Sergio Rossi Zip Heel

Serendipity

Lady Isabella Horton-Toft-Bright

Jeremy and Imogen at Royal Ascot

Questions about life as an illustrator

1) As an illustrator what motivates and inspires you?

Books are great inspiration, a year ago I read 'The Devil Wears Prada' and I found it crammed with imagery, there were many moments in the book where I found myself reaching for my sketchbook. The part where Miranda comes into the office and all the women are frantically swapping their trainers for Manolos and Jimmy Choos is a classic. At the moment I'm reading Lisa Armstrong's 'Front Row' and a bit of poetry 'The Best of Betjeman'. Both contain good inspiration. Another pastime; sitting at cafes in Brighton's North Laine and watching the fashion parade! I took a few months off work and I sketched various characters in Brighton , it was during autumn/winter, which is my favourite season - all the scarves and hats, wonderful coats, there's so more to draw! I collect Vogues and Tatlers from all eras, I buy books on shoes and bags as soon as they're published. Recently bought Caroline Cox's 'Bags' which is a fun slant on the beloved fashion accessory. I adore the fact that a woman will pay thousands of pounds for a Hermes bag, it's insane, but at the same time, it's no different from buying an expensive car or item of furniture. I love fetish inspired fashion such as Thierry Mugler and Vivienne Westwood. English eccentrics play a role in my art, from the glamorous Jibby Beane to the caricatures in the art of Sue MacCartney-Snape ( I collect her paintings ).

2) Do you hand draw your illustrations or do you use computer software like photoshop?

I use both methods, I will sketch a scene using a permanent thin black marker pen, then colour it with Tombo and Pentel paint pens. I photograph it using my digital camera and transfer it to my computer for manipulation and detailing in Photoshop. Sometimes I work straight from Photoshop, but I find the traditional route more fun. I used to create images wholly from paints and airbrush, which was a time-consuming affair and prone to disastrous errors - like an airbrush suddenly spraying a big splat on your work. Photoshop is less messy and you can save multiple versions as you go along, taking the picture on tangents never before envisaged. The filters are lots of fun, but I'm careful not to get too consumed in them, it's the details I love adding, using my lightpen and Wacom tablet. These are skills I've picked up from working as an artist in digital media for over ten years. I started to use state of the art 3D programmes to create shoes and bags, something I would like to get back to when I've got more time. Some of the packages are amazing, such as ZBrush and Maya. I've used Max, Maya, Lightwave, and Modo and they're all very useful.

3) In your opinion have the advances in technology improved the art of illustration or weakened it?

It has definitely strengthened it. Technology moves fast, though, so it can be hard keeping current and if you're not careful you can get too involved in learning new computer packages and not concentrating on developing an individual art style. Traditional media can take time to master, but putting pen to paper is so easy and immediate, and it doesn't usually crash! OK, so you can run out of ink which is similarly frustrating. I think a lot of the old masters would have adapted to digital media if it had existed in their day, but I'm glad they didn't have access to it - I have a large book on Rene Gruau and he drew fashion models from life, with glorious brushstrokes right there in the fashion studio. There's so much Parisian chic in his illustrations; a golden age.

4) Where do you display your work e.g galleries or online?

I started posting my work on fashion forums, and then exhibiting them at online galleries such as Artmajeur. I've had quite a few people interested in my work. I don't tend to follow the contemporary fads, I like to do my own thing a lot of the time, I'm not too interested in copying popular illustrators. There are current illustrators I admire greatly such as Anya Kroencke and Penny Sobr.

5) When did you develop your passion for illustration and what subjects do you focus on e.g fashion, art?

I started drawing from an early age, pretty much as soon as I could hold a crayon! I'm a big fan of comics too, and sci-fi, I thought Jean Paul Gaultier's outfits in Fifth Element were fantastic, and Roger Vadim's Barbarella is fun. Science-Fiction meets fashion is a good combination, if it's done properly. I sketch from life quite a lot. I sketch plants sometimes, usually when I visit my mum - her garden is a great place to be on a nice sunny day. Fashion is a major focus, and it has been for the past twenty years, I owe that to Vogue magazine for offering me a window into a completely different world.

6) Is there any particular artist, photographer or illustrator that influenced or inspired you?

I like many artists from the old masters to contemporary photographers. I love Guy Bourdin's work and also the society photographs of Dafydd Jones. I have a gorgeous book I bought at Foyles in London, on Claude Lorrain, I can sit and admire his paintings and sketches for hours, and they take you back to long forgotten eras in time. Samuel Palmer's art is beautiful too, and JMW Turner's large paintings are breathtaking. I've already mentioned Sue MacCartney-Snape, but she has been a major influence on my art style, the expressions on her character's faces are exquisite. All her work has a narrative quality, which I like. You can almost hear the Sloaney accents! The cartoonist HM Bateman is another favourite.

7) Is being an illustrator a lucrative business?

I know there are some illustrators who make a very comfortable living, it all depends on how willing you are to adapt to the marketplace. If you build up a good rapport with publishers, art directors of companies and such, then you'll keep ticking over with plenty of work. I don't see my art as lucrative, I do it mainly to please myself and if it pleases others then that is certainly a bonus. I have a full time job that isn't related to fashion illustration, which I use it to pay for my materials and my rent! If there was enough demand for my work, then I would definitely consider becoming a full-time illustrator. I have sold quite a few pieces to friends and acquaintances, people who have liked a particular piece of work that I have already created. I have gladly reproduced it for them in acrylic or in a digital format. Requests for pictures of shoes and handbags are so much fun.

8) What the most exciting project you have embarked on?

I painted a large handbag on canvas for a friend and she has it proudly on display in her house. Then a friend of hers wanted the same one, so I painted another. I got so used to painting the image I ended up creating one for my own flat. I'll post a copy of it.

Lady Zara

Sketched from life in the Richmond Enclosure during Glorious Goodwood, modified in Photoshop