I initially thought I was going to be a graphic designer, but then I took a children’s illustration class in college and I was hooked. I knew that was what I wanted to do for a living. I went to CSU Fullerton and majored in illustration, tried freelancing right after school, but things didn’t work out. I wasn’t ready for it, now that I have more experience and made LOTS of mistakes I have a better idea of what it takes to become a successful illustrator.

I don’t really think of it as a style, they way I draw and paint is more of a reflection of how I see the world. It’s a combination of life experiences, and a wide range of artistic influences: outsider art, pre-columbian art, WPA artists like Ben Shahn, Mexican muralists, catholic iconography, comics, places I’ve lived (Peru, California, Oregon), music, etc.. If you’re looking for labels that people are familiar with, some people have described it as primal, primitive, urban folk, some even say that it has a Latin feel to it.

It always starts with sketches, pencil on paper. That’s the best way to get ideas out, explore, develop concepts. Next step usually involves pen & ink for line art or patterns and I also create textures or blocks of color with monoprints or acrylic. I usually work with a light table and keep elements on separate pieces of paper that I then scan and put together in Photoshop. I use Photoshop mostly for assembling and adding color, I don’t necessarily paint digitally, it just makes it easier to change colors or modify your composition in case there are changes that need to be made.

Mostly acrylic, pen and ink, block ink for monoprint textures. I also like to use charcoal or bring in other materials depending on the tone and purpose of the piece. Things like scotch tape, masking or duct tape will end up in my work. I also like to work with texture and create texture by transferring ink with found materials, ordinary things like bubble wrap create nice round textured shapes. The computer is also another tool, but I use mostly for finishing up a piece or when I’m working with motion graphics.

That happens sometimes, especially when I’m trying too hard to come up with an idea. Best thing to do is to walk away, change up your routine, go for a walk or jogging or do some mundane task where your brain goes blank and eventually ideas will come back. I also have some brainstorming techniques that help me get things going. They’re warm up exercises for the brain, they are not meant to give me a solution. I don’t believe in having a formula for coming up with ideas, you can have structure and a process to get started, but I like to rely more on intuition and let my mind wander and see what happens rather than trying to force a solution.

To do more meaningful work, when I first started my career I was doing work that was serious and had dark undertones, which didn’t get me a whole lot of assignments. I ended up trying to do work that would have more universal appeal, but it was weak and it showed. My goal is to go back to doing work that is important to me and that has an impact on some people, as long as someone connects with it, or has a positive impact then I’ve done my job. I’m not trying to save the world, some designers out there think their work can do that, I just want to impact a few, it’s a more realistic goal. When you try to have universal appeal the work gets watered down is less likely to make any difference.

It varies, depends on what I’m trying to achieve, mood is important, not just for the final piece but also in the process. If I’m relaxed or wound up it’s going to show in my illustration so I try to control that mood with music. I don’t have a particular genre I go for, here are some bands and musicians I listen to depending on what kind of mood I’m in: Sleigh Bells , TV on the Radio, Sigur Ros, Wolf Parade, John Coltrane.. I feel like I have a soundtrack for my illustration career, I sometimes look at some older pieces and remember what kind of music I was listening to at the time, you can see the influence that music had in my work during that time.

Don’t get discouraged, it’s pretty competitive out there, things are changing so I would say adapt to those changes and develop skills to meet new demands. If mobile is the next market for illustration, then figure out how your work can be used in ipads or other mobile devices and show it to art directors in that context. Have a marketing plan and stick to it, if you don’t know much about marketing, do some research. escapefromillustrationisland.com is a good resource to get started with practical information, inspiration, etc.