Interviews
Interviews with Rory Walker. I’ve been lucky enough for people to value my opinions on a few things over the years. I doubt very strongly that they’d ever want to interview me again, or indeed have any use for my answers. Regardless, it’s still an honour to be asked. Here’s a few for your reading pleasure.
Interview for Beehive Illustration Agency newsletter, 2014
Introduction
This interview was written originally for publication on my agents website. It never saw the light of day, alas, as it was requested that I used photos rather than cartoons. My argument (which I lost) was that no one would want to look at my real face, and besides it was all about promoting the drawings, etc, etc.
Describe where you live?
Leaving my house for an interview.
What sort of music do you listen to?
What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Launching off into space; not really sure what’s going on.
Who/what makes you laugh?
If one illustrator inspires you who would that be?
If you won the lottery tomorrow what do you predict you’d be doing in a year’s time?
With welding torch in hand, I’m building my own hotrod.
Interview for the Cartoonist Club of Great Britain’s “Jester” members magazine.
Please answer at least ten of the following questions…
1 – How did you first get in to cartooning?
I think it was more a combination of preordained destiny and inability to work in a normal working environment.
2 – What was your first commission?
it was a cartoon for “International Tunnelling” Magazine about 20 years back. Yes, there really is a magazine about tunnels; in fact there’s a surprising number of them.
3 – How long have you been a member of the Cartoonists’ Club?
I’ve definitely been a member for a few years, maybe 3? Maybe 4? I’m not actually sure. I guess the way to tell would be rifling through my pristinely collected and bound volumes of “The Jester” magazine and seeing which is the earliest issue?
4 – Do you belong to any other Clubs or Societies (Cartooning or otherwise)?
I’m a member of the AOI, and the Professional Cartoonist Organisation. Apparently the latter is affiliated with the former and permits a reduction in membership fees which I shall be putting under close scrutiny when the next payment is due.
5 – What’s the stupidest question/request you have ever been asked?
I think everyone’s idea of what’s considered stupid can be put on a line and put in relationship with everyone elses. I suspect that my idea is at the very far end of that line as I can’t think of anything particularly outrageous at the moment.
6 – Where do you get your ideas from?
They just burst out of my head. My partner, Jess, is the sounding board for them – much to her dismay – and depending on her facial expression after delivery I can ascertain if they’re worth pursuing or not. Generally if she fails to raise even the most limp of belittling smiles then I know I’m on to a good one. I take a notebook with me whilst walking the dog and jot things down that creep into my mind. Often I’ll have a theme which I think about whilst walking and lobbing a ball down the field which acts as a starting point and catalyst for further ideas.
7 – Did you ever go to College or University?
Yes I did. I went to both, several times. I’d keep going back too if I could afford it. My aim is to get the entire alphabet after my name in qualification based acronyms.
8 – What is the most rewarding job you ever did?
It’s always a pleasure to have someone tell you that one of your books is the book they read to their kids at bed time. Other than that, rewarding for me is quite literal and correlates with ‘well-paid’. In that respect I’ve yet to achieve a rewarding job.
9 – Have you ever had a client from hell? Tell us more!
I’ve never had a client from hell, but I do generally tend to pass on smaller operations that involve signing NDA’s as the client is usually so precious about the project that you can rarely make headway through it, and no matter how deep into it you get, you’ll never achieve the same level of love for the product “X” as the commissioner.
10 – What are you working on at the moment?
Currently I’m a multi-faced creation machine and am endeavouring to come up with 10 new cartoons a day (unrealistic and unachievable, and generally 90% unfunny). I’ve also created a new illustration style for magazine and editorial work which is a more stylised version of my former more complex style. When I’ve a minute or two I head to the studio and work on oil paintings of landscapes from around my local area or from places I’ve been to visit – at the moment The Yucatan Peninsular is getting the once over. I’ve been working on a pitch comic strip for placing in a children’s comic. And I’m just about to start a book of Farming Jokes. Looking back through that monologue I’m deeply saddened to note that the Farmers Joke book is the only one that’ll provide any form of financial security. How dismaying.
11 – Do you work with Pen and Ink or are you purely Digital?
Yes! I’ve spent many, many moons working out which are the greatest nib, holder, ink, and paper combinations and have pretty much settled now. I love using a dip pen for the variation in line it provides, the skill required to use it, and the fact that you can’t make mistakes. Samurai like discipline I like to think – but then I am prone to exuberant flights of fancy. Often I use a Brush pen, but the refills are pretty pricey, so *cackle* I just use my regular drawing ink to refill the cartridges. Life’s pretty hedonistic for me.
12 – Who is your favourite Cartoonist/Illustrator?
I’m deeply honoured to have the Private Eye cartoonist, Brian Bagnall as Jess’s grandpa. Long before I met her I knew his work, so it’s a great pleasure to have a few of his cartoons on the wall at home. My all time favourite though is Mike Williams – http://www.mikewilliamscartoons.co.uk/ – pretty much everything he does cracks me up. Sadly I don’t have any of his on my wall, so if he’s reading this and wants to do a swapsie then I’m more than happy to oblige.
13 – What is your favourite movie?
I don’t really ever watch movies. I like movie soundtracks though if that’s any help? Though saying that I can’t think what a favourite one of those would be. Probably a 70’s Bollywood soundtrack I’d imagine.
14 – What book are you reading at the moment?
Currently I’m working my way through the complete Nemesis the Warlock from 2000ad. Does a comic count as a book? You’ve caught me off guard, usually I can say something egg-headed and boffiny, but right now it’s just about alien freedom flighters.
15 – What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Hmmm, I don’t know. I quite like the idea of being Hollywood’s next action hero. Maybe that’s a new direction I should look into. It can’t be that tricky can it?
16 – Is there anything you would like to get off your chest?
Yes there is! Why on earth did councils around the country rotate the zebra crossing buttons 90 degrees so you can’t see from the other side of the road when it’s illuminated and safe to cross. Madness.
Interview with the Gentleman Crafter – John Bloodworth
Interview Questionnaire
This questionnaire is a general one however the questions should be broad enough to give an all round idea of you and your work, however if you feel that a questions doesn’t relate to you, then please feel free to skip ahead.
It would be awesome if you could send across a few images that could be included with the article, in particular, one of your good self and then a few of your work.
I look forward to reading what you have to say! J
| Question | Answer |
| Introductions – Please can you provide a brief introduction to yourself, where in the world you are and let everyone know what you currently do in the arts/crafts industry. | Hello, thanks for having me. Rory Walker here. I’m based in the mighty city of Bristol, UK. I mainly draw illustrations and cartoons for books and magazines, but thanks to the wealth of creative industry that lurks on my doorstep I also do storyboards for some of the big production studios in the area. I also draw comics, work with role-playing game publishers, design concept art, paint landscapes in watercolours and oils, experiment with print-making, and flood the internet with a never-ending stream of vaguely amusing cartoons featuring the raft of characters that I share my every-day existence with. In addition to all that, I do a little bit of teaching and creative mentoring to other artists and students. Phew. I need a cup of tea already. Can I have a break now, John? |
| When did you begin working in the creative industry and what was the seminal or defining moment that put you on that path? | I went to art college then took a breather for about 5 years where I didn’t pick up a pen once. It wasn’t until 2003 that I decided to give it a go again having spent a while travelling. I read a lot whilst on the road and enjoyed visualising the stories. This ticked over for a little while; I got a new agent, work started coming in. Eventually I had enough work passing through the door to warrant leaving my regular job and set up as completely freelance. It was quite liberating but also a leap into the unknown. There’s been plenty of ups, far more downs, occasional levels, disasters, joys, frustrations, elations, you name it. For the last couple of years I’ve been enjoying a forced leave of absence through multiple new additions to my family. Creativity was exchanged for nappies, and staying up all night drawing funny cartoons was hijacked by plain old staying up all night. Coming out the other side has been liberating and I’ve been enjoying getting pen to paper, brush to canvas, and chisel to wood more than ever. It’s very refreshing to have a break and come back with your skills intact but your eyes open to new opportunities and endeavours. |
| Is what you do now what you imagined you would be doing when you first started out? | Yes. (Do I need to be more specific?) Yes, I always loved comics from the time I knew they existed. I assumed they just materialised out of thin air, so it was quite the revelation to discover that you could make comics or draw pictures as a job. Naturally I thought I’d be hugely more famous that I currently am – i.e. not famous at all – and I always thrive more when there’s more work on my plate than seems feasible to complete, but in essence yes. |
| Thinking back through the years, what memorable responses have you had to your work and did this change you in any way? | Sadly the most memorable that I can think of is (some) publishers not wanting to take a risk and instead want the most generic looking artwork possible. Ergo, any character that you’d like to put into the images to give things your signature style has to be edited out. You can still get an element of ‘you’ across, but it’s a greatly diluted version. As an illustrator you rarely get any feedback once the image has been created and accepted, so I’d say the greatest changes have been self-initiated. By that I mean I’ve seen a style or an artist that I’m interested in and suggest creating something that has a nod to that. Often art directors are very amenable to that sort of thing; after all, it’s a given that you can do the job otherwise they wouldn’t have trusted you with it in the first place. It’s always nice to be acknowledged though, and I love helping others out with ideas or recommendations and seeing their work blossom. |
| What has been most important to you as an artist or crafter – a goal, a mentor, support, knowledge, advice, information, funding, family, friends … etc? | I’m sure you a lot of your readership will be able to identify with the sentiment that you just have to create stuff in whatever capacity. It’s not a desire; it’s an underlying compunction that needs to be obeyed. There’s something quite nice about getting instant feedback/gratification for an artwork that you post online, but my personal metric for success in that respect is, do I want to look at the picture again the next day? If so I can tell it’s more than just a drawing, it’s a personal piece, and that feels exciting. However, I’m extremely competitive with myself and always say that my next piece has to be better than my last (in my opinion), so that’s important. Other things are a place to work. I’m very tidy and clear everything away at the end of the day so that my desk is ready for the next session. And finally money – otherwise I have to get a regular job which means that I seldom get the opportunity to let the demons out. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but over time it needs to be addressed. |
| How have you changed during your career and do you see room for more changes in the coming years? | My workflow has become slicker. My drawing has become better. My painting has improved. My confidence has gained momentum. My style has developed. My abilities have diversified. One of the great joys for me in life is discovering new music. I love trawling the internet (and in previous years, record shops and radio stations) hunting out new music and new ideas – wonderful! I couldn’t imagine a life where I’d found the music I loved and was content to listen to that forever. The same set of parameters governs my art creation. I’m always hunting out new ways of making things, new artists to be inspired by – “How does so and so draw leaves?” or “How does this other person paint reflections on water”, etc. etc. I love learning an entirely new way of creating art such as sculpture or photography or woodblock printing, as the lessons you learn from those inform everything else that you do in one way or another. |
| What work do you most enjoying doing? | Single frame images that tell a story. |
| Who/What inspires you the most? | I think being around others who are enthusiastic and talented is a great source of inspiration. |
| How would you describe a creative life? Fun, challenging, rewarding … etc? | Poor. |
| What would be your dream project? | As mentioned above I love creating a narrative within an image. I love detail and chaos and exaggerated scenarios. It’s great fun watching people read through my drawings and try and work out what’s what, or watching them find hidden details or characters that are lurking in the recesses. If it’s got monsters in it then that’s an added bonus, but so long as it’s over the top and has very little in common with everyday life then I’m pretty much game. Or a landscape. Fickle aren’t I? |
| What wouldn’t you do without? | Blimey, that’s a how-long-is-a-piece-of-string question isn’t it? I’ve no idea, but in the bigger picture, my family, in the smaller picture – and I’m going to do some name dropping here so watch out – Pentel brush pens. They’re wonderful! |
| What are you working on at the moment? | About 10 years back I did a short course in traditional Japanese Woodblock Print making. I loved it. It’s a method of creation that’s exceedingly laboured, can go wrong at an infinite number of junctures, is very complex and is thoroughly engaging. I’m currently revisiting that and being that it’s the 21st century I’m blogging all about my endeavours here – woodblockprintodyssey.blogspot.co.uk. Other than that, I’m doing some writing for a new children’s book that’s slowly falling into line, drawing a couple of comic pages, and scribbling all over my desk. |
| What future project(s) are you most looking forward to? | I think that having a first draft of my new story book will be very rewarding as I’ll be able to visualise what I want the pages to look like. And then draw a couple up. It’s a slow burner of a project so it may never see the light of day, but it’s certainly something to think about. |
| What are you doing when you’re not creating? What hobbies (creative or non-creative) do you have? | Swimming, cycling, running around like my trousers are on fire, cooking (I love watching the presentation bits on Masterchef), playing piano and flamenco guitar, and banging out furious techno music much to the delight of my children and annoyance of my wife and dog. |
| What would people be surprised to learn about you? | I think I’d be the one who’d be surprised if anyone who knew me was surprised about something they didn’t already know. |
| Do you have any tips or inspiring words for others? | Get inspiration from everywhere. Be original. No-one got anywhere from wishing. But if you don’t dream then you won’t get anywhere either. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has ability. Tell your story, then tell another. And another, and another. But most of all, enjoy what you do. |
| Where else can we find you? (Blog, website, twitter, facebook etc) | My website – roryroryrory.com
My Instagram – instagram.com/rorywalkerart My pintrest – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/roryroryrory/boards/
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