Today we’d like to introduce you to Julio Brenes.
Hi Julio, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I always loved drawing. My grandmother was a professional artist and university art history lecturer. We used to draw together in her studio since I could hold a pen. In school, my notebooks were filled with drawings of superhero characters, batman, and caricatures.
Fast forward many years, I went to university for an architecture degree and not long after graduation I moved to Australia to work in a successful architecture firm. I would sketch everyday buildings and stuff and feel very inspired by Australian architecture, but that was about it.
It was all going great until one day browsing through the web I found an architecture publication from Chicago that was celebrating sketches and illustrators from Japan. In the beginning, I could not understand the title of Illustrator. The more I learned about it, the more my mind went like: -Wait! Do people get paid to draw stuff?? There are human beings who make a living out of drawing cool stuff?
On top of that, while living in Melbourne, I met the Urban Sketchers, probably the coolest and most diverse group I’ve ever met, whose meetings revolved around drawing what you saw and collective exhibitions.
I also went out and about, sketching with my architect mates during lunch.
During those joyful days, I drew many coffee shops with my friends. One day I drew on a paper takeaway coffee cup to test how the ink felt on the cup surface.. 80 coffee shops later I am drawing on cafes every weekend and finishing self-publishing a book that took more than 2 years to make.
I launched my illustration services as a side-gig in Australia, self-published my book, walked the streets of Melbourne selling my book, and managed to sell it in my favorite bookshops.
Shortly after that, and right after the birth of my second son, we moved to the U.S to continue working in Architecture and to be closer to family. I had to find my inspiration again in this new environment. Savannah helped me in that regard, it reminded me much of Melbourne with its beautiful old buildings and nice coffee shops.
Now I am back on the saddle, drawing and preparing a Creative Mornings field trip (online class) from Atlanta, working on commissioned illustrations, architecture projects, and raising a family.
Blessed to be busy doing what I love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding time to draw along with family and work commitments. Making sure my family has my time, but also the best of me during that time and not a tired version of myself.
Being too hard on myself.
Sleeping enough.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work as an architect by day, father 24/7, and carve time to work on my illustration side business as much as I can. I enjoy drawing a lot and after drawing so many coffee cups my business was in demand by different coffee shops in Melbourne and just recently one in Germany that I am proud of.
While in Melbourne the Alluvial restaurant in the beautiful intercontinental hotel hired my illustration services to design their Menu and street signage. These two illustrations are something I am proud of it, and it was also my first professional work.
My style falls into sketch illustration, but I also enjoy Japanese ink brush illustrations, like the ones I did for a children’s publication in Australia. I am venturing into digital illustration as of late and I am very lucky that at my current architecture office, I am thankful to get to do a lot of digital architectural illustration.
What are your plans for the future?
I would like to grow my business and keep enjoying what I do. Drawing for me is quite relaxing and invigorating. Sharing this with others is something I thoroughly enjoy. My illustration has brought value to the business in the past and I want to continue to do this here and around the world. I would also like to publish a book, this time a different subject which is already in the works.
For some reason, most of my clients have been coffee shops and restaurants. And some have come for the second time. My goal is that my clients enjoy the experience of working with me so much that they would contact me in the future and recommend me to their friends. The world and the design industry are full of talent and also full of noise. Meaningful relationships are so valuable and I still believe in this type of connection between people, rather than social media alone.
And yes, if you have a coffee shop I would love to design your cup because it’s a lot of fun!
Contact Info:
- Email: julio@drawthatout.com
- Website: https://www.drawthatout.com/
- Instagram: @drawthatout
- Facebook: @drawthatout
- Twitter: @drawthatout
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnqCeBoXNjidnmwxEC222yQ
Image Credits
Muzaffer Emeklier (@melbourneanalogphotography)
Evelyn Yee (@evelyn.yee)
Julio Brenes
