Chemnitz is teeming

Stephanie Brittnacher

From now on, Chemnitz stories and heads are available in a practical pocket format for the little ones among us. Illustrator Stephanie Brittnacher has captured everyday life in her adopted hometown in colourful, detailed pictures and backdrops. Born in Hesse, she moved to Chemnitz five years ago to fulfil her dream of becoming a freelance illustrator. In her studio on the Sonnenberg, Stephanie Brittnacher sketched and developed the first hidden object book with scenes from Chemnitz. In this interview, she talks about her work on the book.

How did you come up with the idea of making a hidden object book about Chemnitz?
Stephanie Brittnacher: In August 2017, Mrs Tiarks from Willegoos Verlag called me and told me about her series of city hidden object books. She said that she would also like to include Chemnitz and found me in her search for regional illustrators. We then met and I was very excited about the idea of illustrating the city I live in for a book.

So this is your first Wimmelbuch?
My second. Mrs Tiarks and I sat together for an hour and already had everything in the can. It had already been decided that the Chemnitz book would be published in autumn 2018 and, looking out of the window, she said that she was looking for someone at short notice for a hidden object book for the small North Sea island of Spiekeroog. I was on the island once as a child and it was magical. I was there immediately. We travelled there for a few days and looked at everything, took photos and I made my first sketches. Back home, I did some more research in books and online and then got started.

A test run, so to speak?
It was definitely helpful to have done everything from A to Z before. I gained experience in image composition and was also able to better estimate the time required. I have to reckon with around 50 hours per picture, plus the research time. For the Chemnitz book, I travelled to the locations again and again and discovered something new every time. For example, there is a little mermaid at the castle pond. During this entire time, I felt like a sponge soaking up everything and got to know and see Chemnitz in a completely different way.

Are the motifs in the hidden object book one-to-one or do you also incorporate your creative freedom?
It's a good mixture. When I was in a place, I sometimes had the feeling that I could draw it in exactly the same way. We then also had the idea of showing real people from Chemnitz in the book. I drew people at the 100-metre market on Kaßberg and took photos for my sketches and put them in the book. But I also drew people I observed in everyday life and people from my personal environment, friends from the past and present, in order to depict the complete reality. The pictures therefore show a lot of my personal perception.

On a total of six double pages, Stephanie Brittnacher shows the different facets of the city using selected scenarios in several neighbourhoods. These include the castle pond, the Kaßberg, the city centre with the Chemnitz Christmas market, the Sonnenberg with the construction playground, Rabenstein Castle with a knights' market and the Küchwald with its typical park railway. In painstaking and detailed miniature work, original and fantastic Chemnitz residents swarm around these places and show everyday life in the city.

How did you choose the motifs?
I thought the choice of locations was very much in tune with the times. In Chemnitz, a lot of attention is being paid to how individual districts or neighbourhoods, such as Brühl or Sonnenberg, can be revitalised and designed. Family life tends to take place on your own doorstep and in the parks and squares of the city districts rather than on Theaterplatz, for example, which is why I didn't choose it. The square is very beautiful and impressive, but is used less for lingering and more for attractions and events.

What was the biggest challenge with the motifs?
I sometimes tried to put myself in a child's perspective for the motifs, because that helped me to draw more freely. Geographical accuracy is not quite so important. With the Sonnenberg motif, I sometimes left out entire streets or designed them in such a way that they fit the picture, so the stadium was also given a place. I was more interested in capturing the typical character and feeling of the neighbourhood.
Each picture had its own little challenge. With the Schlossteich and Küchwald, I summarised a lot and worked on the motifs right up to the end. I had to keep checking what the places and details really looked like and got to know new corners of the city better as a result.

Were there any motifs that were easier to take?
Definitely the Sonnenberg. I live and work here and now know many corners by heart. At the Christmas market, I thought it would be easy because we had opted for a very classic perspective. You can also find lots of photo templates and information in the summer, which I was able to work with very well. When I was drawing, however, I developed a certain reverence for the details of figures and candle arches, which are important to many people. I hope that the people of the Erzgebirge are satisfied.

Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025. What do you want for the city by then?
In short: more young people, more listening and more trust. The quality of life in Chemnitz, as in other cities, will grow through more culture. I am very impressed by the many committed people here who organise small art festivals, create offers, invite people from all over and enable a fresh view of the city. This needs to be supported more and the foundations need to be strengthened so that people don't have to draw the motivation for this from themselves alone and again and again.

The Wimmelbuch über Chemnitz is now available from all local booksellers.