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An illustrator has to be the master of
their medium, concept, composition
and communication.
Gail Armstrong
Royal London
Cover for the royal issue of
Where London magazine,
using icons of London as
crenellations on the crown.
Gail Armstrong
WHAT DREW YOU TO ILLUSTRATION? I wanted to go to art school from age 6 when
we used to drive to school past the local art college and I could see all the students
carrying their work in. ANY FORMAL DESIGN TRAINING? Yes – I made it to art school for
a Foundation Course, then moved on to Glasgow School of Art for both degree and a
Post Graduate Diploma. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Sheffield – with Scottish parents. So,
Glasgow was going back to my roots. WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW AND WHY? South East
London. I originally came to work here as a Graphic Designer, but managed to make the
move to pure illustration after a couple of years. DESCRIBE YOUR STUDIO. It’s on the third
floor of our Victorian home. Being high up with three arched windows it is wonderfully
light, and the three flights of stairs keep me fit – especially on days when the doorbell
never stops ringing. The room is large but packed to the gunnels with drawers full of
papers. DESCRIBE THE VIEW. I overlook one of the main roads out of London, so I had to
move my desk away from the window, it was too distracting. WHO OR WHAT IS YOUR
BIGGEST INSPIRATION? It’s more of a ‘when’. It’s during quiet times when your mind
drifts, like long car journeys or the odd mornings when I wake up before the alarm goes
off and everything is still. That’s when I get my best and most unexpected ideas. Mind
you, the pressure of a tight deadline can be pretty focusing too! HOW DO YOU GET
YOUR IDEAS? Research. The more I find out about something, the more the ideas start
to ‘ping’. DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING? Projects! I have so many not-yet-started and
half-finished projects that I guess they have inadvertently become a collection. DO
YOU KEEP A SCRAPBOOK? More a combination of iPhone and notebook – I always carry
both with me so I can quickly record things I see or hear. TELL US ABOUT A FAVOURITE
PROJECT. That would be my most recent project for SOGO, Hong Kong. Just when I said,
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