The Fall/Winter Edition 2020

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 Illustrators Journal feel is our mission. We’re honored that he’s taken the time to have a chat with us.

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

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,trippy, hot rod monster artwork or more well crafted illustrations from the likes of Drew Struzan - even graphic design was being influenced by the surfer art and artists of the time. We had an evolving punk scene, we had a series of what are now considered iconic movies, all made with practical special effects no less. It was really an era where you could appreciate what was being created by hand and by real people. I think like most of my peers, you’re stuck with what you grow up with and it heavily influences how you see the world and how you think it should be. I actually used to believe by 2020 we’d be seeing the formation of an organization like the Federation, from Star Trek. I don’t think we’re there yet and may not be for a while, but I’m still hopeful.

When and how did you decide to change from an active illustrator to what you’re doing now?

Out of necessity, during my stint as a freelance illustrator, I became a coder and it came to me as naturally as putting a pencil to paper did. I also found I had an affinity for managing and organizing massive amounts of data. In a way, I think it helped that I’d always struggled with the written language due to being dyslexic, and coding languages were so logical and unforgiving, that they made perfect sense and there was no ambiguity. Commands are kept simple without variations and if I was to mix up a D and B because of their similar shape, a script simply wouldn’t work rather than make me feel stupid. I really do like code. It also didn’t really help my freelance illustration career when I kept suggesting alternative illustrators to clients who’d contacted me, who I thought were better suited to the job. I’m just lucky that I kept making the right calls and it grew into what I do now. "I became a coder and it came to me as naturally as putting a pencil to paper did.

How do you stay up to date on what’s happening in the market?

I try not to get wrapped up in trends as they come and go so quickly. Quality is always timeless, so that and integrity is what I focus on. Other than that, I keep an eye on all of my social feeds for upcoming events and the current topics of conversation in the industry. I do miss the days where I followed a hundred and one blogs of people who actually wrote longform posts, but because of the astronomical rise of social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn is where it’s at these days. You just need to find a way to work around their algorithms or you end up missing a helluva lot by being fed only the posts you’re most likely to react to. It’s an echo chamber of bliss or nightmares depending on your disposition.

Do you have a favorite part of the Illustration biz that you like best?

I simply love being able to check out new and wonderful illustrations created by the talented people I work with on a daily basis, it’s fantastic. There’s also the pride I feel when I know I’ve helped bring a commission to fruition.

Sometimes it’s easy to connect a client with an illustrator, other times there’s a lot of work involved. The client might need help working out their budget or figuring out a style that fits their brief. Illustrators may need help dissecting a contract or coming up with a quote and appropriate license for a job. Doing my job is my favorite part of the illustration business.

Can you explain why what you’re doing now is so important to other illustrators?

For some members, 100% of their clients come directly through us and they have been members since they began their careers over a decade ago. We do what we can, when we can, going above and beyond for those who use our services or are part of the Hire an Illustrator community. As a result, most of our members join us through word of mouth or referrals from other illustrators and even those who leave us for one reason or another tend to return at some point. We’ve created a professional and constructive environment for freelancers and commissioning editors, designers and art directors alike. We’re always on stand-by to help. It’s not an understatement to say there’s a lot of pressure and people rely on us for their livelihoods, so what we do is done with the passion it deserves.

What’s going on in your head when you’re working? Your fears, anticipation, confidence , etc.

There’s a constant fear that what we’re doing isn’t good enough. It keeps me up at night, but all I can do is try and ignore it and do the best I can and keep pushing forward. My mind races at a hundred miles an hour and I have more ideas than I can note down on a jumble of post-itnotes, let alone ever pursue.

I’m always telling people how they can improve what they’re doing or explaining to them how to redirect their business down a path they may not have considered. I want the freelancers I work with to have long and prosperous careers and when you’ve been doing this as long as I have you can see all the pitfalls and weak spots people wander into blissfully unaware. The problem is there aren’t any rules, I have to be confident with what I’m saying as I know it works, but my underlying impostor syndrome is always on the verge of breaching my defences.

Who if anyone influences your work?

Anyone with a decent dose of creativity and good work ethic has always influenced the direction I’ve taken my work. I don’t want to go naming names as I’ve seen so many talented folks come and go, but it’s the ones who are still around that I really admire and appreciate, they know who they are.

What’s the future hold for you? Any ultimate goal?

I’m working on rebranding Hire an Illustrator as Hireillo, and I’ve partially built a new website and system for the community which should be good to go by the end of 2020. I have a pricing, contract and licensing workshop I’m slowly putting together for 2021. There’s a new exhibition in the works, plus a million other projects I should probably keep under my hat for now. While that’s all going on, I’m going to carry on doing what I do. I will continue to advise and offer impartial advice to our members, help clients connect with the freelancers they need for their projects and continue to advocate for a better working environment and equality for everyone I represent.

If you could meet anyone in the field you’re in, who would it be and why?

That’s a really tough question as I’ve actually met most of the people I’d like to meet and are part of the industry I work in. With all the conventions and conferences going on all the time, it’s really not too difficult to do. I do somehow always manage to miss British comic book artist Jock and I think artist Paul Kidby would be a really nice guy to meet one of these days. I’ve also always been a fan of New York based art director Charles Hively, so it’d be nice to grab a meal or coffee with him, if I ever get the opportunity.

What do you do to promote yourself and your business?

I actually try not to promote myself on a personal level too much, as when I have done it ends up adding too much to my already heavy workload. I don’t hide in the shadows, but I do tend to take a backseat when I can, plus there are already a few too many people about with egos big enough for all of us. As far as HAI as a business is concerned, we promote it and our illustrators any way we can, whether that be straight up advertising in periodicals, sponsoring events and workshops, doing talks, or various other initiatives like the State of Illustration.

Obviously we run several social network accounts and we take full advantage of these with regular updates, promotions and crafted campaigns like the mini portfolio reviews I do via Twitter two or three times a year. In addition to all the things mentioned, we’ve run several

Showcse 100, published by Darren Di Lieto as part of a 2015 group show

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