self-portrait © Tim Hopgood
The 25th guest on Meet An Illustrator is Tim Hopgood, whose recently-published board book, Wonderful World Of Colours, I have been enthusing about—it really is a superb board book.
Tim published his first children’s book some 15 years ago, having started his career as a graphic designer on i-D and Vogue magazines, before turning freelance and working as an art director in the retail fashion industry.
Tim combines his love of music with his love of drawing in a series of picture books based on classic songs: What a Wonderful World, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Moon River, and Singing in the Rain which received a starred Kirkus review and was named a Publishers’ Association Best Book of 2017.
Last year’s Wonderful World of ABC was described by Scottish BookTrust as “a great delight” and selected by the Publishers Association as one of the Best New Children’s Books 2020.
Tim has described his illustration process as follows:
Here, in a video made for CLPE, you can watch him describing how he worked on Here Comes Frankie:
If your interest in Tim’s work is whetted by the short Q&A below (I see that as the main purpose for this series), simply move on over to the Press And Interviews section of his excellent website.
Prints in various sizes of Tim’s work (all Giclée prints expertly printed using archival inks on a fine textured paper) are available from his online shop.
Tim is illustrator for Deborah Underwood‘s next American title, Loving Kindness, to be published by Henry Holt in October.
Here in the UK we can look forward to seeing Time’s illustrations in Love, The Earth by Frances Stickley, to be published by Walker Studio in 2022.
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember admiring?
At junior school I did a project on the history of fire engines. I included lots of pencil crayon drawings of all the different engines and I remember being very pleased with the end results.
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
My dad. My dad taught 3D design at Wolverhampton Polytechnic. He encouraged me to draw and to look!
Who inspires you today?
If I see something I like, it can be anything, I will spend time thinking about why I like it! Gardens, interiors, furniture, art, ceramics, textiles, a page in a picture book … working out why you connect with something is an interesting creative process.
Did you study art/illustration?
I studied Graphic Design, specialising in Illustration at Kingston Polytechnic.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
Probably my Pro Arte WASH brush and some Daler Rowney calligraphy ink.
Where do you buy your art supplies?
Scribblers online for black ink. Ken Bromley Art Supplies online for brushes, crayons and watercolours. Ryman for cheap photocopy paper to draw on and 5B/6B pencils.
What software/apps do you use?
I use an old version of QuarkXpress to construct my layouts. And then Photoshop to tidy up elements and adjust colours.
What was your first commission?
My first commission came when I was still at school—it was to create a series of illustrated scenes for a range of ceramic bowls. How that came about I’m not sure—I think it was through a competition at school, but what I do remember is that I used the money to buy my first hi-fi system.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I’m working on completing the artwork for a book written by Frances Stickley, called ‘Love, The Earth’ which will be published next year by Walker Studio.
Twitter or Instagram? Instagram
Coffee or tea? Coffee, coffee, coffee
Dog or cat? Dog
Grape or grain? Grape
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise
What do you listen to when you are working? I make Spotify playlists to suit my mood. Often when I’m deep in concentration I can listen to the same track over and over again. I wear headphones so as not to disturb anyone else at home.
Where can we follow you on social media?
You can follow me on Instagram @timhopgood Twitter @TimHopgood and on my website www.timhopgood.org
This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.
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