My youth was filled with looking through Paper Tiger imprint books that were popular in the 80s. They featured the netherworld works of many artists such as Kit Williams, Chris Achilleos, Boris Valegio and Patrick Woodroffe. These works really inspired me and got me thinking about visual art and conversely following cryptic narratives.  I was in the boarding school system, so I began a visual diary to break up the cold corridors of routine and latent home sickness. Luckily when home we were right on the doorstep of Dartmoor, a wonderful moorland wilderness. I often went up onto the moors to sketch and my childhood memories are full of the smell of the gorse and the heather...the incredible silence of the place broken only by the occasional strangled cry of a gull. I took my exams in art at 13, 3 years early and that set the scene for a creative life thereafter. 

Mark really knows how to tell a story…Its always well-researched and personal. I read the script from ‘The Photographer’ several years ago and immediately ‘got it’…. really, I knew the direction in which I wanted to go from the get-go. 

It afforded me an opportunity to visually explore elements that I had long wanted to expand on and research for many years. I am of that generation that came up after the war and was raised by those who had participated in it. The earliest stories I heard from my mother were those of when the Nazi bombs were falling on her hometown, as well as the comic book The Victor Book for Boys. That book aimed at boys was full of untold stories of the war and the acts of individual heroism and courage.  

From the books I had done before the inspiration was less obvious although the dystopian background of “The Visions of Ichabod X’ (Gary Crew 2015) lends some clues to what was cooking in my creative kitchen waiting to be birthed. But with Mark’s, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to produce right from the start.  

Picture book creation affords many myriad narratives; it's all up to personal interpretation. That is the beauty of it.... give a story to a hundred kids and you get a hundred different interpretations. The secret to good picture books is to have a cryptic third narrative that combines the words and images. The images should in no way reflect the words but tell a story of their own that compliments and flows in harmony with the words. This in turn leads to a unique third narrative seen only in the mind of the reader. 

I currently have 3 books I am working on…One is with Mark again Which may well combine visually the best of Ichabod X and The Photographer. For every book you do you have to eclipse the former, so I am hoping that rings true.

I have a degree from Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge in Informational Illustration and Diplomas from Plymouth College of Art and Design and Falmouth School of Art in Graphic Design and Illustration. Currently I am freelancing in illustration and working at a local college. My professional career has largely been working alone though I did my tenure in ad agencies in the 1990s.

Whatever you do, do something that forwards your goal every day…draw every day regardless of the time. Even a few minutes to sketch something into a visual diary whilst on your lunch break. Look at other artists, be inspired by their work! I find the more I admire another person's work the more I try to emulate that in my own practice. Every destination is reached through little steps. There is so much I could say about developing your own visual language and that comes through years of practice. But they will be the most enjoyable years of your life.

Anyone who strives for excellence…. the last few years I have been really into Shaun Tan… he is a living legend, outrageous talent packaged in true humility. 

Always be on the lookout for inspiration wherever you might find it, could be a certain tree, the way the clouds cover the sky today or an item you pick up at the dump. You’ll be surprised…it comes in unlikely places.  

The net is a great place to find inspiration. Many artists show their work on platforms such as Facebook so when you don't feel like going into the studio go there. In no time at all you will be making a bee line for your creative space. 

 I can be found generally in my studio…I spend most of my life there. When I’m not there I am messing around with my classic car.  

I am an avid reader. I love true crime novels and biographies. But also love fantasy and have been a lifelong fan of Stephen Donaldson, that guy paints with words! His visual landscapes fill my imagination. I also loved Shaun Tans ‘The Arrival’, if you haven't seen it drop everything and find a copy now! As I have mentioned earlier The Paper Tiger books really got me thinking about a career in design. To this day, they remain a source of inspiration on flat days or when the work doesn't flow...yes that does happen! I can't leave without saying that a huge influence was Kit Williams book Masquerade when I was about 11. I spent forever looking at that book and the intricate and detailed illustrations had a direct effect on the course of my own work. 

Facebook: @paulosullivanillustrator

Email: paulosullivanillustrator@gmail.com

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