In Conversation With Tom Joyce

Tom Joyce is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in Southampton, UK.  

Working mainly with pen and ink, Tom creates imaginative worlds packed with as much detail as possible. Scenes of a comical nature filled with characters are a common theme within his designs.

Tom draws inspiration from the world around him, he tries to portray as many aspects of his own personality as possible and as such, you can expect to see some cheeky, humorous characters and some obscure settings. Tom’s vivid and lively imagination is very much reflected in his work.

Lost & Found's editor Matthew Holliday has the pleasure of interviewing Tom Joyce.

L&F's Matthew Holliday - Hi there Tom, before we start with the whole –  “When did you first start drawing blah blah blah”, I have to ask as I am desperate to know, how long does it take you to create one of your illustrations? As an outsider to the creative process, I see your work and maybe wrongly assume that it takes longer than it does, because the images are so complex, and have geometric patterns that fit together whilst creating other images within themselves – I mean, I think its fair to say there is A LOT going on in your works, so could you maybe tell us a little bit about how you go about creating a piece and how long it takes to actually complete?

Tom Joyce - I always carry a sketchbook with me, and find myself constantly sketching characters and ideas. These sketches evolve into a theme for a large scene, where these little sketches merge together. When starting an illustration I’ll usually map the scene out lightly and then get my pen and just draw. I’ll keep drawing until the page is bursting with characters. An A3 illustration will take me anything from a couple of days to 2 – 3 weeks to complete depending on the complexity of the scene.

Matthew - Your work reminds me in places of Martin Handford, and actually I think there are elements of Kandinsky in there too, in terms of the geometric formations, but with your work that is created through figures and individual elements, what inspires you artistically, and what drew you to working in this style?

Tom - I have always enjoyed drawing mind-boggling detail and my style really became distinctive in my final year at university, where I began to create highly detailed scenes packed full of little quirky characters. Many artists are a great inspiration to me, including Rod Hunt, Chris Ware and Martin Handford to name a few. I always enjoy discovering new artists too.

Matthew - So let's talk a bit about your background in art. When did you first start to really focus your attention on illustration? I’ve found many people with a creative itch often go around the houses trying to find their medium as it were, and then they settle in comfortably to photography, or design etc – was this the case with you, or was your passion always in art?

Tom - For as long as I can remember I have always drawn in some way or another, in my schoolbooks, sketchbooks and scrap bits of paper, it’s what I’ve always loved doing, even from an early age. I studied Art and Design at college and had the opportunity to trial different mediums, although I always fell back to illustration, It’s always been my passion and it made sense to pursue this.

Matthew - How long ago was your first show? I imagine illustration is a very liberating genre to work in, in that you can really take it anywhere and there is a lot of room to evolve. I noticed with your work that there are recurring characters, do you think as your work moves on you will still incorporate those characters, and what do they represent?

Tom - My first exhibition was in 2008 in London, this was a joint exhibition for new illustrators. My first solo exhibition was in 2012 at The Art House, Southampton, showcasing my ‘I Ink Therefore I am’ collection.

Being an illustrator, I love what I do, I can create anything, the world is at my fingertips and nothing is impossible, there are no restrictions to what I can create. You will find recurring characters within my work, being placed within different scenarios. I like that these characters become familiar and recognisable to the audience and ties my work together. 

Matthew - Do you find that Southampton inspires you at all? I know for me at least, moving here from a tiny village, I was really struck by how exciting it is for artists and writers. Do you work with any other artists from the city? Do you feel more could be done to encourage the arts around the city or are your needs ‘catered for’ so to speak?

Tom - I do love Southampton, the art scene is becoming stronger and more prominent, and although compared to other cities, still has a long way to go, things are starting to get exciting, with the creation of the new Arts Complex and Culture Quarter. Exhibiting in Southampton has assisted in making my stamp within the city and has widened my network of like-minded people within Southampton. 

Matthew - Other than illustration, what are your inspirations when it comes to your work? I mean there are many writers, painters etc who take influence form other aspects of life, be it music, design, photography – do you find these things seep into your work or are you more focused on the basic idea of illustration?

Tom - My mind is always on the go, so I get my inspiration from everything and anything really. I do read a lot and this keeps my mind engaged and imagination running.

Matthew - I love the way your work seems to have crept out of notepads and sketchbooks – its like your images are going “I need a huge A2 page, notebooks wont hold me back!!’ and then they just take over these vast pieces of paper, I’m intrigued how big you are going to go. I can just picture a mural size piece just crammed with these doodles and figures from top to bottom – do you have any aspirations to take your illustrations to a larger scale?

Tom - I could easily extend my illustrations beyond the restrictions of paper sizes. As mentioned previously, this would be a lengthily process, although a challenge I would love to take on at some point in the future.

Matthew - And finally Tom, could you just give us an idea of what you have coming up and what you’ll be working on over 2013? Can we expect more exhibitions and new work?

Tom - Along with creating lots of new illustrations, I have some exciting projects lined up for 2013. One of which is working in collaboration with Post Living, where my designs will be placed onto furnishings, from coasters to tables. This is a project I’m very excited about, so watch this space...

For more of Tom's work visit his sites: 

Blog: http://tomjoyceillustration.blogspot.co.uk/
Website: http://www.mikefoyle.com/tomjoyce/

All work shown © Tom Joyce 2013

Matthew Holliday

Editor