An interview with Craig Phillips

INTERVIEW SARAH LANE /// IMAGERY SUPPLIED

TAUPŌ-BASED ILLUSTRATOR CRAIG PHILLIPS HAS WORKED WITH SOME VERY BIG NAMES, FROM THE FOO FIGHTERS TO NEIL GAIMAN, BUT IT IS HIS OWN GRAPHIC NOVEL, GIANTS, TROLLS, WITCHES, BEASTS: TEN TALES FROM THE DEEP DARK WOODS, THAT HAS PUT HIS NAME IN THE NEWS. THE BOOK IS A RETELLING OF TEN CLASSIC FAIRYTALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN A DISTINCT AND UNIQUE GRAPHIC FORM, AND AS WELL AS INSPIRING YOUNG ONES (AND NOT SO YOUNG ONES IF THE PLENTY OFFICE IS ANYTHING TO GO BY) IT HAS JUST PICKED UP THE RUSSELL CLARK AWARD FOR ILLUSTRATION AT THE NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS AND A GOLD LEDGER AT THE AUSTRALIAN LEDGER AWARDS. PLENTY’S SARAH LANE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AND SCRIBBLED NOTES ON HOW HE DOES IT ALL AND ABOUT BRINGING CAT PIRATES TO THE BAY IN HIS LATEST WORK THE ADVENTURES OF JACK SCRATCH.

PLENTY: When did you first get interested in illustration?

CP: I liked to draw from a very young age. WhenI was in middle primary school, I used to spend a lot of time buried in books or at the school library. I’d wonder who the lucky people were who got to draw all the pictures in the books I loved. It was at that point that I became interested in being an illustrator. I wanted to draw those covers!

PLENTY: Was there anything that triggered your interest and did you have any particular influences.

CP: As a kid I was very interested in mythology, Arthurian legends, myths and magic and fairy tales. Everything I gravitated to was escapist in nature.

I used to copy the illustrations I found in mythology books, and later found Tintin and Asterix, and later still, Marvel comics and Conan the Barbarian – a character that I was obsessed with as a tween. Conan comics led me to fantasy art and the likes of Frank Frazetta. I think my art now is a mix of all those inspirations, whether you can see it or not.

Aesthetically I use a clean line and flat colour like the Tintin and Asterix comics, but in terms of content, a bit of fantasy and Frazetta and mythology always finds its way into my personal work.

PLENTY: Have you always been an independent illustrator? Or have there been side jobs along the way?

CP: I have always been an independent illustrator. I studied graphic design and worked as a designer and art director for magazines and advertising for several years, until I broke away into freelance illustration in 2000. I’ve been a freelance illustrator ever since.

PLENTY: You’re very involved in the business side of your work. Can you tell us a little about that? Is that something you chose to do or do you think it is something every creator has to come to terms with these days?

CP: I have been represented by Shannon Associates since 2000. They have always looked after billing, contracts, client liaison etc. However, at this point in my career I am intent on writing and illustrating my own books and graphic novels – and that is a completely different kettle of fish.

At first I was slightly hesitant to write my own books, in the sense that I now have to embrace a completely different way of running my business. Now I need to be more visible, I need to work harder to get my work seen, I need to stay on top of grants, festivals, networking and so on. I need to find funds for printing and run Kickstarter campaigns. Luckily, I have Wildling Books copublisher Bex Lipp at the helm, who has a lot of experience and talent for managing this end of the business.

I CAN HONESTLY SAY I NEVER WORKED HARDER AND LONGER AT ANY JOB THAN I HAVE AT ILLUSTRATION. BUT I LOVE IT, SO WOULD NOT SWAP IT FOR ANYTHING.”

PLENTY: Could you describe a typical day? Is being an independent illustrator all a bed of roses or is it endless cups of coffee and a wastepaper basket overflowing with abandoned drafts? And how many refines are a part of the illustration process.

CP: Every day and every job is different. With illustration, you need to expect the unexpected. There is not a lot of consistency, as every client is different, and every job unique. Some clients make a lot of edits, some clients make next to no edits. Some jobs are highly rendered and complex and others are simple. It really does change all the time!

As to whether it is a bed of roses, it is actually a lot of late nights and time at the drawing table. I can honestly say I never worked harder and longer at any job than I have at illustration. But I love it, so would not swap it for anything.

PLENTY: What are your main tools for creation - pen and paper then digitise or straight on screen?

CP: I have tried many varied approaches over the years. My go-to is always ink on paper with digital colour. I prefer to work in a graphic manner, with minimal fuss and render. I enjoy the immediacy of ink on paper and of flat colouring. For colouring I use Adobe Photoshop. Over the last few years I have absolutely LOVED working with coloured pencil for my sketches; it’s very relaxing, and takes the art right back to basics. I’d like to incorporate that into my final illustrations.

PLENTY: What are your views on the digital versus print question? Do you prefer one or the other and do you design with one in mind?

CP: I am a print person. Maybe I am a little old fashioned, but I prefer things on paper. I prefer art that is created on paper, and art that is printed on paper. Sometimes, pixels can seem a little empty to me. I like to see paint and fingerprints and dirt. When I design, it is always with the end goal that any particular project or piece will ultimately find its way onto paper.

PLENTY: Where do you get your inspiration from? You have your own children so do you look to them for ideas?

CP: I am still very much inspired by the same myths and magic and books that I was inspired by as a kid; those early inspirations never leave you. Turn of the century illustrators like Arthur Rakham, Gustaf Tenggren, Kay Nielson and Edmund Dulac are dear to my heart. Herge and Uderzo will always be an inspiration. Japanese woodblock prints have found their way into some of my line. Geniuses like Claire Wending and Heinrich Klee inspire me to study anatomy and practice drawing every day. 1900s American comic strip creator Windsor McCay is hugely inspiring when it comes to making comics.

And my children absolutely inspire me. I listen to their ideas which often find a way into my work. I have some new books I am working on now with Wildling Books that are very inspired by our children’s input. Kids come up with the most wonderfully pure ideas!

PLENTY: You’ve worked on some very noteworthy and varied projects, from Foo Fighters posters to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, can you tell us how these came about? And what were the challenges, compared to your own works?

CP: The Neil Gaiman American Gods project was a wonderful job. Working on a Neil Gaiman book was on my bucket list, and so I leapt at the chance. That project was great; very smooth going with little to no changes, and quick approvals. It came via my agent and Harper Collins.

The rock posters came by a poster publisher in Australia, and were also great assignments, although they all went through a number of changes. Projects like posters and book covers often go through more changes than internals, as they are essentially a selling point for an event or product and publishers want to make sure it is as perfect as possible.

The difference between personal and commercial work is that, with your own work, you make all the creative decisions. Sometimes client changes can push a project in a better direction. Once upon a time I found that I was very indecisive and insecure with my personal work. What to draw? How to execute? Why am I even doing this? But with experience I know now exactly what I want and need to do; I can just get on with it, and the freedom is wonderful.

MAYBE I AM A LITTLE OLD FASHIONED, BUT I PREFER THINGS ON PAPER. I PREFER ART THAT IS CREATED ON PAPER, AND ART THAT IS PRINTED ON PAPER.”

PLENTY: Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep Dark Woods has picked up numerous awards – how does it feel to be acclaimed?!

CP: Oh, it was surreal, actually. When they announced Giants as the recipient of the NZ Book Awards: Russell Clark Award for Illustration I was stunned. The awards were a nice way to round off what was an intense project: So many hours and so little sleep. It was a true labour of love and it was humbling to see it acknowledged like it was. The acknowledgements and media has also given me and co-publisher Bex Lipp a great platform from which to create more works and liaise with distributors and book sellers.

I LOVE THE FAIRY TALES FROM EUROPE. ESPECIALLY THE TALES OF TROLLS AND THE LIKE FROM SWEDEN, AND THE EASTERN EUROPEAN GODS AND CREEPY CHARACTERS THAT HAUNT OLD WOODS.”

PLENTY: Why different stories from around the world - why not focus on New Zealand or what you grew up with?

CP: Personally, I love the fairy tales from Europe. Especially the tales of trolls and the like from Sweden, and the Eastern European gods and creepy characters that haunt old woods. I put my favourites into the book. I’d love to do a book based on New Zealand stories, but I would certainly want and need to collaborate in order to do that.

PLENTY: You have an incredible ability to create very different styles of artwork - are you able to attribute that to anything specific? And does this cause any issues as it’s not always clearly ‘you’?

CP: I have worked in lots of different styles over the years, both in order to find my own ‘voice’, but also to adapt to a client brief. I am of the opinion now, 20 years in, that one should certainly try to cultivate a style that can be immediately identifiable as your own. But this cannot be forced; it takes time. Eventually you will unconsciously sift through all your influences and your own voice finds its way onto the paper. The work that I feel is really ‘me’ are my comics, and my more graphic work, such as Odin and Thor.

PLENTY: Is there any particular style or theme that is a secret favourite at the moment - does this flow through your projects?

CP: Line and flat colour is what I like to do. I also enjoy using a brush pen and ink, and dry brush now; it has rekindled my love for inking. You can see that in commissions like The Cave Witch and The Elf King.

PLENTY: You’ve mentioned that you do workshops for kids, how does it feel to inspire others - to be that person that a future artist may mention?

CP: I love it! Especially when they are enthusiastic and attentive and I can see their work improve. It also helps me to improve. Teaching others is the best way to improve your own work. Also, it gets me out of my studio. Through teaching I have found that the most important aspect of making art is the sharing.

PLENTY: Illustrations, writing - what’s next? Animation? Can we expect to see a movie version of The Adventures of Jack Scratch, filmed on Lake Taupō, starring Johnny Depp? Several of the Plenty crew have raised this question and are available for supporting roles as pirates.

CP: Oh, that would be nice! Forget Johnny Depp; I’d want my dream team of Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Rhys Dharby to be in any animation! Maybe Jack Scratch will find its way to moving pictures.

PLENTY: We’ll take that as a maybe and keep practising our Ah-haaaahs. What is next on your horizon?

CP: Wildling Books is a new label created by myself and social media guru and entrepreneur Bex Lipp to create graphic novels for children. Bex was recently the winner of Next Magazine’s 2018 Her Own Boss award, and our first series is The Adventures of Jack Scratch which is available from book sellers in NZ and Australia and has been picked up by Scholastic Book Club. Book two will hit the shelves early 2019. We will also publish more world tales building on the Award winning Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts, and we have several more titles in the works. Very exciting times here.

PLENTY: Ah-haaaaah.

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