EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH A PENCIL: AN INTERVIEW WITH ILLUSTRATOR TED WILLIAMS

BY MARY MAGER

For many in the world of illustration, Ted Williams needs no introduction. His attention to detail has garnered him both respect and admiration among colleagues. His journey began with a childhood dream: to make a living drawing. Indeed, this dream became a very successful art career, rst in advertising, later in book and magazine illustration, then with publishing his own aviation books. His remarkable talent has opened the door to many interesting projects including the well-known John Deere for Kids Art Property. He likes solving problems for people via his art.

In your childhood, who inspired you?

Growing up I had my heroes. American WWII ying ace, Chuck Yeager, was one. Listening to older generations retell their WWII storiesprovidedmanyexamplesofcourage. emagazineeraenjoyed its heyday in the 1950s, and I was exposed to such illustration greats as Norman Rockwell and Albert Dorne.

One of my educators, Father Cullen, C.S.B., and I became friends in high school. He was truly my art mentor. Under his guidance, I drew and painted many stage sets. My dream of becoming an artist grew even stronger when, in my senior year, I took an art class with Father Cullen. Even a er graduating, Father Cullen and I remained close. He performed the marriage ceremony for my wife, Gail, and me.

However, not all my teachers encouraged me in art. Sister Cyril speci cally reminded me, “Master Williams, I would pay more attention to your studies because you’ll never make a living drawing airplanes.”

Sister Cyril was mistaken. How did your career start?

A er serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, I studied art and design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Soon, I obtained a job as a dra sman at Kodak where I did technical illustrations by hand. I began to develop a reputation for being good at drawing mechanical things, especially metal objects.

A er Kodak, I became an art director. I worked at several advertising agencies around Rochester. My rst solo agency was a service studio, Williams Advertising Art. Later, I established the Williams Harris Communications Advertising Agency, a full-service marketing communications rm. I spent much of my commercial career designing, writing, and producing communications for companies like GM, Kodak, and Xerox.

A memorable project from this time was when I painted a Supermarine Spit re, a WWII British ghter aircra , for the Spit re Machine Tool Company. e nished oil painting was used in a promotional campaign for the Chicago-based company. A er that, I was contacted by a U.S. Air Force Major who had seen the Spit re painting and wanted me to create a series of aircra paintings for an Air National Guard calendar. From there, I was contacted by Skyways: Journal of the Airplane to depict airplanes in air races. I worked closely with this publication for many years, producing complex historically-accurate illustrations for many editions. at was a very busy time; I was also illustrating for Houghton Mi in Harcourt and Oxford University Press as well as running an advertising agency. What led you to illustrations for children’s books?

Around this time, I received a call from Parachute Publishing. ey were looking for audition art to revive the John Deere for Kids Property. My previous work with children’s textbooks had piqued my interest in communication with children through art. My audition art was a Santa Claus delivering gi s in a John Deere Gator utility vehicle. Parachute liked it and I restyled all John Deere art for the Johnny Tractor Series. By this time, advertising had crossed into digital art, and this series was the beginning of my specialization in digital art.

What is your creative process?

My creative process begins with a pencil. I draw numerous pencil dra s, which are sample, problem-solving illustrations I create based on what needs to be communicated on each page of the book. From there, I work digitally to produce nal illustrations to be used inside the book. At every stage I consult with a book editor to make sure the entire project is on time, on track, and on budget.

What media do you like to work in?

I sketch by hand and paint in oils. I have a diverse portfolio with examples in many media. While I o en work in oils and have experimented with many other media, I have come to embrace and truly enjoy the digital process as well.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

You have to handle rejection. Constantly improve your cra . Talent needs practice every day. Learn new skills so you keep up with the times.

Check out Ted’s portfolio at tedwilliamsillustration.com.

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