Who or what made you want to become an illustrator?

I've always felt the urge and the responsibility to tell stories, with painting, illustration or filmmaking. It is a way to educate people and children to grow as individuals. To know their feelings, other people's feelings, to have compassion and respect. 
I carefully select the projects I work on, since I see my work as contribution to what explained above. 

Other artists' works deeply influenced my growth when I was a child and teenager, some works still help me today to understand who I am. I am very thankful to those artists and, when I was younger, I decided that one day no matter what I would have done the same and help other children and people with my art. 

What was your first commission as a professional illustrator?

The Polish book "W Pewnym Teatrze Lalek" written by Lidia Mis and pulbished by Wydawnictwo Dreams. 
I met Lidia at a book fair and she liked my sketches from that time.

Do you keep a sketch book?

Dozens of it! It is a great way to just put ideas on paper and save them for a future time.

For example when I finished a project and I'm looking for new ideas for illustrations or films, I go back to my old sketchbooks. There, among the old page, I found and remember about previous ideas. 
Sketchbooks are a great tool for exercising, "storing" and also for inspirational purposes.

Have you visited any schools to speak or hold workshops?

Yes, I did plenty. I'm also a guest lecturer at MA Animation at AKV St. Joost in the Netherlands.

Are you an author/illustrator?

Yes, I write my own films and I'm currently working on a personal picture book project and a new film. 

What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

Back at that time I was studying Illustration at Ars in Fabula MA in Macerata, Italy.
The great Johanna Concejo was our teacher. I remember I showed her a storyboard I was working on. She looked at it and then at me. She asked: why are you lying? Why are you telling a story that is not yours?
I was deeply impressed by Johanna's words. I remember I went back home and spend the entire night re-drawing the storyboard, telling the story from a total different perspective - my own. 
I think I became an illustrator in that precise moment. After that day I started to draw and tell stories in a different way. 
If you want to know, the new storyboard I made after my talk with Johanna won a big contest with one of the most important Italian publishers! 

What makes a good children’s book?

Honesty, I guess. 
Towards the readers and the children and also towards yourself. I will never illustrate a book in which I don't believe into. I would lie to my myself and as a consequence to my readers.

Other two essentials ingredients: respect and hard work. 
Respect towards the audience of course: do not underestimate children's intelligence. 
And hard work because... making a book is such a long and difficult job!

How do you overcome a creative block?

I look into my old sketchbooks, searching for ideas. 

Are there any children’s classics you’d love to illustrate and/or re-tell?

Absolutely. I would to illustrate The Snow Queen, by Andersen. 

Animals feature heavily in children’s books – do you have a pet?

Of course, like many other illustrators, I totally love animals.
I have two pets, a bunny couple. They are absolutely adorable. I usually work from my home office, during the day they spent time with me and they sleep under my desk.

Next to my animation and illustration job, I spend lot of time in the pool. I'm a swimmer and a freediver. I enjoy diving holidays where I can shoot underwater footage. If you wonder why my drawings are full of whales... Well, now you where that comes from!