and colours of course.

What do you hope each piece tells the viewer about the place it depicts?

I hope it gives the general feel of the place, the vibe, the rhythm of the pace of the city through my colours and style. I hope it inspires people to visit these destinations and for those you have visited, it evokes fond memories.

Let’s talk about process. What steps do you take when creating each piece?

So far I have been lucky to have visited all the destinations I have illustrated! I always take a ton of photos, and from train stubs to any form of memorabilia I collect it all. I don’t typically draw onsite. I soak in the feel of the place , journalling about the locations also really helps the process. However going forward I have a list of cities that I will be doing that I have not visited, which will require a lot of research and reading up, that may require researching the language,music and food to get the jest of the place. I am confident I will pull it off just fine!

What has been your favourite thing or place to illustrate and why?

My favourite city to illustrate so far has been London. I lived there during my formative years and quite frankly LOVE London!

If you could illustrate any place or thing in the world where or what would it be and why?

I would love to illustrate India because of all the subtle variations of cultures and nuances. I love working with the bright colours and decorative patterns and motifs, costume and culture.

Finally, where has been your favourite place to visit and why? Can you give one piece of advice to readers who are thinking of visiting there, too?

This is a hard question because I feel that every city I have visited had something really special about it. However I love Marrakech, Morocco.

There is so much to see, the food is amazing the surroundings are just beautiful. My advice to someone visiting Marrakech is, check out their sumptuous cuisine both local and and French. Take a good camera and some basic knowledge in French would be very helpful.

You can see more of Farida’s work on her site and on her Etsy store.

Have you been to any of the cities depicted in Farida’s illustrations? What did you think?