Questions by Lon Levin / Portrait by Chris Teague When I say Darren Di Lieto is dedicated to illustration I mean that not only as an illustrator myself, but as an artist who is concerned about helping other illustrators get work and know the business they’ve chosen a little better. The statistical information he’s gathered through the State of Illustration, illustrator’s survey is priceless and in line with what we at the Journal feel is our mission. We’re honored that he’s taken the time to have a chat with us. When did you first think about Illustration as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors? I’ve always wanted to be an illustrator or an artist as far back as I can remember. I think everyone kinda assumed that’s what I would do, with no questions asked. I had a natural talent for it, so was always given lots of encouragement. Winning a number of art competitions in school also helped boost my confidence when it came to following a creative path. It’s just a bit strange now that I’m running a community and service for illustrators rather than being one of the illustrators myself, as it was all I ever wanted to be. What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up?
What were your influences?
I grew up in Torquay in Devon and I was a shy, quiet kid with big ears who loved comics and narrative artwork. Playing with action figures like He-Man,
Ghostbusters, Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while watching all the related cartoons pretty much sums up my childhood. My friends and I would play games like Monopoly and D&D when we were younger, and as we got older we became obsessed with Atari, the Spectrum ZX, then the Sega Master System. Although Atmosfear (a VHS game) became our go-to game at the weekends. How does your background relate to what you’re doing now?
Growing up in the period I did means illustration and artwork has always been an integral part of my life. When you think about the aesthetics of the media and merchandise from the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was all
