'It's okay to jump from one style to the next', Josh Patterson on carving out an illustration career

With complete 7 years successful nan imaginative manufacture nether his belt, Josh Patterson has seen galore different sides of what it has to offer. Having worked some freelance and in-house, pinch clients including nan Wall Street Journal, nan BBC and nan New York Times, he's perpetually honing his trade for advertisers, magazines and animation studios.

Like galore illustrators, Josh settled connected a imaginative way erstwhile he was young. The family he grew up successful was an creator one, arsenic his begetter is simply a creator and illustrator while his mother is simply a vocalist and actor. "From an early age, creation and creation has ever been a large portion of my life," he tells Creative Boom.

"I started drafting astatine an early property and my dada saw I had nan imaginable and helped thatch maine a fewer principles of drawing. I would mostly tie from group and things astir me, drafting my brothers, parents, friends."

Josh continued drafting passim school, past went connected to study ocular connection astatine assemblage pinch a specialisation successful illustration. Freelance activity started to travel successful during his 3rd twelvemonth of studies, and upon graduating he leapt consecutive successful freelancing.

"I spent a mates of years arsenic a freelancer earlier deciding I wanted thing much secure, truthful I switched things up and worked arsenic a marque designer for nan adjacent 5 years," he explain. "I was fortunate that wrong these roles I was still capable to person a beardown attraction towards illustration, truthful it wasn’t wholly lost.

"I learnt a batch successful these years and yet came to nan conclusion that illustration is what really brings maine nan astir joy. So I switched backmost to freelancing successful 2022 and person been loving it ever since."

Josh sums up his activity arsenic bright, bold and playful. This is successful portion acknowledgment to processing a style catered towards vector-based images that will beryllium utilized commercially, peculiarly for animation. "I bask utilizing elemental lines and shapes to create busy, colourful scenes that instantly tie your attention."

However this doesn't mean that each of his illustrations return this approach. "I would opportunity nan style I nutrient my commercialized activity successful is rather different to nan measurement I sketch erstwhile I’m conscionable drafting from life aliases utilizing photograph references," he adds. "Making these 2 styles consciousness seamlessly interlinked is thing I proceed to activity on."

Underneath each of Josh's activity is simply a fascination for an intelligence and method accomplishment erstwhile it comes to drawing. Indeed, nan pieces by his favourite accepted and modern artists that he astir enjoys are nan sketches. "Di Vinci’s anatomy drawings are thing I was introduced to from an early property and I’ve ever admired them," he says. "I precocious discovered an creator called Mark Maggiori, his paintings are very technically meticulous but his sketches are afloat of look and energy. I emotion them.

"In nan world of commercialized illustration however, I ever respect artists that are capable to correspond engaged scenes aliases concepts successful a simplified way. Perhaps it’s successful nan colour palettes they use, their usage of simplistic strokes aliases their usage of light, protector and texture. There’s thing astir physically seeing nan volition successful nan imaginative decisions I find really inspiring. A prime fewer artists I deliberation do this really good are Ben Pearce, Vincent Mahé and Owen Davey."

As a master illustrator, Josh is ever engaged drafting away, but successful his individual activity he's free to research his favourite subjects specified arsenic things, places and group that person inspired him. "I find that taking small snippets of an acquisition aliases infinitesimal I’ve had is simply a really bully measurement of expressing really I’ve felt astir something," he reveals.

"I’ve ever been fascinated by drafting group and faces, creating different expressions and emotions pinch elemental lines and shapes. I do for illustration to support my activity engaged and vibrant, truthful elaborate scenes of cities, landscapes and environments that mostly person tons going connected are ever nosy for maine to draw!"

This vibrancy and busyness helps to make Josh's illustrations engaging, which is simply a pivotal domiciled if they are accompanying a portion of contented for illustration an editorial. "Whether it’s an article, advert, video aliases a portion of branding, my activity is location to beryllium eye-catching and impactful." he says. "So to thief make it guidelines retired arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable I usage a operation of agleam colours and bold shapes that intends to instantly tie your attention. I bask playing astir pinch colours and emotion discovering palettes that compliment each different well."

Yet contempt having settled connected a style that useful commercially, Josh isn't acrophobic to shingle things up. In truth he points retired that nan request to do truthful is 1 of nan biggest lessons he's learnt successful nan past 7 years. "The activity I nutrient now is vastly different from nan activity I produced erstwhile I first started out," he says. "I had a number of years moving for start-ups arsenic a marque designer which I deliberation taught maine to critique my activity more, and mobility nan decisions I make.

"I deliberation I’m now much intentional pinch nan creator decisions I make whereas backmost past I’d often conscionable tie without reasoning and I deliberation my wide outcomes are amended now for this. It besides taught maine nan value of taking connected feedback successful a affirmative way. Where I mightiness person been offended aliases disheartened successful nan past, constructive disapproval is thing I thrive disconnected now arsenic I’m ever looking to get nan champion retired of my work."

This affirmative attack has helped Josh to plough connected and support creating. And it's this attack which he advises aspiring illustrators to travel themselves, sloppy of nan results. "If you don’t for illustration thing you’ve made, move it speech and make another," he says. "If you emotion thing you’ve made, move it speech and make another.

"Something my dada ever utilized to show maine is you’re only arsenic bully arsenic your past drawing. It’s a quote I deliberation astir a batch and person applied passim my career. I ever effort my champion to return lessons from each task and purpose for nan adjacent 1 to beryllium much successful than nan last. It doesn’t ever hap but it’s bully to person successful nan backmost of your mind arsenic motivation."

Josh besides advises that illustrators return inspiration from everyplace and proceed to research pinch different techniques successful bid to fig retired what useful for them. "A batch of beginner illustrators are rather fixated connected ‘finding their style’ but I deliberation it’s okay (and very normal) to jump from 1 style to nan adjacent erstwhile you’re starting out, and moreover arsenic a professional!

"Being adaptable is an important portion of commercialized illustration. I find what happens a lot, peculiarly successful my animation jobs, is simply a customer whitethorn already person a group style for you to activity in. So being capable to usage your accomplishment group to accommodate to moving successful aggregate styles is important. I often find this is simply a awesome opportunity to research and you mightiness find thing you want to bring backmost into your existing style — frankincense processing it further."

All of Josh's determination and difficult activity continues to salary off, arsenic he has precocious conscionable been signed to nan agency Brilliant Artists. As for nan remainder of 2024, he's looking guardant to getting much advertorial projects and animation work. "I really bask nan collaborative attack animation studios return and it’s ever a privilege having nan chance to activity alongside immoderate really talented animators," he concludes.

"Outside of nan commercialized illustration, I’m presently really enjoying taking 30 minutes retired of my greeting to capable up my sketchbooks. Drawing from references, life, recreation and imagination is simply a really awesome measurement to get warmed up for nan time and I dream to adhd immoderate of these drawings to my people shop successful nan adjacent future."