Firstly, tell us a little about yourself and how you came about to do art?
I’ve always been interested in drawing - when I was little, I had boxes full of pencils, crayons, pens and all sorts of image-making materials. So when I left school it seemed like a natural step to go to Art School and pursue a career in the creative industries. After graduating from Glasgow School of Art I went on to the Royal College of Art in London. I decided to stay in London after I graduated from the RCA and I’ve been a professional illustrator for nearly 5 years.

Tell us about your original and strongest sources of inspiration and what you do these days when you’re in need of a little creative spark?
I keep a lot of scrapbooks that are full of sketches, collected pictures from old books and lots of photographs. I carry a camera with me everywhere and take snaps of anything that might come in useful for future commissions or for personal projects. I’ll refer to and expand on my sketchbooks regularly and they have become central to my creative output. I find London a very inspiring city to live in as there are many museums, galleries and exhibitions. When I need a little creative inspiration I’ll go out with my camera and see what I find. I also enjoy book shops and music stores, as there are always lots of new books and albums with illustrated covers.
How do you go about approaching any given piece of art, how do you set the mood?
I’ll simply go over the brief I’ve been given and pick out the main areas of interest or the main theme that I should concentrate on and write down any words that might trigger some initial thoughts and ideas. However, I prefer to start drawing as soon as possible - I usually find that some of my final ideas have come about through the actual process of drawing and sketching.

Your work has this great handmade look to it, is there a specific reason you decided to follow this kind of particular style?
I’ve always loved the simple process of drawing so I’ve never let computer processes take over the creation of my images. The overload of digital imagery in recent years has probably played a large part in the resurgence of more hand-crafted illustration as it looked fresher and more intuitive in comparison to the excess of computer artwork being made. I prefer a more hands-on approach - drawing, collage and taking photos.

What is it about your work that you like best?
On the whole, I would say that my drawings are about taking quite common, banal objects and striving to create interesting drawings of them. If I think that I have achieved this goal of making something very ordinary look interesting, I feel I’ve achieved what I set out to do. But in terms of being generally creative, I probably most enjoy working in my sketchbooks as I have a lot of freedom with what I put in them. It also means that I have a bank of my own imagery to refer to when I have a tight deadline or just need a little inspiration.

Finally, what advice would you give to up and coming illustrators/artists out there?
To be an illustrator and actually make a living out of it, you have to really, really, REALLY want to do it! A half-hearted attempt will get you nowhere. So if it’s something you are passionate about and really want to do, then my main advice would be: don’t give up! Make sure you send mailers out on a regular basis so that you are reminding clients and art directors that you are still working. Also, it seems obvious to say this, but an online portfolio is essential. I have had jobs emailed to me from clients that I’ve never met and never even spoken to on the phone. Such is the power of a simple website. Obviously, a decent portfolio book is also very important and you should aim to update it on a regular basis, just in case you get that phone call out of the blue from someone asking you to bring in some printed work examples. Good luck!

Thank you Christine for agreeing to be interviewed. If you would like to see more of Christine’s work why not visit her website.

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