WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
From the earliest days that I can remember I have loved stories. Being read to as a child and marvelling over the artwork that went alongside it sparked my imagination. As I grew up I never really stopped seeking out narrative, whether it be in books or film. This last year I have taken the next step and started writing narratives of my own to illustrate. We invest so much of ourselves in stories and I think it is such an important part of life. You only have to stop and take a look around you to realise that there are so many stories happening everyday, just waiting to be told. I want to be a part of that experience. As for what inspires me, I have a very, very long list of illustrators, but I suppose the key ones would be Yoshitaka Amano, Kent Williams, Jillian Tamaki and the greats like Arthur Rackham and Aubrey Beardsley. You know when you are in love with someone’s work when you are both amazed and sickened at just how good it is.
WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
When it comes to adapting a book or a theme, I always start with a massive mind map. I’m talking about the size of a wall here. Luckily my Dad is a painter and decorator and has excess amounts of wallpaper for me to work on, but having such a large canvas really helps. I’ll just start writing down words or printing off images that spring to mind and then just let myself branch out instinctively. When doing this I try to shut out any noise or distraction so I’m not influenced by anything so that it really is a subconscious exploration. By the end of it I’ll have arrived at words or images that challenge the brief and me and start to generate imagery from that. Then comes the fun stuff.
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