Interview with professional hedcut artist Noli Novak

Noli Novak is one of a few artists who create the beautifully detailed stipple (dot) portraits for the Wall Street Journal newspaper. The Journal has been employing artists to create various images for the newspaper since the newspaper first began in 1900. Some of the earlier images were created using charcoal, but since the late 1980's, hedcut portraits - portraits created using many small dots and dashes have been in use.

I was really excited when Noli Novak agreed to a quick interview with me. I spoke to her by phone today, and she was working on a hedcut portrait of a mosquito! She has tight deadlines to make for the paper's publication, which makes her willingness to share with us even more special.

 President Barack Obama by Noli Novak. Portrait used by permission of artist.

How old were you when you first started drawing, and what sort of subjects did you draw?

Like many creative types, I liked doing art and drawing ever since I can remember. However, my earliest interests were making paper collages (mostly landscapes), something I still like doing in my free time. Back then, doing pen and ink drawings wasn't high on my list and I never thought that later on, stippling would become my calling.

How long have you been creating the Hedcut portraits?

I was hired as an illustrator at The Wall Street Journal in 1987. I have been doing hedcuts ever since.

Noli Novak, working on a creative portrait of herself. Most hedcut portraits are smaller - about the size of a 3"x5" index card. (Photo used by permission of the artist).

What types of images are the most difficult to create in Hedcuts?

I wouldn't say there are "hard" and "easy" subjects (although personally, I'm not a big fan of drawing trees!). The challenge lies in the technique and the quality of reference. The pen and ink technique doesn't lend itself easily to adjusting, erasing and editing, so it's important to start with a sharp photo and a well lit subject.

At the Journal, we're faced with different challenges every day. Sometimes, an important subject in a breaking story needs to be illustrated, but the only image available is a tiny web thumbnail, or a blurry snapshot.

An artist has to create a recognizable likeness of that person in only a few hours before the print deadline. I was recently put in one of those situations when the Bernie Madoff affair broke. The Journal was on top of the story before any of us knew who Madoff was and what he looked like. I was given a very blurry image to work from, and I basically had to recreate his likeness by guessing most of the facial details.

Now I look back at that drawing and I'm happy with the result. I think I hit it right on the nail.

How do you keep going? Do you ever get sort of "burned out" on drawing dots?
(Do you ever get artist's block? What do you do to get out of an artist's rut?)

Having to meet tight deadlines can sometimes be very stressful, and my wrist starts to hurt after a marathon stippling session, but the process itself is very relaxing to me. I can "tune out" while drawing, listen to music and even hold conversations with friends live or online. I don't think I can get an artist's block doing hedcut portraits, but there are definitely times when I have to draw and don't feel like it.

What kind of pen do you use to create your Hedcuts?

Mostly rapidographs, but I have been experimenting with Micron pens and even combining pencil drawing with ink. In the past, we were led to believe by older artists, there was only one way of doing hedcuts correctly, one type of paper, one type of pen etc. Luckily, those days are over and we are freer to let our creative juices flowing. The Journal of recent years has been opened to new ways of using stippling which makes it a more exciting place to work as an illustrator.

What type of paper is used?

Vellum drafting film is my favorite, but we also use Strathmore plate surface and others.

How long does it take you to create a Hedcut of one person?

At the Journal, we have adjusted our techniques over time to meet all kinds of deadlines. Ideally, a hedcut can take up to 6 hours to complete, but we also have a "5 hour" and even a "2 hour" technique. They vary in style (more lines less dots) but also in sizes and even types of paper used.

What is the strangest subject for a Hedcut that you've ever drawn?

Drawing a couple who planned to use the drawing on their tombstone was one of the strangest uses of my drawings. As for the subject, a variety of strange animals and creepy crawlers which find their way to the front page of the Journal. Also, I find it strange when a client requests to make them look more "distinguished". I'm not sure what exactly they mean by that! ;-)

Do you ever create Hedcuts in color?

Yes. This is another exciting new trend at the WSJ. I basically add color digitally after I'm done stippling, but I have adopted a slightly different style to accommodate color.

You mentioned artists in training. Do you regularly train other artists to do what you do?

At the Journal, training new illustrators is part of my job. It's important for the look of the paper to keep the hedcut styles very close between the artists and training can take on average one month. There are currently 4 staff and 4 freelance illustrators employed by the Journal.

Do you come from an artistic family?

Yes, my father was a photographer and my mother paints in her spare time.

Do you remember the first work of art that you ever sold?

I don't remember the first drawing I ever sold, but sealed in my memory is the first of my drawings ever printed in the Wall Street Journal. I will never forget picking up an issue that morning! Although I don't get credited for my art since I'm a staff illustrator, gazing at my work was a feeling that'll stay with me for the rest of my life. And even after producing thousands upon thousands of portraits throughout the years, I still get thrills opening the Journal every morning. I don't think I will ever take my job for granted, because I truly enjoy doing it.

I do a lot of commissioned work outside of the WSJ and I started getting offers almost immediately after my hiring at the Journal. My colleagues and I are very fortunate to have our work displayed in the paper every day, which we think is the best promotion any illustrator can desire.  

Noli Novak explained how the newspaper sends the jobs to her. She said they usually send her a reference photo by Noon. The Wall Street Journal has a special department that locates the photos of subjects of news articles. Sometimes the reporters supply the photos. She has a deadline of 5:30 pm for the 1st Edition of the paper, but there are different deadlines for the Wall Street Journal newspapers of different geographic locations. For example, the European edition has a deadline of 3 pm, and the Asia edition has a Noon deadline, so there are employees in earlier shifts who get in touch with her for earlier deadlines.

Noli works from her home studio in New Jersey. Prior to September 11, 2001, she would make her way to work in the Wall Street Journal offices, located at that time in the World Financial Center across the street from the World Trade Center. Fortunately, Noli had not yet gotten to work that day. The newspaper's offices were completely destroyed - the windows were broken and debris was everywhere. The newspaper quickly established new offices in New Jersey. Most of the newspaper's staff artists also had drawing tables or a studio at home already, so the artists started working from home. The paper realized that the stipple artists were even more productive working from home. Noli Novak is able to create about 2 stipple/hedcut portraits per day.