Watchlist Magazine

25 year-old Heather Gatley is a super-friendly young illustrator working in North London, enjoying phenomenal success with big-name clients such as The Times, Penguin, Harper Collins, The Guardian and Microsoft. It’s always tempting to believe that successful people have had some sensational stroke of luck, or insider contacts getting them ahead. But Heather’s story reminds us that it *is* possible to get ahead for being good at what you do. She was ‘spotted’ at her degree show in 2006 and taken on by The Artworks Illustration Agency, who promoted her from the early, uncertain days as a young graduate, to today’s worldwide success. They saw something they liked, and ran with it.

The first thing you will notice is how beautiful her drawing work is. Her combination of imaginative pencil work with collage and digital layering makes for a powerful mix. Her suggestive, understated style is ideal for magazine illustration. Even Waitrose packaging.

It would be  misleading to suggest that it has all been perfect for Heather. She’s a classic self-doubter, and a harsh critic. But there’s an energy about her. She has a certain spark. We laughed a lot during the interview – and it’s hard not to fall for her charms. This positive spirit has no doubt played a significant role in her success, following the rule that people do business with people they like.

Tell us about your background and your journey into freelancing. I grew up in the Worcestershire countryside where I always had the urge to do something creative with my life. I did an Art Foundation course but still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to go on to do, but because my biggest strength had always been drawing it seemed the most obvious next step to do a degree in Illustration. I went on to study at Bournemouth Arts Institute and on graduating I exhibited at D&AD New Blood. I was lucky enough to be spotted by The Artworks Illustration agency who took me on as part of their ‘Startworks’ programme. It was a no-brainer really so I moved to London and got a few jobs on the side to tie me over with finances while I tried to establish myself. After a couple of years the work started coming in more and more frequently and I was finally able to quit the day job and begin illustrating full-time.

Tell us about some of your aspirations… The ultimate dream would be to keep doing what I’m doing, but in an amazing studio with all kinds of creative types where I could pick up skills in different areas. Working from home can be a bit restrictive because its easy to get stuck in your own ways. Plus you can feel pretty isolated at times. I’d really love to get involved with print-making and learn more technical skills like web design and maybe animation one day. The idea of working abroad really appeals to me as well as I love travelling around and experiencing new places.

Tell us about some of the themes and ideas in your work… I’m a bit obsessed with mark-making so I pay a lot of attention to line quality and texture within my work. I also like to leave an element of suggestion within my drawings so the eye has to fill in the gaps itself.

What kind of adversities, constraints and scepticism have you had to battle with? I guess the constant adversity for any struggling new illustrator is money, or lack of it. Having to work other jobs when I wasn’t getting enough illustration work to survive on was quite exhausting and I found it quite difficult to balance my time and keep myself motivated and generating new work. I’m also my own worst critic, which can sometimes hold me back.

What are your favourite creative places in London that you would recommend? My favourite gallery is the National Portrait Gallery, all those different interpretations of the human face really fascinate me. I love going in to the Magma shops on  Earlham Street and looking at all their beautiful books and pretty bits n pieces. Columbia Road is great for inspiration especially when the flower market is on, as is the Prince Charles Cinema who show a really good mix of films on the cheap!

What has been the upside of your career to date? Being able to finally quit the part-time work and actually become a ‘real’ illustrator was definitely the best thing I’ve managed to do. It took a bit of time, hard work and, ultimately, courage to finally go it alone, but now I’m there it was definitely worth the struggle! In terms of commissions, getting asked by Waitrose to do illustrations for their ‘Essentials’ range packaging was quite a big deal. It kept me constantly busy for months which was an amazing boost. Getting a massive project like that under your belt really helps you to validate what you’re doing which is a really good feeling.

What elements of your character – and attitude – have been important to your success? Self-motivation and discipline to keep generating work has been important, especially at times when I’ve had no paid work on, because it’s kept me focussed and stopped me from getting stale. Being a bit of a perfectionist I’m always trying to create the very best work I can so that has probably helped to improve my illustrations. Also, I’ve found that as I’ve grown more confident with my style and in how I approach a brief, the workload has definitely grown. I think confidence has really made a difference in enabling me to make the most out each commission.

Tell us about one of your creative heroes, and what you owe them… My Nan was actually the most amazing artist who did really classic but beautiful watercolours. She really encouraged my creativity a lot from an early age. Every time we’d visited she’d get out the pencils, paints and inks etc. and let us loose! So this, fueled by amazing homemade gingerbread, definitely kick started my passion for art. Although she can’t paint anymore it makes her really happy to see the work I’ve been doing so I guess I can give something back in that way.

Tell us about some of the mistakes you have made. When I first started out I had a few briefs where I wasted a lot of time on attempting to change my natural style to something that seemed to be fashionable at the time. It was pointless really because I was trying to be something I wasn’t and I was never really happy with what I ended up with anyway! I guess getting a full time job in hospitality was probably not the best move when I first came to London either. The hours were a killer and I ended up with hardly any time left to work on my illustration. I got fed ridiculously well though and learned a hell of a lot about cheeses and expensive cognac, so not all bad! Knowing what I know now I might have looked harder for other ways to fund myself instead of working secondary jobs, like bursuries or getting financial support from the council. Could have made life a bit easier!

Can you signpost us to any resources or organisations that have helped you get ahead? In my first year of freelancing I did an internship for a few months at the Association of Illustrators which gave me a good insight into illlustration as both an industry and a profession. I got to see how other illustrators were working, how they promoted themselves, dealt with clients, priced their work etc. which was really valuable as it gave me a much better idea of what to expect in the professional world. I was also able to observe the day to day workings of a studio space as the AOI office shared the same floor as the studio of a few well-known illustrators. I think it helped me a lot to experience the bigger picture like this. Online resources are really useful to me in terms of inspiration and also for finding out what’s new in the creative industries. I subscribe to a few blogs such as ‘Creative Review’, ‘Lost at E-Minor’ and ‘It’s Nice That’ which I like to check each morning before I start work.

Tell us about an innovation/idea/product/service you have come across that you admire/got you thinking. Google Street View is just totally amazing to me. I’ve illustrated a few maps of places recently and its so handy just being able to get an idea of the place by just cruising through the streets online! Amazing stuff.

Have you come across many cautionary tales of dodgy practice? A few about certain agencies to avoid, but the most recent thing was that Falmouth student plagiarism shocker that caused huge outrage over the internet recently. Pretty scary, makes you think how easy it might be for someone to swipe your work off your website and re-label it as their own like that!

What contribution have other people played in your success? Having friends who are also practicing illustrators has been vital for me if only for their mutual support. It’s really good to be able to get advice and feedback here and there from your contemporaries, as well as being able to pull in favours for help in areas where my own skills are lacking - I definitely would have struggled getting a good website up on my own. My Dad’s advice with the business side of things has been a huge help and of course my agents have played a major part in getting me busy. I’m not sure how I would have fared going out and promoting myself on my own!

What have been the big lessons for you over the last few years? Believe in yourself a bit more, do the admin..  and don’t hide from the tax man!

Have you always had a thing for entrepreneurship, or has this happened purely out of necessity? Ha! I’ve never really though of myself that way at all! It’s all necessity really. I’m freelance because that’s really the only way I can do what I do. I love being my own boss, getting up when I want and taking holidays whenever I get the itch, but sometimes I do wish there was a bit more stability!

See more at: heathergatley.co.uk