Giane Encarnacion

I’m Gianne Encarnacion (she/her). I’m an artist and illustrator based in Manila, Philippines.

In a sentence, how would you describe your work?
My body of work is ornate, tender and an organized chaos.

Do you have any favorite themes you enjoy working with?
I love working with scientific and religious themes in my work. I grew up from a family of doctors and healthcare professionals, so it comes naturally to me. I went to Catholic schools all my life as well, so I get to include religious imagery in my work as well.

What mediums do you like to work in?
I primarily work in digital format, but I like having tangible forms of my work. Currently I work with paper and papercut, and am exploring textile.

As an artist, are there any tools that you would perish if you left the house without them?
My iPad, sketchbook and pencil, a small cutter or Xacto knife.

Do you have a dream project you'd like to work on someday?
A campaign for a fashion designer/house, collaboration collection with a designer, a fashion magazine illustration, or packaging for a beauty product...anything related to fashion and beauty, really!

What is the strangest/goofiest (PG) fact about yourself that you're comfortable sharing?
I look like a meerkat.

What drew you to the imagery of vines and flowers for your sock?
I’ve been really inspired by somatic therapy and from there, I’ve been exploring the idea of the body as a garden and all the parts that make it up as its own ecosystem with its flora. For my design, I thought it would be amusing to make a design that showed the inside of the skin. So it’s like discovering a garden in your epidermis/dermis.

Can you talk a little about your design process? Where do you draw your inspiration from, and how do you workshop your design from draft to final? 
I usually have a central idea or emotion that I want to convey, and I use scientific references or concepts to represent the abstract. Sometimes when my maximalist brain isn’t on, I like using people, particularly women to convey the ideas through their poses and expressions. I love the idea that strong and simple lines can convey complex emotions and ideas so well.

I reference a lot of scientific illustrations and medical books to get it a bit accurate. Then I make a very loose sketch because I love seeing how my work can evolve as I make it. I’m very open to letting my work unfold and become something different from what I originally wanted. I have to make sure that I like whatever I make!

Do you have a favorite feature of the sock design?
The little faces of the hair follicles.

Ankle or crew socks for preference? 
Crew socks!

 

View of of Gianne's art at her portfolio or Instagram!