Anna and Elena Balbusso are a force to be reckoned with. The Italian twins, known collectively as “Balbusso Twins”, have illustrated over 40 books and have received more than 80 international awards for their work, including three Gold medals, a Silver medal, and the Stevan Dohanos Award of the New York Society of Illustrators.
Their work, described as “enticingly Renaissance and eerily new wave”, is often with direct dialogue with other artists, with references to paintings, sculptures, and architecture. “Italian art plays a key role; it is the basis of our culture and training, but not the only one,” they observed once in an interview with The Arts Shelf. “The references can always change.”
According to the twins, their personal style has developed over time. Using a combination of traditional tools like acrylic, gouache, pencil, pen, collage, and digital programs, they admit that their work requires a lot of concentration.
“The digital coloring process with photoshop is very complex and has been developed following many years of work experience,” say the Balbussos. “The final result is like a painting on paper or canvas or a watercolor. During this process, we test the color many times through digital color proofs.”
Aside from illustrating books, the Balbussos often collaborate with top tier publications, with features in The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The NYT Book Review, amongst others. Their artwork has also been exhibited internationally, with The Norman Rockwell Museum including them among the illustrators of The Decade 2010-present.
Their advice to other artists? Always strive to improve. “It is also important to be careful in the choice of projects to keep the quality of your work growing,” they note. “The comparison with other international artists makes us better understand what we can do to improve ourself.”
