Thomas Danthony Interview

This interview with Thomas Danthony- an illustrator who's work is really inspirational to me, tells a lot about his practice and the story of how he became an illustrator.

Hi Thomas, please tell us something about who you are and what you’re passionate about.

My name is Thomas Danthony. I am illustrator, designer and artist. I am from Montpellier, a city by the mediterranean sea in the south France and I have now been living in London for the last few years. Apart from creating pictures, I love climbing and spending time in the wild.

What first pushed you to be an illustrator? And what are some of the most important things you learned while doing so?

I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. After product design studies, I slowly realized that illustration was actually a possibility. And at the same time, people started to show interest in my work and I got my first commission. There are a lot of important lessons that I have learnt as an illustrator. It’s not just simply drawing, it’s how to run a business, from managing my clients, dealing with timelines and then of course constantly evolving my drawing. There is always something new and interesting to deal with, so you never get bored.

Your work has a beautiful combination of soft gradients and bold colours. Where do you find inspiration for this aesthetic? And how has it shaped your working process?

I find inspiration everywhere, from my everyday life, travels, photography, cinema, paintings… My working process is built around the finish I want with my pictures. But I also try to experiment as much as I can, to avoid being trapped in my own style / process. I work mainly with digital on commissions, but I also like to do screen prints and paintings. This actually helps me stay fresh with my digital work.

Are there any new themes of motifs you want to incorporate into your work, but haven’t had the chance yet?

I would definitely like to experiment more with textile design, pattern and installations. Packaging and objects are also something I am interested in.

Do you have any recent or upcoming projects that you’re particularly excited about?

I am working on a solo show but I am still in the process of finding the right place at the moment. It would be mainly paintings, so I am excited about getting my hands dirty and being able to spend less time in front of the screen!

Last but not least, could you share some advice to aspiring illustrators?

I think the key is to find your own voice and to draw things that make you happy. Some illustrators will naturally have a style easy to market and others not. This doesn’t mean one is better than the other. Keep your own touch, as long as you like what and how you draw, post it online and eventually someone will spot it!

http://blog.kuvva.com/2015/06/musing-with-thomas-danthony-the-illustrator-of-enthralling-images/

Getting in Touch with Patrick Jackson

For my creative industries report, I have chosen to interview Patrick Jackson- a local graphic designer who I know personally and previously practiced as an illustrator.

I want to find out how he views the blend between graphic design, and if he sees the two disciplines as something which can be used by one practitioner. I want to find out about how he finds his clients and how he goes about dealing with them.

As well as interviewing Patrick, I want to find other interviews with other illustrators who have backgrounds in graphic design or who's work is heavily influenced by graphic elements, to see if they have any contrasting views with Patrick. 

Brush Design- Charging Clients

I hate talking about money with people. For some reason I constantly feel like I'm ripping people off, especially with my brush design, it doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the brushes, as every client so far has been over the moon with them, I just struggle with having someone send me a decent bit of money for essentially nothing, its just a file.

I think what makes it worse is that I am struggling to set up a standard cost. Most of the time I just tell the client it'll cost a certain amount, then if it takes ages I just ask for more, and they always are understanding of that. I think I need to start thinking about charging an hourly price. Usually the money I make off one brush design works out at about 12GBP an hour, which sounds like a lot but seeing as they don't usually take much longer than 4 hours to do, it's not too bad.

Hopefully once i set up a small business properly I'll be able to look at standard pricing.