Interview with Hattie Stewart

ーWhere does the inspiration of your illustrations come from?

　All over the place and from many different corners of the creative realm. In the last year or so I’ve fallen in love with Tumblr, not for my own work but as a tool for inspiration. I have an inspiration blog called superhattiehattie.tumblr.com, which is an endless source of inspiration for me and has introduced me not only to the work of other great artists but also the artists themselves.

ーWhen did you decide to become an illustrator?

　Specifically I think on my foundation course. It was then that I realized that focusing on illustration which my my core love would still enable me to work in the other creative fields i was interested in – like fashion and photography.

ーWas it your childhood dream?

　I had many dreams as a child but it took me a while to understand they could all be realized through illustration.

ーHow did you start illustrating on magazine covers?

　I was working in a bar part time and there was an image of Lily Allen on the wall which I took down and started drawing over. I thought it created an interesting image so decided to apply it to the abundance of magazines on my shelf and the concept of homage and satire developed from there.

ーYou have done many illustrations for many magazines and fashion brands. Which collaboration or illustration was the most exciting or memorable?

　I loved working with House Of Holland as Henry completely gets my work and has a similar tongue in cheek outlook to his designs so it’s always great fun to work with him! I recently also worked on Kylie Minogue’s Kiss Me Once tour and was able to create an 8 minute animation for her Dollhouse medley. Seeing it play live on stage during her concert was one of the biggest thrills i’ve had in my career so far.

ーThere is a lot of color in your illustrations but at the same time there are illustrations which are just black and white. How do you decide on the colors?

　Totally dependent on the subject matter and my mood. I’ve always loved color but sometimes if it’s been color heavy for a long while I like to transition into black and white. Red can usually always be found in my work – warm colors I love.

ーWhat are your favorite colors?

　Pink and red.

ーCan you describe your illustrations in a word?

　Tongue-in-cheek.

ーWhat do you see as the most important aspect when drawing?

　The freedom and escape from all around me, however brief.

ーDo you draw a draft before or do you draw directly by instinct?

　Depending on the piece I sometimes draw a light sketch but it’s all always intuitive. Sometimes I don’t know how a piece will turn out when I put pen to paper but that’s the magic of it all. With the doodle bomb covers I tend to look at it briefly and suddenly in my mind the characters align themselves to the page and then I just get drawing. I prefer to avoid roughs – never been a fan of sketches.

ーYou recently visited Japan. What was your impression of Japan?

　Intensely incredible! That was my first impression of Tokyo for sure. When I travelled there, my great buddy Becky Sloan (of super duo Becky&Joe) decided to explore a bit further and went to Kyoto and Nikko respectively. All incredible places and all so different but I loved being able to delve into (although far too briefly!) the modern metropolis, the cultural, natural and traditional aspects of Japan. I can’t wait to arrange another trip and explore it all in much more detail.

ーDo you have any favorite Japanese artists?

　I love the work of Keiichi Tanaami and Tadanori Yokoo. I also have developed a recent obsession with Yoko Honda and who I have a long term love for, and of course, Yayoi Kusama.

ーDo you have any plans on working in Japan?

　No plans just yet but a few dreams! I have a long term creative collaboration with the young brand Little Sunny Bite and few other little tricks up my sleeve but we’ll have to wait and see!

ーWhat are your future plans or goals?

　To work with Beyonce and be able to continue doing what I love.