While exploring the illustrator’s work, we came across her ‘About’ section, where she mentions a fascination with quirky, everyday objects. Curious to learn more, we asked Daukantė if she could share a recent example of something mundane that inspired an illustration. The artist explained: “Haha, I think I meant I enjoy buying or making quirky objects, like these. I would say objects rarely inspire other objects or illustrations. Sometimes, on the same day, you hear about a friend joining a salsa class and about somebody being robbed, and putting those two together in one illustration. The combination of the two is ironic. I also enjoy having a good name for an illustration, before I even start drawing, which usually is a pun, world play. I find it very difficult to start drawing without a clear idea or a name. Having said that, the drawing almost never turns out the way I predicted, but at least I have a clear process in the beginning.”
We were also curious about how popular culture influences the illustrator’s creative process. Daukantė shared with us: “It probably influences me a lot, but I try to go against the flow of current events or trends. I tend to choose topics that are more forgotten, narrow, or specific.
I once took a month to listen to all Cher’s interviews that I could find (because I thought she was very interesting) and she surely became the subject of one of my illustrations - Cher once said that she heard a comment from a fan regarding her many farewell tours: ‘The only things that will be left after a nuclear holocaust are cockroaches and Cher.’ I found it funny and illustrated it.”
Even though the artist is from Lithuania, her illustrations seem to resonate with an audience worldwide. We asked Daukantė how she feels her background influences her work, and she told us: “When I was applying to study abroad for my master’s degree, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to use everyday life situations (Lithuanian ones) in my work since they would be only relevant in Eastern Europe, but since I draw a lot of people in some little action, interacting with others, I guess the situations that they find themselves in can be recognized by anybody. Clients usually provide scenarios for illustrations that are not as well known in my culture; therefore, irony in the unknown might be a bit more difficult to achieve. Commissioned illustrations are more visually ‘mine’ than ideologically.”
Finally, the illustrator shared what projects she’s excited to work on in the near future: “I try to keep myself entertained and find new mediums that I can work with. I have been working on ceramic Christmas ornaments for a while now, but since this work is almost done, I will be returning to illustration. I enjoy turning illustrations into usable objects, combining 2D and 3D, so that’s where I might be moving next.”
