Tell us a little bit about yourself! When did you start creating?
I don’t actually recall a time I wasn’t creating. It was just part of the fabric of my childhood. My parents recognised that I loved drawing, and fed me a steady supply of paper, pencils, markers, and crayons. I started to take it more seriously in university when I realised that I was happiest skipping my classes to spend time working at the university humour magazine and newspaper, drawing comics.
How would you describe your artistic style in three words?
- Humourous
- Stylised
- Character-focused (I’m pretty sure that counts as one word when I add the hyphen!)
Can you walk us through your typical creative process? Do you sketch first or dive straight in?
If it’s a commissioned work, I’ll sketch ideas on paper, then start sketching digitally to refine the concept. I try to identify a narrative or visual hook (a theme or motif in the subject) that will guide the visuals and the colors.
I work in a combination of vector and raster, so typically, I’ll block out all the key elements in a rough estimation of the color scheme, refine the composition so that there’s balance in form, and so that the eye moves across the piece how I want it to, then finalize the colors and add raster details.
Personal work is usually an attempt to develop or hone a particular skill. This is usually something like, “I want to get better at drawing hands in a particular way, or I want to get better at drawing long hair.” Once in a while a practice sketch will strike my fancy, and I’ll “finish” it, along the same lines as I would a commissioned piece. Those are always sort of fun, because there’s absolutely no expectations for how it should look.
What creative conundrum have you had in the past six months and how did you solve it?
Like any creative, sometimes nothing seems to work, no matter how many hours I’ve thrown at the problem. It’s incredibly frustrating (particularly since many of us have our identities hopelessly intertwined with creative output). When it happens, I try to step away from my desk, go for a run or a bike ride, and come back with fresh eyes.
Or I’ll mix things up for a few days and draw (for fun) in a medium I’m not particularly comfortable with (which is a great way to create without aesthetic expectations). Thankfully, this almost always happens at the end of a project. It might be a symptom of working with a deadline—once the deadline is over, I need a bit of time to recharge my creative energies.
What can a client do to help you when briefing?
Ideally, I’d like to know a bit about the subject matter. I like to try to find a visual motif that resonates with the subject at hand (if it’s an illustration for a podcast, what are the themes of the episode; if it’s an editorial illustration, what is the angle, or thesis).
My background is in cartooning and comics, so I tend to look at an illustration as an extension of the story the client is looking to tell. (I’m also just a genuinely curious person. I love learning new things. I feel like the more I know about a subject, the better I’m able to capture its essence, even if in an abstracted way.)
Draw yourself as a character in your favourite book, tv show or film!
I’ve read The Lord of the Rings many times over the years. (I still have the paperbacks I was given as a kid in the early ‘80s! They’ve survived decades of moves and loans.) Oddly, the aspects of the books that most resonate are just the depictions of travel. It’s probably why I love running so much…
Time for some quick fire questions…
What is your drink of choice?
Iced coffee. I’d drink it all day if I could, but I’m pretty sure I’d vibrate into a different plane of existence if I did.
What is a song that makes you want to get up and dance?
I am a classic introvert, so it takes a lot of cajoling to get me to dance. The Scottish band Franz Ferdinand probably comes the closest! They have a lot of great tunes, but I’ll go with something like “The Dark of the Matinée”.
How would you describe your agent, Lucie Ludds, in three words?
- Indefatiguable
- Passionate
- Brave
And finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to an illustrator just starting out?
Don’t be afraid of failure. A necessary part of growth is accepting that you’re going to miss just as often as you succeed, particularly early in your career. Hone a growth mindset: the ability to take feedback as a chance to learn and to grow. Don’t be afraid of the hard work of being a good illustrator; there’s no substitute for practice.
Want to see more of Bryant’s brilliant work? Check out his portfolio and get inspired!
