The Scottish
Borders, where I live, is full to bursting with creative people, not just
writers, but visual artists working in a wide range of media. And in talking to
some of them, I’ve discovered an interesting thing: the creative processes of those
of us who work with words have a lot in common with those of artists who create
images. So, as a change from
blogging about myself and my writing, I shall occasionally invite an artist on
here to answer questions (based on ones I’ve been asked myself) about how they
work. I hope you’ll find this an interesting departure.
My first volunteer
is Kim McGillivray, an illustrator and educator based in Edinburgh. I met Kim
last year when he designed the wonderful cover for No Stranger to Death. Since 1993, he has been providing imagery for
book covers and editorial features, created weekly satirical spots for
newspapers plus illustrations for commercial graphics/advertising and the odd
poster along the way. He also teaches part-time at Art College.
At what age did you realise you
were creative, and what form did your creativity take?
I’ve always been
keen on drawing, and was receptive to the feedback that my drawings received
when I was 5-6 years old. I liked making images and I was a mostly visual
child. My writing and academic progress elsewhere was perfectly fine but, in my
leisure, I predominantly looked at picture books and enjoyed concentrating on
my own pictures. This might sound bizarre, but finding paper wasn’t always easy
and I would draw on the backs of envelopes and boxes.
Did you have any formal
training?
I went to Edinburgh
College of Art to study a degree in Visual Communication, which included
Graphics, Film & TV, Animation, Photography and Illustration. I specialised
in the latter two. I have mixed feelings about the experience. The institution
was imperfect and the learning experience was full of flaws. I was also quite
young, inexperienced, from an unsophisticated background and was learning a lot
about city living. In retrospect, despite my appetite for new experiences, I
was probably affected by culture shock. The good and the bad things were
ultimately learning experiences and have been influential in my own teaching.
When did you decide that was
how you wanted to make a living? How soon were you able to make this a reality?
Due to leaving art
college with a bad taste in my mouth, I was motivated to make things happen on
my own terms - I think I had something to prove. My first six months were spent
working in a record shop re-finding some equilibrium after the intense
conclusion to my studies. In January 1993, I started taking my folio around
potential clients, I went part-time and gave myself 6 months to see if enough
would happen to merit continuing. That was the extent of my business plan.
Do you mostly create what you
choose or do you work to commission?
For almost 21 years,
my work was always in response to commissions. I’ve been adept at interpreting
and translating supplied material into imagery. More recently, though, I’ve
worked on side projects where I‘m more central to what’s being developed and
expressed. Nowadays, when teaching Communication Design, we’re more mindful of
authorship - I think that can encourage young designers/illustrators to be less
passive and more ambitious.
Where do you get your ideas
from?
My work is about the
act of translation. I love absorbing manuscripts, journalism, poetry, music
(whatever form material comes in) and translating it effectively into imagery.
The imagery need not be secondary to the text, nor merely replicating it. I
feel imagery and text should complement one another in stimulating ways.
What’s your starting point when
beginning a new piece of work?
I sketch and
brainstorm. I’ll make written notes of what I understand of the material. I
attempt to make associations between different elements and I will conduct
visual research of particular items, themes, locations, imagery, whatever.
I will make many
draft attempts at image ideas. Nothing is pointless. Making these steps is
vital even though much of it might get discarded. Getting what’s in your head
onto paper will help you organise the mental scramble and help you see the
paths worth developing. That can be quite scrappy but it’s all about
identifying and developing quality ideas and approaches rather than any
appealing artwork style at that early stage.
The notion of
inspiration striking is a myth. Startling connections or realizations can
happen but they’ll only be delayed understandings of what you’ve already set
up. It is about steady graft and persistent development of ideas and technique.
Do you have any rituals while
working?
I’m reasonably
disciplined at getting round to work. I do a regular working week and keep
rather standard hours: Monday-Friday, 9-5. In my younger, free-er days I maybe
did 11-7 with plenty of late nights. Conversely, I’m pretty bad at forcing
myself to remain seated at the desk, even when it’s not helpful. I’m not very
good at allowing myself walks or gallery trips when a mental break is probably
what’s needed most. Having said that, I do distract myself a lot (I mean, do
research!) on the internet. Rituals? I need a strong coffee and a banana around
at about 11am every day.
What are your ideal working
conditions, e.g. do you need complete silence or listen to music?
No other people
(despite being a sociable person). Lauren Laverne on BBC 6Music is good.
Silence when I need to concentrate, if that gets too isolating I sometimes play
classical music. If I feel too lonely, then talk on Radio 4. One can absorb a
lot of culture in these ways. Podcasts are helpful too.
Other environmental
factors? I’m content with the study that I have in the house. I had a shared
studio very early in my career that brought both good and bad experiences. All
of human life thrives on interaction, but hell does sometimes feel like other
people.
Can you remember the first piece of work you sold?
As a student, I got my first live project for a student paper. It was produced by David Shayler, who notoriously went on to become a secret-service-operative-turned-whistle-blower.
Do you ever abandon pieces because they aren’t working?
I don’t think of it that way. There’s no drama in developing avenues that don’t make it to the final outcome. The creative process shouldn’t comprise a single line of approach. I start many ideas, there will be branches, mergers, reflections and consultations.
How long will an average piece
of work take to create?
Way too long, my
cost-efficiency is akin to the minimum wage.
What are you working on at the
moment?
A book cover for a
self-publishing author plus some finishing work I did as Graphic Reporter.
That’s an intriguing new direction that is opening up for me. I’m ready for new
challenges and find that my skills from freelance practice and teaching are
applicable in new and interesting settings. In fact, the understanding of
illustration and design practice is changing and the necessary skills and
mind-set continue to evolve amidst a media landscape that’s radically being
affected by new technologies.
What professional hopes and
ambitions do you have for the future?
I set myself the
task of attempting to adapt and evolve to the changing circumstances I find
myself in as an illustrator. It’s good that this challenge has come around,
though, as one can’t do the same thing forever. Learning is fun. I’m enjoying finding out about how publishing is changing and seeing what
creative and commercial possibilities might be developed from that. This has
encouraged me to pursue side projects and the results could be quite rewarding.
It’s all about changing models just now - and how (or whether) money can be
made in affected industries. If I negotiate this correctly, enough people will,
hopefully, continue to want my services in future years.
Thank you so much,
Kim, for that insight into your creative process. Much of what you say
resonates with me, especially in relation to the need to adapt and evolve, and
creativity being a matter of hard work rather than flashes of inspiration.
You can see lots more of Kim’s
work on his website: http://www.kimfolio.com/
