Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Painterly, mixed-media with delicate patterns, nature-infused with a sprinkle of surrealism.
What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Drawing board, daylight bulb, paint brushes, Arches Hot-pressed water-colour paper.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
A tossup between Liquitex acrylic paints and graphite pencils.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Lizbeth Zwerger, John Burningham, Odilon Redon.
Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
The “Pop-Art” era must have been some fun!
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
Going to art college and realising I could make pretty things just with a pencil and paper.
Going to art college and realising I could make pretty things just with a pencil and paper.
Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
My studio space is now in the family home amongst the dining-room area. It’s a pretty light, organised area but with interruptions from teenagers, a husband and two cats!
I used to share a dedicated studio-space in London, but times have changed…
My studio space is now in the family home amongst the dining-room area. It’s a pretty light, organised area but with interruptions from teenagers, a husband and two cats!
I used to share a dedicated studio-space in London, but times have changed…
Either scribbling the first initial ideas or being deep into final artwork
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Be true to what your hand naturally wants to create – don’t try and emulate others’ work. Work hard at both the art itself and the business side of your practice. Persevere and don’t give up if you truly believe you have talent. And you’ll need some luck!
Diana Mayo is an illustrator now based in Chelmsford, near London.
She enjoys working for a broad spectrum of clients across the publishing, design and has recently published Snow Ghost, written by Tony Mitton, published by Bloomsbury UK. Other clients include Penguin Random House USA and Macmillan USA. Diana is represented by Artist Partners illustration agency.
For more information, please visit Diana's website or follow her on instagram or twitter.
