Tell us a little about your background and how you became an illustrator?
I did my undergraduate degree at The Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Canada. After graduation I moved to New York to do my MFA at The School of Visual arts. The program at SVA was fairly open, and I was able to do a lot of promotion, and work on my portfolio while I was there, as well as devote a lot of time and energy to personal projects. The two years I spent at SVA where really important in developing what I would consider my own personal voice as an illustrator. Learning to set a rigorous schedule for myself, work on self motivated projects, as well as keeping a sketchbook have all been important components of my illustration practice that were developed during my years in art school. My work was changing quite rapidly during my final years at school, and by the end of my final semester people were beginning to take enough interest in it, that I was lucky enough to be able to work on it full time after graduation.

Your use of colour is great, often using a limited colour pallet to create a more powerful image. Were you formally trained in colour theory? How do you go about choosing the colours of an illustration?
I’ve had some formal colour training, although nothing unusual. I’ve always been drawn to more muted palettes, and I can’t really say it’s anything beyond personal interest. Working on the computer has shaped my approach to colour also. With so many options available, I’ve found it really helpful to limit myself to a certain range of colours. I was doing a lot of oil painting before I began colouring my work digitally, and the jump from hand materials to digital media was a little intimidating at first. By being selective, and restraining myself a little, I think I was able to control the pictures a little more. I’ve been trying recently to pay extra attention to the temperature of colour, and use that to make the space more interesting in my images.

Please tell us about your creative process in as much detail as possible?
I do a lot of small sketches in pencil when I start a project, be it for a client, or personal. These aren’t anything that I would ever show anyone; just small scribbles to get me started thinking about ideas and composition. I have a fairly large pad of bond paper that I like to work on. It’s thin enough that I can see through it, which is perfect for me, as I’ll often lay a piece of paper over top of a really rough drawing, and use it as a starting point for a more refined sketch. I use a light box also, to trace over more refined sketches, or get details that I may have liked from a previous drawing.

At this point I’ll gather what reference I might need, which usually isn’t too much as I really like the process of drawing out of my head, and begin working on a more finished drawing. If it’s for a client, I’ll usually have sent them an earlier incarnation before hand, as I always like to work on the refined drawing with the confidence of knowing that the people I’m working with are behind the basic idea and structure of what it is that I’m doing. Personal work is a little more freeing, in that things can veer away in different and often interesting ways.

Once I’ve got a drawing I’m happy with, I’ll transfer it onto a piece of better paper using my light box. I don’t have one specific type of paper that I always use, as I really enjoy playing around with new materials, but papers that I use often include Stonehenge(a basic printmaking paper), Fabriano 140lbs Hotpress watercolour paper, Arches Watercolour papers, and various types of bristol. I like rag paper, with some heft to it, as I often apply wet media, and like to scrape and pick away at the surface of my drawings, which isn’t possible on flimsier surfaces. This is by no means a treatise against inexpensive materials, as much as it is personal preference. The final drawings are usually done in ink, water colour, or acrylic, or a combination of the three. For the water colour and ink, I’ve got some decent sable brushes, that although more expensive than others, last for a long time(Windsor Newton Series 7’s and DaVinci Maestro’s are my favorite). I use your standard Windsor & Newton water colours, and have a brand of Sumi ink that I really like. I’m not sure what it’s called, as the label is in Japanese, but it comes in a really charming green plastic bottle, which is admittedly seventy five percent of its appeal. I also have some Japanese calligraphy brushes, that I use sometimes. They have a great rough stroke that is really nice.

Once the image is at a point that I’m pleased with, I’ll scan it, inevitably in many small pieces, and put it together in photoshop. I’ve always drawn fairly large, never much smaller than 11×17, and often a lot bigger, so I’ve grown quite accustomed to stitching things back together in the machine. The piece is then finished in photoshop, using a wacom tablet(the medium sized Intuos). I’ll scan in addition textures and drawn elements as I see fit. As far as sketch books go, New York Central Art Supply makes a really wonderful Stonehenge sketch book, which is great for playing around with media. I’ve also got a generic black cover book, which I use for less involved drawing, or for brainstorming.

How important has having your own website been in gaining opportunities?
It’s been super important. Unless you are a very established illustrator, or working in a field that I’m perhaps less familiar with, you HAVE to have a website. In conjunction with post cards, and other forms of print advertising, it is a really great way to promote yourself, as well as showcase what it is that you are working on.

Did you build your website yourself or employ the services of a web designer?
I built it myself. It’s pretty spartan. I hope puts a lot of emphasis on the work, as that was my intention.

What is the most effective thing you have done to gain your work more exposure?
Beyond having a website, and sending out postcards and promotional material to people I’m interested in working with, entering juried competitions has been really important in reaching people. I’ve been fortunate to have gotten work in annuals like The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and American Illustration, which have done a lot for my career. Peer review is important to a lot of professions, illustration being no exception. It’s an often daunting process, but I think is useful as a way to promote yourself, think about your work in new ways, and perhaps most importantly keep you humble.

What types of assignments do you like the best? What was your best ever job?
That’s difficult to say. I do like assignments that involve interesting concepts or stories, but beyond that I can’t really answer. The finished illustration is what I’m interested in, and often the type of assignment has very little bearing on how interesting or exciting that image will be to make. I’ve done work that I’ve been really excited about, for very dry, uninspired articles, and vice versa. The collaboration with Art Directors and Editors can often shape the outcome of a project, as well as how well I’m able to grasp and interpret the material. I love trying to push myself, and often get the most out of an assignment when I can try something new, or solve a problem in an unusual way. As for the best job ever, there isn’t really one, as I’m usually very fixated on what I’m working on at the at moment. My work doesn’t really excite me when it’s done, often quite the opposite. Not to say that I don’t have any pride in my work, I probably have too much, but I’ve just always found it difficult to stay interested in a piece of mine once it’s been completed.

How much do you get paid per assignment and how do you decide upon a price?
Although I won’t give any specific numbers, I will say that it was something that I was very stressed about while I was a student, but has turned out to be of very little consequence. For the most part, my clients usually have a fixed budget in mind before they even call me. Although there is often room for negotiation, it’s most often a matter of them telling me what they have, and me deciding whether that is reasonable. Since most of what I do is sell one time rights, and the budgets are for the most part already decided by the publication or company, there isn’t too much I have to do as far as quoting rates etc.

After having worked for a couple of years now, I have an idea of what I think is appropriate for my time, which every illustrator will have to come to figure out on there own. There are also so many other factors involved in choosing to do a project, like artistic freedom, subject matter, and getting to work with pleasant or fun people. When I am asked to quote on something, I’ll try and base it on my experience, and always keep in mind what rights they are purchasing. Also, most of my friends are also illustrators or designers, so talking with them about this kind of stuff has proven to be really valuable.

Where can people see more of your work and find out more about you?
www.sampaints.com

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2007 at 10:21 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.