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Interview with Steve Wiltshire

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After seeing Steve Wiltshire’s collection of work at the Loughborough Degree show, i was intrigued how he created his illustrations and wanted to find out more. I was fortunate enough to interview Steve, where he tells all about his unique style and how he is achieving his dreams since graduating.

Q1 How would you best describe your style of design and how do you achieve this?

I describe myself as a reportage illustrator. I ‘report’ things, or tell a story; give the viewer an impression of what it is like to be in a certain place or do a certain thing.  I like to go out and look at what other people are doing in terms of illustration and look at different ways that certain aspects of design can be achieved and from this, I have developed my own style. All the components of my illustrations are drawn separately (often my hand)  i.e. each character and I then use the freedom of digital media to compose the image. It is this overlaying of many different components that is characteristic of my work.

Q2 Where do you find your inspiration, and how does this reflect in your illustrations?

I love to travel. I have been fortunate enough to visit some of the world’s most incredible places, such as the West Bank, the Sahara Desert and the Arctic Circle, and consequently fortunate enough to meet some of the most amazing people. It is travel and personal experiences that feed my inspiration to make images and my fascination for different cultures is what I portray in my work. I try to give the viewer a sense of what it is like to be in certain locations and I achieve this by using things I’ve collected whilst I’m there; sounds, conversations, writing, photographs and artefacts. Every character in my illustrations is someone I have met or seen somewhere and for some reason been fascinated by. The colours and characters of everywhere I go are what make my illustrations look like they do.

Q3 Does your methodology of designing differ from piece to piece or do you have a set way of reaching a final concept?

I have one way of working, but more than one method of applying that way of working, which is what makes each of my illustrations work independently. It is always easy to say “This is how I work”, but in the end, applying the same design concepts to everything you do would just make the outcomes unvaried sometimes things just don’t work and, as an illustrator, I have to account for that. It has taken me years to reach the point where I have found “my method”, but it still continues to grow and develop.

 Q4 Do you feel that your time at university has helped develop your style as an illustrator?

Without a doubt, university has taught me much of what I know about creativity. Not just about methodology and the technical side, but how to think, which is just as if not, more  important. I was trained how to visually “read” things, which is what made me want to go out and look at things in the first place. My time at university nurtured my passion for illustration and developed my fascination for the world around me without it, I’d hate to know what my work would look like.

Q5 Now that you have graduated what are your plans for the future?

Through university, I had two dreams: to become an illustrator and to work in central London. Since graduation, I have been fortunate enough to achieve both of these, by getting a job with Buro Happold, a leading Architectural Engineering company, where I work on high profile international projects.

As my passion for exploring the world grows, I continue to work as a freelancer and exhibit wherever I can. I also remain a keen writer and I am currently working on the illustrations for my second book, about a recent trip to Morocco and the Sahara Desert.

You can view Steve’s Portfolio here at UBD Network

by Sasha
Monday 26th July 2010