Interview with:Andrew Gibson [andrewgibson]
ILLUSTRATION
 | What is your specialty in illustration? So far I've concentrated on establishing myself in editorial illustration. I am at present branching out into publishing but I am available to contribute to all types of projects. |
| Is there a web address where we can see some of your work? |
| Have you completed formal art studies, or are you self-taught? I graduated in Visual Communications specialising in Illustration from Edinburgh College of Art in 2005. |
| How did you get your first full assignment? What did it involve? For about a year before I started promoting myself as an illustrator i got involved with my local art scene. That snowballed and lead to a very successful solo exhibition. It was only after the exhibition that I started doing some serious self-promotion as an illustrator. This in-turn helped me get my first proper editorial job with 'The Big Issue'. The article was about private security forces in Iraq. |
| What past or present day illustrators do you admire most? Dave Mckean has always been a strong influence. Ever since I first read the children's book "The day i swapped my dad for two goldfish" I have always wanted to become an illustrator. I've even had the pleasure of meeting the guy, i've never been so nervous in all my life. Also Sir Peter Blake , John Berry (illustrator for the Ladybird books in the 1960s) and many, many others. |
| How similar are your current drawings to those you did as a child? I was always very precious with my drawings as a child. I used to spend hours, and hours drawing very clean precise lines. I've now loosened up considerably. If something looks a bit iffy then never mind... it will just look a bit-iffy. |
| Do you have a particular style, or does it vary a lot? I spent far to long as a student worrying about finding "my style". I experimented With lots and lots of materials, finding different ways in which to work, In the end I became confused and lost. I eventually decided just to play around with the things I enjoyed the most. Using good basic drawing, interesting found and created textures and Photoshoping. My style has continued to developed from there. |
| What is hardest to draw? Cars, I love them but can't draw them. I will have a good go if someone wants to pay me. |
| What type of music do you listen to while you work? Mainly folk(ish) stuff at the moment. Lau, Drever , Woomble , Jansch, or Jazz or The Black Keys... now their is a cracking band.... anything that takes my fancy really. |
| What do you do when a client simply says "I don't like it"? Surprisingly it hasn't happened yet ....... but I'm sure it will. |
| What new techniques have you been experimenting with lately? Different ways of laying down my initial marks.... some interesting results. |
| What part of your work do you do on paper and what part digitally? My initial starting point is always pencil drawings on paper. These then get scanned in and placed into a composition within Photoshop. Once the composition has been approved I then use a combination of previously collected / created textures and digital colouring (using a Wacom) to finsh the image |
| Do you have colleagues with whom you share techniques, tricks, ideas, etc.? I used to at college but sadly not any more. I think we all used to learn from each other. |
| Do you have any specific goals as an illustrator? Next goal will probably be to see if I can find an illustration agent that suit's my future needs and atempt to genrarte more work given the economic climate. |
| What are you working on now? Work for a forth coming exhibition. |
| What advice do you have for someone who likes to draw and would like to make a living from it? Keep on drawing, dont give up and contact the AOI |
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365 visits Whohub
Andrew Gibson
Suffolk. UK
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