Kerry P. Talbott
website: http://www.kerrytalbottillustration.com/blog: http://crawdadjoneshouseofennui.blogspot.com/Describe your illustration style.
My style is mostly humorous; pretty traditional approach done digitally
What is your main medium?
I use a mix of media usually -- I start with a pencil or ink drawing, then scan and color digitally.
What is your illustration workspace like?
My workspace is on the top floor of my house and doubles as a geek room. I like to keep a lot of influences around where I can see them.
Describe your typical work flow.
I'm not a morning person, so I'll usually start the day by catching up on e-mails and drinking enough coffee to jolt my system awake. If I have a drawing on the board, I'll often do the most technical aspects of the drawing (things like filling in large areas of color, lining out grids, stuff that doesn't take much creativity) until I wake up sometime around 3 o'clock and feel awake enough to work on the more artistic aspects of a piece. I usually will work off and on until about midnight.
Who was your first illustration hero?
The first artist whose name I became aware of was comic great Jack Kirby. His work was so dynamic and fluid, I just had to know who this guy was.
What is your favorite category of illustration and why?
I don't know that I have a favorite category of illustration. I have a short attention span, so I tend to jump between editorial illustration, children's books and comics.
Can you describe the direction your current work is heading?
I'm trying to get more into comics and children's books. I really enjoy the respective story-telling aspects of both.
What do you do to promote your work?
I have my website and send out cards occasionally. I will also send an e-mail to a magazine's art director if they accept them. I also get a fair amount of word of mouth work from a variety of different sources.
What advice do you have for someone trying to become an illustrator?
My advice to anyone thinking about becoming an illustrator is to really look at the big picture. Everything you do in your life--who you're with, how you handle your money, how many kids you have, etc.-- affects your ability to create illustrations and make a living. It doesn't usually pay as much as it's worth and there's no long-term security in many, if not most, cases. You really have to love it to put up with the level of abuse that often comes with the territory. But when it's working, it can be very satisfying. Last thing I'd say is get out and smell the fresh air on a regular basis. Illustrators are often solitary creatures, and it just ain't healthy to spend that much time alone staring at white sheets of paper.
Be sure to check Kerry's portfolio at the IC of DC website.
