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Jason Brooks
Stylised beauty: An interview with the London based illustrator by Mark McGough

Jason Brooks is one of the most respected illustrators of the decade. His portfolio covers interiors, lifestyle, fashion and music.

The chances are you have seen his work,
with clients ranging from Saatchi & Saatchi and L’Oreal to Hed kandi and Carlsberg. What follows are 6 carefully selected questions.

1. Illustration can sometimes be quite unpredictable. How did you use colour, space and perspective for the image on the right and what effect did you want to achieve?

In this image, originally for German Elle magazine,
I wanted to use perspective to create a feeling of speed as if the boat was almost surging out of the page.

When I was a lot younger I took some time to learn about ‘vanishing points’ which are imaginary points on the horizon in a picture where perspective lines converge to create the illusion of space. When I draw something with lots of straight lines like a building
or interior I will use them to make everything look accurate and in perspective but sometimes like in this image of a speedboat, it is useful to know the basic rules of perspective in order to bend them. For example in the image the girl is probably a little too big for the scale of the speedboat but I don’t think
it really matters and in a way hopefully adds to the feeling of movement I was trying to capture. In the image the girl is probably a little too big for the scale of the speedboat but I don’t think it really matters and in a way hopefully adds to the feeling of movement I was trying to capture. I have also tried to use colour to show different kinds of water, for example the distant deeper water near the horizon and more translucent blue green water almost underneath the boat in the foreground. This is an attempt to use colour to make the horizon feel much further away and again to add to the feeling of space and speed. Sometimes it is useful to know something about these techniques and painting on a computer is exactly the same. I grew up near the sea in Brighton and used to do a lot of windsurfing so water is also often a theme in my illustrations partly because I’ve spent a lot of time observing it.

2. What qualities do your illustrations have, in your opinion, that make so many clients, illustrators and designers want to imitate your style?

I think my illustrations offer a form of escapism into an alternative imaginary and glamorous world that I know I enjoy going to. Oscar Wilde once said ‘One’s real life is so often the life that one does not lead’ and I like that idea. I certainly enjoy imagining different places and situations which I hope other people enjoy going to, and from a commercial point of view I am lucky that this has attracted companies. Illustration can offer something different to Photography and from an advertising point of view if its done well this point of difference can be effective.

For some reason my illustration has lead to a lot of imitation but I think being original is the best way to be really successful in the arts. 3. Your illustrations are very detailed. How long can one take to produce after you are given a brief, and is there lots of planning involved or do you just dive in and see the result?

There is normally a planning stage because I am usually illustrating for someone else so its important to understand what they want from the beginning. This means a lot of listening and asking questions
if I’m not sure of anything, before starting rough sketches which I will then show to client to make
sure I’m on the right track.

Once I have the green light to go ahead
I then take perhaps a week to ten days to complete an illustration. If I am drawing something for myself, which sometimes
I have less time to do than I would like, then just go with whatever impulse of inspiration I have. Sometimes this means reaching for a brush and ink or Pritt stick and cutout paper to create a particular image I have in mind. Maybe one day there will be computers that can speed up the whole process but for now it does take a lot of hours from idea to finished image.

4. Your most famous client is probably Mark Doyle, the founder of record label Hed Kandi. How did you meet him and how did this lead to winning him as a client?

It seems like such a long time ago now,
I was living with my then girlfriend, now wife, in Covent Garden and Mark just called me up and asked me to illustrate the first Hed Kandi CD cover having seen my work on club flyers for Puschca, a well known club at the time. That first commission turned into a series fifty cd covers over the following years until I decided to stop in 2005. I’m still working with Mark and we’ve started a new record label called Fierce Angels.

5. This year you will be launching the Jil & Jet character range. Sounds exciting. What is it?

Well Jil & Jet are two characters I have created for a company in Japan called Mark’s that make wonderful stationery,calendars,diaries,toys etc.

At the moment the Jil & Jet range is only available in Japan and are my first foray into licensing character design but if all goes well I would love to introduce them to other markets including Europe and the UK.

6. For young budding illustrators and designers, what action do you recommend they take in the next week if they are serious about succeeding?

I think for young illustrators the most important thing by far is to practice drawing with normal tools like pen, ink, paper charcoal, whatever you can use to make a mark. Computers are only another tool so if you practice drawing traditionally you will have a head start. For any kind of artist or designer I think its important to be true to your own vision, we are all unique individuals already so if someone creates work that is personal to them it will automatically be original. I think people who believe there is no such thing as a new idea are completely wrong because the world is full of endless and inspiring complexity.

If I had to recommend action in the next week to budding illustrators or designers I would say save up to go travelling.

To find out more about Richard Warren visit:
jason-brooks.com