Artist of the Month - @toastytuesday

Toasty Tuesday, who dis? Well, imagine a kid named Daniel Harisberger who grew up glued to Saturday morning cartoons, filled notebooks with doodles, and never quite shook off that creative spark. Fast forward, and that same kid is now an illustrator, animator, and all-around creative powerhouse, cooking up stories with his friends at Team Tumult.

Daniel’s creative journey wasn't the straightforward one. He was rejected from art school twice, worked supermarket shifts, and still stubbornly held on to that vision of making magic. "Third time's the charm", and when he was finally admitted, everything clicked. The world shifted gears, and his creative career hit overdrive.

Since then, he has been drawing, animating, experimenting, and occasionally battling jealousy over other artists' brilliant ideas. The good kind of jealousy, though, the spark-catching kind.

StickerApp: Hi Daniel, we are SO happy to announce you as our December Artist of the Month. Please tell us about yourself. Who is Toasty Tuesday?

Daniel: Thank you so much! The origin of Toasty Tuesday dates back to when I was a graphic design intern in Hamburg. I used to bring a sandwich maker to the office, so we interns could make ourselves some cost-effective toasted sandwiches for lunch. Fast forward to today, I am part of the Team Tumult creative collective based in Zurich, working in illustration and animation together with some awesome people and friends. My dream is, as it has always been, to sustain myself doing what I love. Some days, this pans out perfectly; other days, not so much.

StickerApp: That's a great story!. When and how did your creative journey begin?

Daniel: Since my earliest childhood, I was always the kid who drew nonstop, read comic books, and watched Saturday morning cartoons. I just kept at it, and I knew pretty early on that I wanted to work in the creative field and recreate some of that magic that enchanted me as a kid.

StickerApp: Was there a pivotal moment in your career that changed everything?

Daniel: I really struggled to get my career going at first since I failed to get into art school twice. During that time, I worked at a local supermarket to make money. I knew what I wanted and what I needed to do to get there; I was just not mature enough at the time. When it finally clicked, though, everything went into overdrive, and I never looked back.

StickerApp: Good on you! What drives you as an artist, and what are your biggest inspirations?

Daniel: I love well-told stories, whether it is a good book, a thrilling film, or an engaging video game. Well-crafted narratives make the world an interesting and fun place to be in. I am always baffled by the ideas some authors and artists come up with, even jealous at times. Sometimes it is that jealousy that gets me going in the first place, trying to catch some of those creative sparks, evolve them, and turn them into something of my own.

StickerApp: Awesome. What is your number one piece of advice for those starting their creative journey?

Daniel: I am usually pretty good at commissioned projects with set, tight boundaries, but when it is my own work, when it is carte blanche, I have the hardest time. What I have learned over and over again is that just sitting down, starting somewhere, and keeping at it is what gets projects moving. Keeping ideas trapped in your skull for too long does not help at all; it can even get in the way of other assignments.

Start with something simple, do not get disheartened if it does not work out the way you pictured it, just let it grow into something real. And if it fails, toss it in a drawer for a while, work on other things, and come back later. You might stumble upon it with fresh eyes, a fresh mind, and a new idea on how to approach it.

StickerApp: Great advice! How would you define your style, and what are your favorite techniques?

Daniel: My artwork comes in many forms. I love working with ink on paper, feeling the flow and texture while drawing brings me great joy. But I also love working with vector graphics for very different reasons. Building characters from basic shapes feels like solving an obscure puzzle to me. Keep going long enough, and you end up with a bunch of fun little critters, which also makes the jump from vectors to animation a lot easier.

StickerApp: Tell us about the design of your Thank You card. What was your inspiration?

Daniel: The Christmas Creepers came about as a fun side project as the festive season approached a while back. I try my best to design something for the holidays every year, a greeting card, an animation, or, in this case, a sparkly sticker sheet. Sometimes even all of the above. Santa is usually the centerpiece, and this time, I wanted a kind of "Wario-esque" opposite to the jolly bearded man we all know and love. His partner, the Advent Elve, takes the form of a candle that keeps burning down until there is nothing left, showcasing that Christmas burnout we all feel once we pass the 26th of December and every Christmas need has been more than satiated. The other characters followed suit, each sporting the same grumpy, mischievous energy.

StickerApp: Well, you nailed it! What is the single best thing about stickers, and how do you use them for your business and personal brand?

Daniel: As a ’90s kid, stickers were something I treasured very much and still do. The glitterier and shinier the better. Even now, as the collector type that I am, I keep my favourite ones locked away in a little box. Many of them will likely never be stuck to anything, just admired once in a while. Please keep this a secret from my daughter, she is sticker mad and would absolutely stick them all over the place if she ever got hold of them, haha.

Stickers are perfect giveaways. We use them to promote our creative collective at film festivals all the time. They are less formal than a business card, yet have more impact and a great interactive fun factor. Who could resist a glittery little treat?

StickerApp: Agreed. What are your goals for the future?

Daniel: I am haunted by several ideas for graphic novels that I have not yet found the energy to pursue in the past few years. They are living in my head, rent-free, against my own advice. So that might be something I will try to aspire to in the near future. But usually, you will find me tinkering on something Christmas-related, since that time of year is when my creative impulses tend to erupt out of my brain.

Thanks for the chat, Daniel! To keep up with Toasty Tuesday, head over to his Instagram: @toastytuesday.