In the studio with … PigMeat

In front of my bedroom mural, 2017

Can you tell us about your journey into illustration and what inspired you to pursue it as a career? / What role does your home environment or cultural background play in influencing your artwork if any?

When I was growing up my mother worked as an illustrator at Penguin Books. Throughout my early childhood she was working on Spot the Dog children’s books by Eric Hill. Her studio was at the top of our family home in the large, converted attic space (a creative sanctuary I later chaotically invaded during my GCSE and A Level years).

My mother tells this story from my childhood, and it is the perfect display of her unwavering support and my creative determination…..

When I was about three years old, I made my way, unattended, up the steep stairs to the attic. My mother used to illustrate on a high drafting table, sat on a stool a meter off the ground. It was on this table that she had left her yet to be scanned, outline illustrations for a new Spot the Dog book. I hauled myself up onto her stool and proceeded to start colouring in all of her beautiful illustrations. When she found me and saw what I had done she did not shout or tell me off, despite the fact I had just destroyed hours of hard work that probably had a deadline close approaching. Instead, she encouraged my creativity and determination. I’m sure however there was lots of panicked swearing once I was out of ear shot.

My mother has continued to be the biggest supporter of my creativity, in whatever form it has taken over the years. Whether that be by spending hours researching and practising textiles techniques to teach me during my GCSE’s when I had a lousy teacher, or allowing me to use my bedroom walls as a canvas for a monstrous Basquiat inspired mural during my A Levels and then later, supporting my decision to go to art college in 2017.

Despite the uncertain, turbulent landscape of freelance illustration, and any anxieties she might have about my career motivations, I know she will support me every step of the way. Seeing the little excited jig she did in the car when I told her I had been commissioned by the Guardian is a memory I will treasure forever. I can’t wait to celebrate my achievements, as well as stress over when the next commission is coming in, with her by my side.

My Mother working in her studio - 2020

How would you describe your unique style, and how has it evolved over time?

When people ask me to describe my style to them, I almost always stumble over my words and struggle to articulate anything at all so a few months ago I asked ChatGPT to describe my style based off my Instagram profile. It spat out sentences like…. “It’s as though1950’s propaganda art met modern graphic design and decided to stage an abstract theatre of human confusion.”….. “A dystopian pantomime” and….. “It’s clear you’re either deeply into the avant-garde or plotting a mind- control conspiracy, are you trying to summon the end of civilisation through images? Because its working.” Now those are all quite dramatic statements, but I do think there is truth to them. (Although I promise I’m not trying to wipe out civilisation, I’ll leave that to AI).

I have always preferred looking to outside sources for an understanding of my style. Getting external viewpoints provides me with fresh insights and helps me form a closer connection to my practice. I recently reached out to satire legend and long standing cartoonist for The Guardian, Martin Rowson for some feedback on my work, and he said…. “This stuff’s great! It’s kind of clean and simple but also dirty and complex and deeply disquieting”. I think this is a brilliant summary of my style, and one I would probably never have reached on my own.

Some other words I use to describe my work are, satirical, tongue in cheek, unsettling, and sardonic. I believe it is the subject matters I explore that are the main influence on my style.

Are there any specific themes or subjects you find yourself drawn to when illustrating?

I enjoying exploring the intersection between illustration and social commentary. My portfolio showcases a range of projects that reflect a darkly humorous and satirical perspective on contemporary politics like corruption, authority, consumerism and neoliberalism. I want my work to engage with audiences for both its aesthetic appeal and its underlying messages. I particularly enjoy illustrating power dynamics within society and I think some of my most successful imagery exists in my project

 ‘Visualising Disparity: An Exploration of political hierarchies.’  The themes depicted in these images include the dominance of the one percent and the uneven distribution of wealth, political power dynamics, tyrannical governance, and the destructive manipulation of society for political gain.

Can you walk us through your creative process, from concept to final piece?

When I am creating work that is directly responding to a piece of writing I start by reading the text a couple of times, highlighting anything of importance, interesting words and anything that catches my attention. I make sure to highlight any narratives within the text that I think can be expanded on. The better the writing the easier this process is, I love when a text is already super visual in its description. Next, I like to make sure I have a deep understanding of what the text is trying to describe and achieve by paying attention to the tone of voice. It is important to work out the politics of the piece early on.

Then, I like to boil the subject matter right down and start writing any initial ideas in my sketchbook, these usually start very simple, often a collection of words or statements. I like to use word association and think very broadly across the subject matter. I lay this out a bit like a mind map, making connections across different elements. I find it useful to summarise the text or concept into a single sentence and it is usually from there that most of the visual metaphors and stories develop.

Next, if I’m being patient, I will sketch out some roughs either in my sketch book or adobe illustrator. I often have a strong initial idea and get over excited and want to jump straight into the illustration phase. Recently I have trying to explore and rough up a range of different ideas to make sure I am exploring every angle. However, running with my initial idea does often feel instinctual.

Once I am confident in my idea I begin illustrating in Photoshop. This part of the process happens very naturally. I play around with compositions until I am happy and then I start fleshing out the details. I have a large collection of collage assets on my laptop, lots of vintage portraits, machinery parts and random objects. I also flick through my collection of pictorial archives and photography annuals to make sure the imagery I use is always expanding. I have a folder full of cut out silhouettes that I drag and drop into scenes, amending their poses where needed and giving them heads, outfits and other details to fit the work.

What tools and mediums do you prefer to work with, and why?

Over the last couple of years, I have fallen completely in love with collage and photomontage. Collage imagery has been used as a political weapon throughout history, from the DADA movement in 1917 to Punk in 1975. As a medium for addressing political issues collage is successful due to the use of photography. Photographs are a universal language that can be understood quickly and easily. They act as a believable portrayal of events, people or objects, introducing a layer of truth and reality to the work, strengthening its impact. Collage processes allow you to dissect images and contexts, exposing or transforming perspectives. Through the use of photographic imagery, the pieces are anchored to a sense of reality and never give in to complete surrealism or nonsense. By utilising photographic imagery in my collages, my intention is to dissect different narratives and offer meaningful and unsettling insight.

Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your approach to illustration?

The 1917 DADA movement has acted as one of my earliest and strongest influences, particularly Dadaist John Heartfield.  Heartfield leveraged photomontage to subvert Nazi propaganda during the second world war and re-appropriated famous historical and cultural imagery to elicit extreme emotions in his audience. His motivations and stylistic approaches align well with my practice.  Political cartooning is also a massive influence for me. I have Martin Rowson, Peter Brookes and Steve Bell to thank for my unwavering love of satire, visual metaphor, allegory and storytelling. Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot taught me how to embrace the nonsensical and build interesting, mysterious narratives around seemingly non-existent contexts. Francis Bacon, Hieronymus Bosch, Grayson Perry, David Shrigley and Sarah Lucas are some more of my earlier influences. More recent influences include the practicing illustrators and creatives David Plunkert, Neil Packer, Foka Wolf, Paul Blow, Cold War Steve, Christoph Niemann and Ben Jones.

‘The cross was not heavy enough’ John Heartfield 1934

What has been your most challenging or rewarding project to date? 

In October 2024 I was commissioned by The Guardian (a huge goal of mine!!!) to create an editorial illustration that accompanied an in-depth feature on private equity. The article was titled "Is private equity out of control?" by Alex Blasdel, and my illustration appeared in print alongside it on the 10th of October 2024. This project required me to visually interpret complex financial concepts in a way that was both accessible and engaging for a broad readership.

I wanted my image to visualise the motivations of private equity firms, and during the conceptualisation stage I landed on the phrase 'money overshadows all'. This sentence translated perfectly into a visual metaphor, depicting society withering in the shadow cast by large stacks of dollar bills. The illustration was designed to complement the article's tone and politics, providing a visual entry point into the nuanced discussion of private equity’s impact on society. This commission allowed me to demonstrate my ability to translate intricate subject matter into clear, compelling visual storytelling. This commission was an absolute dream, and I am aiming for many more.

PigMeat for The Guardian 2024

PigMeat rough for The Guardian 2024

How do you stay inspired and overcome creative blocks?

When addressing creative blocks, I find it useful to try and ignore any feelings of pressure (which are almost always self-inflicted). Play and experimentation simply cannot exist in a pressurised environment, and without those things, creativity will not thrive. Sometimes I find that my creative blocks are actually creative burn out. When this is happening, it is important for me to take a break from my practice for a bit, and I mean really take a break, not just sit there and feel guilty about the fact I’m not creating (I’m still working on this). During these breaks I try to read up more on things I am interested in (politics) and read more books (usually fiction. At the moment I am really enjoying stories with complex, unlikeable female characters). I also try to slow down and take in my environment more. Being a good observer is a very important part of my practice and with the fast pace of modern life, and editorial illustration, I often forget to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on around me.

Finding new sociopolitical issues to address is a great source of inspiration. This means it is important for me to stay up to date on current affairs which can be a bit intense and draining when the news is particularly enraging or depressing, however these emotions are great fuel for my practice.

When I am feeling short of inspiration I like to spend some time sourcing new imagery for my collages. I enjoy collecting pictorial archive books and photography annuals and perusing online archives like the Biodiversity Heritage Library. I find adding to my collage assets folder quite addictive (it makes me feel like a collector) and I can get lost doing this for hours. It involves very minimal creativity, so I enjoy doing tasks like this when I want to save my creativity reserves but still do something productive.

On top of everything I have outlined, having conversations with those close to me is a great way to boost my motivation and morale. Brainstorming new projects and portfolio pieces with my agent at Northernillo,

(Hi Rachelle!) helps me stay on track and keeps me accountable for my practice and work flow.

What can we look forward to from you in the future? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations you’d like to pursue? Who are your dream clients?

I am currently working on my second feature for Left Cultures, a left wing publication and community based in Bristol. Left Cultures celebrates the rich diversity of the left’s cultural past and shares beautiful storytelling across film, literature, music, art and poetry. Artists of note in the Left Cultures family include Martin Rowson, Joe Lycett, Krime, Black Lodge Press and Led by Donkeys.

For my contribution to the fourth edition, I am responding to a feature written by Linda Roland Danil, a visiting Researcher in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cambridge. In her feature she reflects on the 2018 documentary ‘The Price of Everything’ which provides a look at the workings of the contemporary artworld. My illustration builds on this concept by examining the art trading market and the commodification of art for investment, critiquing the art auction giant Jeff Koons. My image will be published in their fourth edition alongside over 60 other artists and writers. I am very much enjoying working on this piece and having inspiring zoom call meetings with Left Cultures founder, and accomplished illustrator Phil Wrigglesworth. The publication will be in print in July 2025.

As I look to the future some of my dream clients and projects include……

Illustrating the cover of The New Yorker, working with The Folio Society to illustrate a special edition book and working as part of the in house art direction team at The Guardian.

A list of clients I hope to work with in the not too distant future ….. 

The Guardian (again), The Observer, The Economist, Forbes, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs Magazine, The New Statesman, Penguin Books, The Folio Society, Private Eye, The Financial Times and many more…

PigMeat for 3rd Edition of LeftCultures

In the studio with… Gill Ferguson

Can you tell us about your journey into illustration and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?

I’m originally from a textile design background, I’ve worked in the textile print industry and as a freelance surface pattern designer. As the textile design market slowed down during lockdown I started using the collage technique I’d been using to create motifs for patterns to collage scenes from my daily walks. Over time I found that I was becoming more engrossed with this work as it felt more personal, I was able to explore themes and techniques which were significant to me. As a child I was always obsessed with drawing and making, going to art collage was all I ever considered doing when I left school,  I feel lucky to have been able to pursue this career.

How would you describe your unique style, and how has it evolved over time?

 I work with collage and would describe my style as colourful, joyful and observational. Over time I’ve honed in on  themes which resonate with me and have become more comfortable with working spontaneously, collaging on location and while at life drawing sessions. Previously I created textile designs in watercolour and still like to paint watercolour sheets to use in my collages.

What role does your home environment or cultural background play in influencing your artwork if any?

 I live in a rural coastal village in Lancashire, which I find very inspiring, often the landscapes and animals in my illustrations are those observed while I’m out walking. I love being outdoors whatever the season and enjoy recording the seasonal shifts in my illustrations. I must admit I do also enjoy being within striking distance of the fab cities we have in the NW and being able to get a top up of culture when required!

Are there any specific themes or subjects you find yourself drawn to when illustrating?

 I am drawn to collaging landscapes, observations of nature and figures, I like to have a grounding anchor point for my work.

Can you walk us through your creative process, from concept to final piece?

I love getting my hands sticky and working with the materials, collage is a fun and tactile medium to work with. If an illustration is based on a scene I photograph it from different viewpoints to help me work on the composition, I then thumbnail different versions in a sketchbook and research the animals or birds which I might be including. Once I’m happy with the layout I get down to the fun and start painting and selecting the papers to use, I enjoy the freedom of this mark making stage. The elements of the collage are cut from the various papers and after some of arranging/rearranging glued into place. I’ll then scan the collage into photoshop and clean up the ragged edges and blobs of glue!

What tools and mediums do you prefer to work with, and why?

I love that collage is a lo fi medium, it feels very democratic! My tools and methods are very simply and accessible, if I’m out and about collaging I use a small pair of scissors or if I’m working in the studio I use a scalpel and cutting mat and stick everything together with a Pritt stick. The papers I work with are often from old books or found papers such as the insides of envelopes and magazines. I use materials from different sources as I enjoy the variety of weights and tactile qualities.

Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your approach to illustration?

My influences are quite varied, I first started looking at collage through the work of Eric Carle and his wonderful textured, colourful papers.  I look to the painting of Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden for their beautiful compositions of the countryside. At the moment I’m also developing my work in figure drawing and looking at the work of Johanna Goodman and Romare Bearden, they’re inspiring me to be more experimental in my approach.

How do you stay inspired and overcome creative blocks?

I stay inspired by getting out about and walking every day. When I can I travel to new places either on holidays or with the Urban Sketching group I’m a member of, I think this keeps my eyes keen. I also enjoy the opportunity to work alongside other artists, at workshops and life drawing sessions. I try to stay open to fresh ideas through reading, magazines, podcasts and films. If I feel stuck with a piece of work I’ll get outside take a break and come back refreshed and with a brew.

What’s your perspective on the role of illustration in today’s digital world?

I try to remain positive and hope that clients will appreciate the unique perspectives that illustrators bring to projects and enjoy following the development of the artists’ work.

What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators looking to build a career in this field?

 Keep on going and have fun finding your unique voice by trying different techniques and sharing your work. It’s not a career for the faint hearted but the best folk to work with are creatives.

What can we look forward to from you in the future? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations you’d like to pursue? Who are your dream clients?

 In the future I would love to illustration a nature book, something around seasonal changes, fauna and flora. It’s been great to see my illustrations licenced for greetings cards, I’d like to see more of this in the future. I’m also enjoying the work I’m doing in life drawing and the direction that’s moving in, it would be great to be able to use this for editorial work.

In the studio with… Ray Hall

1. Can you tell us about your journey into illustration and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?

Illustration has always been a passion of mine, from the start of my development as a child I’ve been drawing, like most children do; though, watching animated TV shows as I grew up definitely inspired my love and passion for it. Studio Ghibli films are probably the first direct inspiration to my illustration journey, as I recall drawing characters from the films often as a child. That’s probably what shaped my style, and my desire to be a character designer, telling stories with my illustrations.

2. How would you describe your unique style, and how has it evolved over time?

My style has been through countless pivots and circles, but digital art has been a staple and my preferred medium for over a decade. I’d describe my current style as a fusion of western animation and Japanese anime, combined with a more painterly style of rendering. This is a style I’ve been circling around for a long time, though as I’ve progressed as an artist, my style has matured. I love using more pencil textured and paint textured brushes to add more dimension to my pieces.

3. What role does your home environment or cultural background play in influencing your artwork if any?

I’m very close with my family, so I find myself leaning into creating found-families when I’m creating characters, and having their interactions mimic that of siblings. I’m a sucker for making characters that have complex relationships, and highlighting that in my illustrations is something that tends to come about subconsciously.

4. Are there any specific themes or subjects you find yourself drawn to when illustrating?

I enjoy illustrating emotive pieces, but the answer to this question is probably found in my answer to the question prior.

5. Can you walk us through your creative process, from concept to final piece?

Music is vital for me, not only does it focus my mind, it gives me a lot of inspiration. Sometimes I’ll listen to a song, and I see the illustration I want to create immediately. I can often transfer the image in my mind directly to the screen without too much hassle, but finding referencing and images to inspire colour palettes or backgrounds is essential. Other times, I see media that inspires me, and I’ll create something relating to that, maybe a style study to understand the fundamentals of that piece of media further, or something entirely new using some of the elements of that media as inspiration. Once the sketching and colouring is done, rendering is something that I can do without too much outside influence; the shadows and highlights paint themselves, if that makes sense.

6. What tools and mediums do you prefer to work with, and why?

I’m definitely a digital artist, but I love pencil sketches, and pen sketches. I’m adverse to most paints and sculpting mediums due to my sensory issues, so being able to achieve a somewhat similar result digitally makes these styles a bit more accessible to me. My preference for digital art is again mostly linked to my sensory issues, but it reaches beyond that, too; I think the art I liked best has always been digital, and being able to create like digital artists I used to look up to as a child feels like an accomplishment, and I think digital art can be limitless, if you use it in the right way.

7. Who are your biggest influences, and how have they shaped your approach to illustration?

Different Anime shows most certainly used to be my biggest influences as a child, but as I’ve aged I’ve realised that the 2D Disney films also influenced me. Right now, I’d say some of my biggest

influences are as follows; Studio Fortiche who animated the Netflix original animation Arcane, Studio Ghibli who’s most prolific works include Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, David Goetz who’s art direction on Atlantis: the Lost Empire has always stuck in my head for it’s beautiful character designs and jaw dropping environmental design. As for how all of these examples have shaped my approach to illustration, it’s mostly focused on the characters; they teach me to be bolder, use shapes more often and exaggerate features and shading to create a unique look.

8. What has been your most challenging or rewarding project to date?

I’d say my second year university project called High School was probably my most rewarding, not only for it’s achievement of Gold in the Illustration Category for Creative Conscience 2023, but because I really focused on communicating something in a more unique way, attempting to illustrate a feeling so that others who haven’t experienced it can understand my point of view. When it all came together, it really felt like I’d achieved something good with that project.

9. How do you stay inspired and overcome creative blocks?

I find that creative blocks are constant for me, so I’ve tried to take the pressure off myself in those times and focus on some anatomy studies. I’ve been enjoying using sketchdaily.net to set myself a two minute timer on every reference photo it pulls up for me, and seeing how I can best translate it onto my digital canvas in the most casual way I can. Two minutes can be over so quickly, but I don’t give myself time to dwell on anything I missed in the previous reference photo, because the clock’s ticking down for the new reference photo. It’s teaching me to be more lax with my illustrations, and to not be so hard on myself, or striving for perfection. It’s relieving. After doing this for a while, I usually feel inspiration to work on something I may have pushed to the side, or a pose I’m given may inspire something entirely new.

10. What’s your perspective on the role of illustration in today’s digital world?

Illustration’s still just as important as ever, if not more so now. I think people are so quick to forget that humanity is more than money and work, it’s about culture, history, architecture, music and art. Humans have always been creative, and they won’t stop being creative, they’ll just adapt to fit the times they live in. Illustration will always exist, and there’ll always be a need for it.

11. What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators looking to build a career in this field?

Building a career in illustration takes a lot of work, and it can be excruciating when you’re faced with a severe art block and deadlines breathing down your neck; my advice is to try not to lose the enjoyment in all the stress - take breaks when your body and mind need them, overworking yourself is just a path to disaster. Keep personal projects that bring you joy and work on them when you need some time to remind yourself why you’re an Illustrator.

12. What can we look forward to from you in the future? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations you’d like to pursue? Who are your dream clients?

Right now I’m focusing on character design, as can be expected, but a few projects I’m brewing are quirky and feel-good, inspired by some of the nostalgic early 2000’s ‘magical girl’ shows. In relation to project’s I’d like to pursue, I think some cover illustrations for novels would be very exciting, I’m always drawn in by them myself, so having a crack at one would be great. Dream clients would probably be any clients looking to create stories, and getting to work with them to bring characters to life on the screen would be an absolute goal.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Ray’s workspace.