Interview

Dominic Carter talks to the DC Super Hero Girls character designer about working with Kevin Smith and developing her style

LATE DOODLE Even late-night doodles such as this display Pernille’s talent for creating characters, and her masterful use of colour.

PROMPTS Some of Pernille’s illustrations are the result of challenges, such as this piece posted on Instagram, which developed from the prompt ‘champagne’.

PEACE OFFERING This image, part of Pernille’s Monday Art Challenge, used ‘peace’ as its prompt. The colours and imagery stand in solidarity with Ukraine.

A nimationhas been a lifelong passion for Danish character designer Pernille Ørum, and as an adult she’s turned that love into work, having collaborated with some of the biggest animation studios in the industry. We caught up with her to learn how she pushed boundaries with her work on DC Super Hero Girls, what she learned while putting together her book, and what it was like to work on Kevin Smith’s Hit-Girl comic book arc.

How did you get started, and what has your career been like so far?

I always knew I wanted to work in animation and went to school in Denmark at The Animation Workshop to study character animation. After school I discovered that I was more into the design aspect. I started focusing more on that part of the production and slowly specialised, mostly as a character designer.

Which artists have inspired you the most and why?

I’m greatly inspired by Disney’s Nine Old Men and their approach to design and movement. Their confidence with line work appealed to me and pushed my way of approaching drawing. Along with them is Glen Keane, who was the man behind the animation that made me want to work in the industry. His work has so much appeal.

If I’m thinking outside of animators there’s Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle, and I love old posters, especially by the Danish artist Viggo Vagnby, who has been very inspirational to my work due to his simple approach to design. I love the combination of animation, great design, and simplicity.