Shelflife Artist Series: 17 'Urika Boss'

UB: My name is Cheyne Maasdorp, but I create work as Urika Boss. I’m an illustrator and designer based in Cape Town, South Africa.

UB: As a kid, it was the standard overconsumption of comics, cartoons, and video games which fuelled my obsession to draw, and redraw, my favourite characters until I could do it from memory. In my early teen years my brother got me into graffiti, which exposed me to a whole other world of artists locally and online. It was around the time we moved from dial-up internet to ADSL, and there was a never-ending supply of writer’s blogs and Flickr pages. It was downhill from there.

UB: Other artists will always be my biggest influence. James Jean, Aryz, Yoshitomo Nara, RevokOne, Jang Koal, Inès Longevial, and Matt Bollinger are a few people that always get me excited to make something of my own. Movies and animation have been a major influence for creating imaginative worlds and illustrative storytelling ever since I watched Spirited Away for the first time as a child. Alberto Mielgo is a director and artist I admire, he has such a strong creative direction and visual style, the guy can do it all. Otherwise, I’ve always been inspired by clothes and culture. I love how subcultures and the media we consume influence us and how we dress.  I find inspiration in seeing where peoples’ lifestyles and influences cross over.

UB: It would be a dream to work with CASE STUDYO.

They do incredible limited-run collaborations with artists to create functional objects and furniture. I love seeing an artist I like, who traditionally works in a flat medium, create something with them, as they are so good at producing a product that is true to the artist’s style, but serves a unique purpose and aesthetic.

UB: I love having the opportunity to work with negative space, it’s something we do daily as creatives whether we’re aware of it, or not. It’s a fun challenge to work with awkward shapes and angles, and how they interact with the empty spaces around them. I also enjoy the challenge of drawing hands, so why not combine them? I also wanted to tie in my past and Shelflife’s roots in graffiti and the process of approaching a wall and starting to visualise the letters and their positioning on the wall before its even there.

UB: I finished my studies in 2014 at AAA, where I specialised in Graphic Design. I then went on to work as a menswear graphic/textile designer for Woolworths for two and a half years. It was always my dream to work for myself, so I took the chance in 2017 to try freelancing and I’ve been very fortunate that it’s worked out since then. I really wouldn’t be able to do this if it wasn’t for great people like yourselves continuously supporting me. I spend my time now working on a mix of projects from illustration for animation studios or advertising agencies; classic design work like logos and branding; or print graphics for the lovely Shelflife team and other local retailers.

UB: I try (emphasis on ‘try’) to draw in my spare time to keep that muscle moving and learning, but it can be hard when it’s what you do for a living. Otherwise, exercise is something that always helps keep me mentally motivated whether it be gym, a run, or even a walk around the block. It always helps give me a little energy boost before doing some evening work. Also, I can't forget lots of breaks to play Worms Armageddon with my fiancé.

UB: Try your absolute best to not compare yourself or your work to other artists. This is something I do all the time, so it’s just as much advice to myself as it is to others. I’ve lost so much time over the years to being unmotivated from thinking I’m not good enough or that my work could never look as good as one of my idols. Your work is your work, be proud of it. There will be stages where your taste might be above your ability, but consistency is key to breaking through. If you can break that habit or stop it before it forms, you’ll have a great head start.