It's here! The 3rd in my series of interviews with artists, creatives, illustrators and the like.
Today we meet Jo Parry, illustrator extraordinaire and a very clever, funny and lovely, entertaining lady. Not only that she's also beautiful, this lady has it all :-) Young illustrators, older-but-new-to-the-game illustrators (like me) - take note! Some incredible advice and insight included here from someone who's made it in the big bad world of illustration. Which is no mean feat :-) So get your listening gear around this!!
I shan't waffle on any more and let you get reading - suffice to say - this is good stuff !
Sam:
Hi Jo :-) From your Twitter profile we can gather that you are a busy professional illustrator, you like a G&T, can’t live without mascara and have a lovely rabbit called Monty. I think you might also have an occasional bet on the gees gees? But what else lies “behind the eyes” to quote the name of your excellent blog? Can you tell us a bit about yourself in your own words.
Jo:
I guess I'm an eclectic mix of many things. A passionate and willful person fueled by a love of art, sport, nature, antiques, animals, running, to name but a few! Fundamentally though I'm an artist at heart and actually this provides the foundation for all my other passions. With the exception of running, that's fueled by a need to offset the gin.
Sam:
I gather you were keen on art from an early age, and decided quite early on the broad area (ie art) that what you wanted to follow as a career, but can you tell us about your journey from art college to becoming a full time illustrator?
Jo:
I was fortunate enough to have an agent before leaving art college, following a spec visit. To my incredulity I was signed up the following day. That proved to be relatively successful but after two years we parted company. For the next few years I operated as a freelance trawling the agencies and design houses of London. I picked up work with women's magazines as an editorial illustrator and scratched around in that field for a while. It was hard graft and not as fruitful as I'd hoped. Since leaving college my work had stagnated and commissions were getting thinner on the ground. I was fortunate enough to have friendships with a couple of Bournemouth designers who kept me in work but following a long fallow period and another unsuccessful agency contract, I realised I had to step it up a gear or I was going to fail. I enrolled for a year's course in Graphic Communication which got me back up to speed on the mac software, photoshop in particular. I took a course in black and white photography too, I needed to cover all bases again. I went back to life drawing classes, trawled the galleries of London obsessively, and immersed myself back into the effort. If the work wasn't going to come to me, I was going to go to it. By this time I had honed a style suitable for greetings cards so I took out an ad in the back of Greetings Magazine, an industry publication. I was actually down to my last £100 and that was the cost of the ad.
Fate intervened at last, and following a phone call from Ed Burns (my agent) in response to the ad, I secured a contract the next week. Within weeks he had started to filter through commissions and my portfolio swelled in parallel with my pride. That was 1998.
We haven't looked back and I'm happy to say that the Advocate team are now firm friends as well as work colleagues.
Sam:
Would you say in terms of illustration you are more self taught or did you learn lots about illustration at college/uni? Has this informed the way you work?
Jo:
That's a great question actually because I'm not sure of the answer! My art school education was fabulous, informative and actually pretty tough. I was surrounded by people far more talented that me and whose direction was much clearer, but in terms of developing a style, that came later really. I struggled for years getting it 'right' but it wasn't until I decided to become predominantly a digital artist, which was self taught, did I feel I'd arrived home in terms of how I wanted to render the images from my imagination.
Sam:
Could you describe your style of work as you see it?
Jo:
Hard to say exactly as I work in many fields, but where I can I like to inject a little quirkiness, whimsy or humour. I think that can be found in most of my artworks! Actually it's one of the biggest plus points for an illustrator in my experience. Clients are always looking for the extra element of fun whether in publishing, licencing, cards or books.
Sam:
Who and/or what influences you and your work?
Jo:
In terms of individuals, I would have to say the MacKenzie Thorpe, Beryl Cook, Paul Greenwood, Adam Barsby, Govinder Nazran, Paul Corfield are right up there on my dream list of influences. A special mention go to my incredible parents though, whose stalwart support of my career through the bad times especially, have provided me with the greatest influence of all. In terms of creative influence, I study trends carefully throughout the entire industry, from ceramics to plush toys to posters to fashion. There is normally a common thread running through these branches of the industry and you need to be up to speed on what buyers are in the mood for
commissioning!
Sam:
In your blog recently you mentioned that you what you DO is illustration, but what you ARE is an artist, an important distinction. Can you tell us who your all time favourite artist is and why?
Jo:
Without a shadow of a doubt Marc Chagall. I was introduced to him aged 16 and was immediately captivated. As much by the individual as the art. His story. The way he was unselfconsciously romantic, was able to work in a variety of media, the way his Jewish
background was heavily influential on his work and where it took him, the way his family and his early enviroment were embroidered into his work. Personally speaking, there is no finer gift to the art lover than an artist who can create, embody, emote, render with such individualism, freedom and sincerity and then share it the way he did. My king of kings.
Sam:
What's your favourite film?
Jo:
Motorcycle Diaries. The story of a young Che Guevara.
Sam:
If you weren’t an illustrator, what would other job would you like to try
your hand at?
Jo:
I'd love to be an interior designer and expand on my love of fabrics, furnishing and antiques.
Sam:
Can you name one thing about yourself that is unique or surprising, that people wouldn't guess about you unless you told them?
Jo:
I was once asked to screen test for a Bodyform commercial after being approached in Covent Garden! (I declined!)
Sam:
What do you like to do to relax/unwind?
Jo:
Running relaxes me most, but other than that I would say photography. In summer I enjoy an evening swim at the beach, after the tourists have gone home!
Sam:
Describe your perfect day?
Jo:
One that involves the completion of a piece of art, and one that I can sign off with satisfaction. Then followed by walk along the beach, maybe with my camera, a chat with friends and family, a run, a bath and finally a G&T !
Sam:
As an experienced illustrator who is successful, respected, and in regular demand, something many illustrators and artists wish for in such a competitive field, what would you say was your “big break”? (feel free to say you did not get a “big break”, if this was not the case, of course!)
Jo:
The ad I placed in Greetings Magazine was the single most important moment. However, the years of stubborn effort previously was probably more significant.
Sam:
And on this note, do you have any advice for up and coming aspiring illustrators?
Jo:
Don't give up! In all seriousness, the most important decision you make is a commercial one. If you want to be a full time illustrator you need to think commercially. Understand what the market requires, and this means sometimes having to compromise on what work you want to do. Ideally being able to tailor your own work to the market place is the perfect scenario. That's what I did. Bottom line is bottom line, whether it's children's books, a greetings card or a brand of ketchup. It works the same way.
Sam:
The million dollar question: What’s the secret to earning a decent crust at this illustration lark? Is it luck or sheer determination and hard work, or a bit of both, or something else entirely?
Jo:
First of all, park the idea that you are a creative. You are of course, but approach it from a more hard headed angle at the start. Just work out what people want. Be pragmatic and dogged. Be ahead of the game by being up to speed on trends. We all want to set them, but realistically you will be more successful if you follow to start with. Once you are established you will have the freedom to expand.
Sam: Do you smile a little or a lot?
Jo: A lot!
Sam:
What time were you up till last night and why?
Jo:
11.00pm I think. Early for me but was recovering from a heavy
weekend!
Sam:Dream holiday destination?
Jo: Nice in the Cote D'azur, France.
Sam: Currently most played/favourite record?
Jo:Butterfly Collector by the Jam
Sam: Book you would recommend everyone should read?
Jo: Marc Chagall's My Life for the artists,
A short History of Tractors in
Ukranian by Marina Lewycka for everyone!
Well, thankyou Jo for such thoughtful, informative and fascinating answers. I also love the wide range of beautiful polished work you have produced of which this is just a small taster. I wanted to post it all here!
If this has left you hungry for more you can follow Jo on Twitter and you can also follow her brilliant blog.
After scanning and cleaning up the image I added colour digitally:
