Paul Thurlby, Illustrator
Originally from Nottingham, Paul is an award winning illustrator living in London. He was fortunate enough to have had his personal project, Alphabet, published as a children’s book in 2011. Since then he hasn’t looked back.
His work is graphic and colourful and he enjoys working with a wide variety of clients from Children’s Books and Editorial to Advertising and Design. Paul loves original vintage posters and still has room on his walls for some more (hint, hint).
His client list includes: John Lewis, The National Gallery London, Monocle, Amstel, The Guardian, Templar Publishing, Hachette, Pimm’s, BBH New York, Mother London, The French Tourist Board, Washington Post, Camp Bestival, McGarryBowen London, Grosset and Dunlap / Penguin Group USA, Editions Milan, Size?, The New Yorker, Nokia, Ted Baker, Warner/Chappell, Tate Enterprises, Southbank Centre London, It’s Nice That, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Times, The Independent, The Bank of England.
You are originally from Nottingham, can you tell me more about your early life? When did you first discover your love for illustration/design?
When I was at junior school, I really enjoyed being creative. I would write short stories and then illustrate what I’d written. The teacher’s encouragement and positive comments made me feel good and want to do more. My granddad delivered newspapers and I would use the spare blank newsprint paper to draw on. My favourite thing to draw was football stadiums. I would even calculate the capacity of the stadium. I made up names of teams and I would design football strips for each one. They would play in my own made up league!
Secondary school was completely different for me because the teachers weren’t so bothered and didn’t tend to encourage. There was really no idea that you could have any sort of career in the arts. We weren’t even introduced to graphic design or illustration. Besides, by this time I thought I was pretty average at art and would look at what the bigger kids had done and feel inadequate in comparison.
It wasn’t until I was 20 when I worked for the local council as an administrator that my former boss suggested that I should go to Art College. She had noticed that I used to draw rather than work! It was the first time someone had shown any belief in me since junior school. We are still friends now and she always gives me honest feedback.
Your personal project, Alphabet was published as a children’s book in 2011. Since then you have never looked back. Can you describe that journey and what it’s to have your first book published?
Alphabet started as a personal project. I had been steadily working on editorial commissions for the two years that I had been working full-time as an illustrator. But, I had debts of around £30,0000 and I really needed to push myself to step up to the next level. It was in 2009 when people were talking a lot about the recession. At that point, I didn’t have many commissions coming in and my debt was increasing. I wanted to come up with an amazing idea. One of my Christmas presents was ABC3D by Marion Bataille. So, I decided to do my own take on the alphabet. I wanted to challenge myself, so I came up with the idea that I would use capital letters to communicate the chosen words. I had a pocket dictionary I would use to scan for words. I enjoy problem solving and coming up with ideas. It’s that ‘eureka’ moment that’s so appealing to me, I think!
As I posted each letter in Flickr, it gathered more and more interest. Later in 2009, a literary agent from New York contacted me and said that my alphabet made her ‘want to have children’! It was only a couple of months later that she got me a book deal. It was especially nice that the UK publisher didn’t want to change anything about my illustrations. The book advance helped pay back some of my debts that I have now all repaid.
You love original vintage posters and still have room on your walls for some more. If you had an unlimited budget, what posters would you hang on your walls?
When asked this question I feel like a kid in a sweet shop! Ok, here goes. I would take Ambassadors / Aristide Bruant (1892) and Moulin Rouge / La Goule both by Toulouse-Lautrec. Then I would move on to the father of the modern advertising poster, Italy’s Leonetto Cappiello. I would love to have Parapluie-Revel (1929), Cioccolato Venchi (1923), Absinthe Ducros Fils (1901), Le Frou Frou (1899), Mistinguett / Casino de Paris (1920) and Jacquin (1920). I would probably need a whole room dedicated to Cappiello!
Abram Games is one of my poster heroes. I like the fact that his work was based around problem solving. He would consult his wife on his ideas and, if she didn’t like it, he would scrap it! Anyway, I would love to have his London Zoo poster for TFL from 1976 and Sightsee London (1968). Maybe, also his iconic war poster ‘Grow Your Own Food’.
The French have a talent for great posters and I’m a particularly big fan of Bernard Villemot. I first discovered his work in Paris where the Biblioteque Forney had put on an exhibition of his work. I already have a few of his posters, as well as a maquette. But, since you have asked and since I have an unlimited budget, I would like the red and green Parly 2 poster from 1970. Negrita. Le Rhum (1974), the large Orangina Umbrellas poster from 1984, Eugénie les Baines (1988) and some more maquettes.
What makes a great poster?
A great poster is something that gets people’s attention even in a busy city when people are rushing around. It engages you and makes you think. It remains with you in your head.
Christmas card design for Nineteen Seventy Three.
Your work is so graphic and colorful. What inspires your work?
I like to go to exhibitions and read about how artists came up with their ideas. To see how prolific they are/were. Each time I go to a great exhibition I feel energized and excited about doing more work. The Matisse Cut-Outs exhibition at the Tate Modern a few years ago was probably the best I’ve seen. I think I went about 5 or 6 times! But, I think my love of posters is the main reason why my work is graphic.
You have worked with a wide variety of clients from Children’s Books and Editorial to Advertising and Design. What is your favorite thing to work on?
My favourite thing to work on is usually personal projects. It’s only then that I get to do both the illustration and art direction without any constraints.
Can you tell me about your journey to landing your first job?
After leaving university, I was a little unprepared for the real world of illustration. It took a while, but I sent a postcard off that was an illustration of a TV news presenter who had quit because he had gotten tired of reading out all the bad news. I got a commission from a magazine about re-insurance. It was a pretty boring article, but I was excited about getting off the mark!
What’s the most practical piece of feedback you’ve ever received?
There was a visiting lecturer at our university who came in once a week and would take us places to draw. We likened him to Yoda because her was very wise and… small! He told us to concentrate on simplifying our work. To use bold shapes of flat colour and reduce everything down to its essentials. His work was similar to that of the great Charley Harper.
What are you currently reading/watching/listening to that inspires your work?
I’m reading Maus. A friend recommended it to me. I’m not usually interested in graphic novels, but this has got my attention. I like books that replace humans with animals as main characters.
What advice could you give to someone who just graduated college and is new to the design world, but does not know where to begin?
Most of all, be determined and do work you believe in and love. Find your own unique style and hopefully other people will like it as much as you do. Look to the past, not the present. Maps are a great place to start to get commissions. They are so versatile and people always want them.
I feel that a lot of my peers are focused on inspiration and not execution. Why are so many young designers focused on becoming inspired, yet are not focused on the work itself?
It’s because the execution is the hardest part. Filling that blank piece of paper can be daunting and there is always pressure to create something that lives up to your expectation. Inspiration is very important because it fuels the execution. But, without the execution, you have nothing tangible to show for it.
The purpose of this podcast is to bridge the gap between entry-level designers and the industries best. I also want to point out that they fail along the way. Do you have any stories? Can you share your most embarrassing story?
One embarrassing story is from my first commission. I didn’t have the means to send the illustration in by email. I lived outside of London at the time and realised that it would cost more to send my work in then it would to actually take it in myself. So, I delivered the painted illustration to the bemused recipient by hand in person!
Over the course of your career, what have been some of the biggest lessons you have learned?
To take more time away from the screen. And, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s with those mistakes that you learn and improve.
Do you have anything you’d say to your younger self when you were starting out?
Yes, I would say don’t worry about that huge debt you’ve built up. That weighs so heavy on your shoulders and your mind. In 10 years time it will all be gone.
Finally, you seem to have a love for stripes, why?
Maybe, I like stripes because my favourite football team, Notts County, wear them? Or, maybe it’s just because they are so graphic and bold.
My sleeve design for the annual Secret 7" event combining art and music for a good cause.
