Based in Poland, Magda Antoniuk is a young freelance graphic designer and illustrator who counts trash culture and street-styles among her influences. Her work has been exhibited in Poland and featured in fashion and lifestyle magazines in Australia, Spain and London. With experience in fashion prints and design, she has already collaborated with brands such as MelleSan in Paris and is making quite a name for herself with her fashion illustrations.

Dazed Digital: Your illustrations tend to be of people, how do you pick who to draw?
Magda Antoniuk: It varies, but it’s a very natural process. It all depends on my mood. I’m trying to find someone who fits my mood. Most of the people in my pictures are from photos – they are friends and self-portraits. I often include private themes into my projects. It makes me feel a deeper relationship with the illustrations.

DD: How long does it typically take for you to finish one of these drawings?
Magda Antoniuk: Several days. The first instinct is usually the right one but sometimes working on a illustration is more complex – I pay attention to details, I try to make it very realistic. No matter what time of day I finish, I can’t wait for the new illustration because there is nothing more tiresome than doing nothing.

WHAT('S)..
...makes you happy?
I enjoy feeding people – treating them with a delicious meal and everything that goes with it.

..your work all about?
Trash culture, street-style, fitting perfectly into every space... People are the most important thing to me. Pencil and ink are just tools that let me show my emotions, to show what is sometimes invisible to others.

..the one piece of work you wish you'd created?
The clown Cha-U-Kao at the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

..the world comes down to?
The world is built from mathematically calculated constructions.

...the best piece of advice you've ever heard?
Let everyone live the way they want to live.

... the most inspiring thing you've ever seen?
The Last Judgment by Hans Memling.

...the cleverest thing you've ever done?
I am in a relationship with my country – it stimulates me.

...the stupidest thing you've ever done?
I am still in this love-hate relationship.

...next?
I’m currently working on a series of portraits of men – people tend to say that the subject matter of my work is very gender-centric, very sociological, maybe that's because of my occupation.