Hello Wotto and thank you for doing this interview with Colovision Magazine.

1 – To Start, tell us a bit about yourself where you were born and where you live…

I was born in England, currently living in Scotland but working on paperwork to move to Southern California in 2010. I am wotto, illustrator, character designer, painter and addict to doodling. I am married and intend to make a small army of wottos in the future.

2 – How did you get started in the arts?

I have always drawn from the time I could crawl so I guess I was always in the ‘arts’. I started illustrating properly (as opposed to doodling) at University and art school. My career as an illustrator started when I left University and freelanced. I got picked up by a .com company and became their in house illustrator; I learned a huge amount from a very skilled team and made some great friends. After that I moved to London and illustrated as a freelancer, which was a lot of fun. I have been freelancing ever since. I suppose I was always going to draw and drawing itself was the inspiration. Getting paid to draw is a dream come true for me.

3 – Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Inspiration comes to me in the strangest of places. I find it hard to sleep at night because my brain keeps puking out ideas.  I keep a sketchbook next bed for such times.

4 – Can you describe for us what a regular day is like for you?

Draw, read emails, write emails, speak to clients, kiss my wife, draw, design and go to bed. There really is never enough time in a day. Days should really be longer and then maybe I’d get to the bottom of my list!

5 -  What is your most common approach for completing a project?

All my work starts as a doodle, whether I am traveling or trying to sleep, I always have to sketch the idea down. Then I usually redraw the idea, tweaking bits and bobs. Next I scan it in and work on it in Illustrator, adding and chopping stuff as I go. I really like Illustrator as a tool but for me it’s all about the drawing. I usually start a design and then leave it alone and revisit a day, week or month later. It’s good to look at a design with fresh eyes sometimes. I usually ask my wife what she thinks too; another set of eyes is useful.

6 -  Out of all your work what is your favorite piece and why?

I love the last illustration I did for about 12 hours and then I start to find fault in it. I think that’s good, it keeps me pushing myself and aiming for more. One illustration I am pleased with is a design called ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’ for Threadless because it’s close to the original visual I had in my head. I also like how it has lots of imperfections; I wanted it to be like that because I love the mistakes in there for all to see.

7 –  Is it easy to make a living in the work that you do?

No.  You have to commit to your work and work hard, very hard. Never giving up even when people slam doors in your face. Opportunities will not come after you, you have to work to get them. In the current market there are a million illustrators all fighting for a place. You have to create a style, a signature and when you do you can bet someone will try to steal it.  It’s not all doom and gloom, when the clients come and people get excited about your work it’s all worth it.

8 -  Who is your biggest influence?

There are hundreds and thousands of influences. I am like a sponge and many artists inspire and influence me. I think all artists, designers build up a mental library of artists and images and draw on it to influence their work. Here are a few that come to mine, Hundertwasser, Picasso, McBess, MissVan, Tamara De Lempika, Junko Mizuno…….

9 -  How important is technology for the work that you do? What tools could you not live with out?

It’s important in design, T-shirts and stuff like that. I love Illustrator and I am a Mac user.  Technology and I fall out regularly and I have often considered slamming my laptop against the wall. Luckily I have some good friends who are geniuses.  Can’t beat a pencil and paper though.

10 – How important is color in your work and why?

Very, it depicts a mood. A lot of my work is dark and relies on colour to add atmosphere. There is a lot of bright stuff around at the moment and I am trying to vary my palette a  little myself.

11 – Whats your favorite color?

Black

12 – Where can people get in contact with you?

wotskins@hotmail.com or twitter , all on my website, www.wotto.co.uk

Thanks a lot for the time and investment in Colorvision!