ABOVE
Mike Hall
The Illustrator’s Studio
RIGHT
Mike Hall
NY/NJ Super Bowl Host
Committee Regional Map
www.illustrationweb.com/MikeHall
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also keen on cooking and practising recipes for curries and Asian food. TELL US ABOUT
A FAVOURITE PROJECT YOU’VE RECENTLY COMPLETED. I recently worked on a map of
New York and North Jersey area for an American client. It was my first map of New York
which made it especially fun to do - hopefully the first of many other international cities.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM COMMISSION? I’d love to work on a poster campaign
for Transport for London, who have such a great pedigree in commissioning artists for
their publicity. I’d also love to work on a big cityscape of another famous city like the one
I recently completed of London. WHO ARE YOUR ART HEROES? Hogarth, Gustave Doré
and Wenceslaus Hollar each had fantastic talent for documenting recognisable, real-life
characters and places. WHO ARE YOUR ILLUSTRATION HEROES? I recently discovered the
work of MacDonald Gill, the brother of typographer and sculptor Eric, who had a real
flair for embellishing his maps and illustrations with all manner of decorative motifs.
Among contemporary illustrators, I admire the work of those who have an aesthetic
style and/or deal with subject matter similar to me, such as David Foldvari, Rod Hunt,
Jamie McKelvie, Lucinda Rogers, Stephen Walter and Vic Lee. WHAT ADVICE WOULD
YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WANTING TO GET INTO ILLUSTRATION? Firstly, it’s important to
have original ideas and convey what you are passionate about through your work so you
can carve a niche for yourself by appealing to people with similar interests as yourself.
Secondly, keep the faith – keep working on ideas and have an eye on expanding and
developing your portfolio, even during quiet periods, and rewards shall be eventually
be reaped. DO YOU THINK ANYONE WITH PHOTOSHOP CAN BE AN ILLUSTRATOR THESE
DAYS? Perhaps, but I think original ideas are more vital to being a successful illustrator
than the tools or software you have to work with. I find highly-polished ‘Photoshopped’
work that you see a lot of these days (especially in design industry magazines)
incredibly boring. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL BACK IN TIME WHICH PERIOD WOULD YOU
VISIT & WHY? Purely for curiosity’s sake, I’d love to visit London before the Great Fire –
of course, I’d have to wear a biohazard suit to prevent me catching the plague. WHAT’S
YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE FROM A SONG OR BOOK OR SOMEONE? “I found a smile from
somewhere, and nailed it to my face” – ‘Starter For 10’ by David Nicholls.
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