This week’s Featured Artist is the wonderful Jane Eccles, an illustrator with a quirky flair. Read on for our Q&A with Jane.
How did you get started as an artist?
My mum went to art school and my dad is an architectural illustrator and we children drew all the time – mum still has drawing books filled with our creations. I studied Graphic Design at Chelsea School of Art, which was known for producing great illustrators and so I decided that’s what I wanted to try to be.
What inspires you to be creative?
All kinds of things inspire me to be creative – it usually helps if there’s a deadline but I’m getting better at just drawing for the sake of it. I get inspiration from everyday things and am always mentally storing up images.
How would you describe your creative process?
My creative process begins with lots of thinking then putting ideas onto paper. I like to think when I’m having a bath or cleaning my teeth. The bathroom is good for ideas – they seem to flow when I’m doing mundane stuff.
What is your favourite medium to work in and why?
Pen and ink – it’s easy to be spontaneous and free.
How do you tackle a blank canvas?
A new piece of work always makes me nervous but once I’ve made a pencil mark somewhere on the paper I’m off. The getting started is always the hardest thing.
What do you find the most challenging about the creative process?
I do family portraits quite a lot and they can be a challenge as the client knows how the subjects should look, whereas I only have photos and descriptions to work from. The tricky thing is to capture the essence of the person yet to keep to one’s style. Sometimes style and composition needs to be compromised a little to fit in with the client’s requests and ideas, but it’s good to be a bit flexible.
In which ways do you differentiate your work from that of other artists?
I like to think that my work is different to other illustrators’. It has evolved over the years. It’s most often likened to Quentin Blake’s glorious drawings which is hugely flattering as I admire the lovely loose & seemingly effortless quality of his lines. I read that he used a light box sometimes, so I immediately got myself one though I seldom use it these days.
What are your essential tools?
My essential tools are Rotring Tikky Pens (I have loads, mostly 0.1s), Tippex, Letraset ProMarkers, acrylic inks and Moomin rubbers.
How would you describe your studio/workspace?
I work in the tiniest space crammed full of books, paper, pens and inks. My desk looks very messy but I can find everything. Occasionally I arrange pens in some kind of order but that never lasts.
Any tips for preparing a portfolio?
It depends on whether you are showing your portfolio to possible clients or whether it’s for a college application. If the former, do your research first. Check that the person you are seeing with your portfolio uses your style and genre of illustration. Don’t take too much stuff with you and edit carefully. For college, if I can remember that far back, choose the best examples of your work, showing different skills and techniques. Show that you have the potential to learn and expand on your knowledge so far.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
I have a website – www.janeecclesillustrator.co.uk – and I can be found on Facebook at Kind Dog. I am also @tusktastic on Twitter.
