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Spotlight - Tom Hughes - Illustrator

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Work just as hard on promoting yourself as you do drawing pictures. If no one knows you exist, no one can commission you.

 

Describe your work in one sentence.
Bright, humorous character illustration

What's the most important thing you've learnt in your line of work?
Never tell yourself "I've made it"

What attracted you to your chosen field?
Being my own boss and getting to do what I'm good at all day. I'm sure every illustrator says it but I honestly couldn't see myself doing anything else as a career.


Tell us about your best project to date.
Oooh, that's tough, I'd probably say the book I'm Illustrating/writing right now, although I'm not quite at the stage where I can submit it to publishers.

What sets you apart from your competitors?
The speed I work at and I never, ever, miss my deadlines.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
My left wrist is full of metal and screws.


If you could work on any project for any company/organisation, what would it be and who would it be for?
I'd like to do board graphics for a big snowboard company so I could finally ride around the Alps on a board with my own design on! I'd need a couple actually, one to use and another to hang on the wall.

What's your favourite bit of kit?
My Wacom tablet.

What frustrates you the most about your job?
Never knowing what I'm going to earn from month to month. It's not profession to get into if "financial security" is high on your list.


What pearl of wisdom can you offer to someone thinking about starting out in your industry?
Work just as hard on promoting yourself as you do drawing pictures. If no one knows you exist, no one can commission you.

If you could have ONE super power, what would it be?
The ability to absorb other peoples talents. I've always wanted to know what it feels like to paint like Lucian Freud, play guitar like Kelly Joe Phelps, or skate like Ryan Gallant.

What do you like about Creativepool?
I really enjoy reading the "5 minutes with..." articles, because working for yourself can be quite isolating, so it's nice to hear thoughts and opinions from other people in the creative industry.


What's your favourite song of all time?
Beneath a Crozet Trestle Bridge by Paul Curreri. Paul's an acoustic guitarist that has that rare gift of being able to couple outstanding technical ability with soul and poetry. He's also one of my favourite lyricists, the man's a genius.

And finally, what can a prospective customer expect from you?
Good communication, realistic, sensible feedback, fast turnaround and of course a mighty-fine illustration!


If you want to be in the spotlight, email us with examples of your work or a link to your Creativepool profile.

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