Featured Artist: Mangulica

Croatian, freelance artists, Mangulica, are a team of two self-proclaimed antisocial artists, who create adorable designs inspired by the random things they see every day. Read on and discover their imaginary world of space-rocketing pigs, kissing hedgehogs, and coffee drinking owls.

Who is ‘Mangulica’?

We are a team of two artists and we would like to be referred as Mangulica. We would like to present ourselves as a brand. This is a partnership of two antisocial persons, one is very productive but likes to keep his privacy, he doesn’t like to appear in public or any kind of social media and the other one, unfortunately, is also very antisocial but needs to be out there to do all the dirty marketing and social media work hee hee :) 

Where is home?

Home is where your mobile connects automatically to your Wi-Fi. Just kidding. Right now home is Rijeka, Croatia. But soon who knows. Home is where we are together with our loved ones. I connect this feeling to persons, not a place. No matter where we move, as long as we are together, home is there.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Maybe this is not usual, but as a kid, I was having so much fun I never wanted to grow up. I wanted to stay in that phase forever. Somehow art is the only way I could keep my wish and stay forever as a kid, playing and drifting in my imagination.

Please share the story behind your favorite artwork on Redbubble.

Favorite artworks; it’s hard to pick one, every character has an internal story behind it, some common jokes we share, something from the news, something that just pops in my head. If I need to choose it would be Frida Sugar skull, Old school Biker, Coffee Break, StrayCat…. Well better leave this to my audience, this is too hard!

What is your creative weapon of choice?

Pencil! Always and forever! From the early childhood till today. I will always choose a nice pencil.

Please describe your work in 7 words or less

Random stuff from my day!

What role do you feel artists have in society?

Major role! We are the makers, we create this world, we make it as it is. If there were no artist what would world look like? No designs, no music, no movies, no fashion… art is what gives this life a meaning. Makes this life worth living on this colorful planet.

What is your dream project?

Working in an animation studio, doing characters for animated movies. Especially in some studio as Aardman where I can create with my hands, to feel my characters come alive.

What’s been the hardest lesson you’ve learned while creating a successful art career? What advice would you love to have told yourself five or ten years ago?

Hardest lesson that I learned working as an artist online is that once you expose your artwork out there it becomes easy prey for all the thieves and copycats, and there isn’t much you can do about it. They keep copying and stealing your work. I hope one day people will finally learn what intellectual property and copyright mean.

The best advice to myself 5-10 years ago would be: Start doing something with your art! Move! Don’t be afraid to try, don’t wait…just go for it!

If you weren’t making art, what do you think you would you be doing now?

Something out there in nature, gardening! Put my headphones, turn on my music and enjoying being out there in nature.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given as an artist?

Probably as most artists… Be yourself! Keep doing your style, no matter the trends, no matter who dislikes you, be true to yourself and do what you love. Be unique!

What artwork are you excited to work on next?

There are few ideas right now that I  want to work on, but usually, some other idea just appears in my head and I finish doing that instead of my original idea. Right now I think I will do some more characters for my Nature Warriors series.

Stop by Mangulica’s shop to support an independent artist and chose your favorite designs!