My journey into Illustration
It’s been a fair while since I was at Harlow College, or Harlow Technical College as it was known when I was there from 1980 to ‘83. It was even in a different location back then! I was straight out of school (Passmores) and destined for the sixth form when I pivoted at the last minute, persuaded by two friends who were already at the ‘Tech’, and applied for the Foundation year. We were all mad on comics but, really, who actually has that as a proper job? Especially when they’re from Harlow.
After a year of trying a bit of everything (we even made a theatre in one room and put on a puppet show) there was a choice to move onto either fine art or book design (graphics). Again, I pivoted at the last moment and took the more commercial option. Less illustration but far more in line with the kind of thing I liked. Looking back on it, I had no idea of the career I might get from all of this (I never thought I had the chops to be a professional illustrator), even when, two years later, I’d finished and was out in the world looking for a job.
But I kept at it and was lucky enough to be taken on as a junior paste-up artist (this was pre computers and the Adobe Creative Suite, remember. We had to cut everything out and stick it down with gum.). Still no illustration, though, until I found some like-minded, very early adopter, Japanese animation fans and ended up helping design and launch the UK’s first anime mag. Some artwork on that led to being asked to do illustration for video game magazines and suddenly, I seemed to be an illustrator. I ended up both illustrating, designing, and even writing for games mags before making the leap to games development as a concept artist. Since then I’ve mixed games dev (both concept and UI art) with illustration for other magazines, books and anything else that needed some silly pictures.
They say college (at least the Foundation year) is for experimentation but I have to say that I was pretty dogged in my tastes and the kind of thing I liked to draw. It was to the college’s credit that although they pushed me to try many different things, they also didn’t try and dissuade me from the thing I obviously had a passion for.
My time at the college was the perfect chance to grow up a bit after school and before trying to be an adult and I’ll always look back on it fondly.
The workplace today is very different from when I was trying to get a step on the ladder so I really don’t know which path I’d take if I was 17/18 now (probably still making comics with maybe some YouTube on the side) but having a good attitude, accepting constructive criticism gracefully (and learning from it) are traits that never go out of fashion.
What advice would I give my college self?
Don’t be so stubborn, you don’t know it all and yes, life drawing is really useful. Also, practice, work on your own stuff at home and if you start a project, finish it! If you have the passion, you will make it. Also, it is possible to get into town, have at least one go on the Space Firebird arcade machine in Startime records and get back to class in your morning break but you do have to be quick.
Wil Overton
Illustration & Design
