INTERVIEW: NATHAN SMITH, COVER NO. 39 ARTIST
“My main driving force is the unstoppable urge to create. I am constantly restless especially when it comes to learning new skills and making a new piece of work.”
~ Nathan Smith
The Directory of Illustration is the world’s leading illustration resource. Each year, we distribute our printed Directory free of charge to thousands of art buyers who regularly hire freelance artists and animators.
In celebration of DI39’s exquisite cover, we had the great honor of hearing from Nathan Smith to learn more about his creative process behind this year’s innovative design. The theme for DI39 is “Equity and Sustainability” to highlight the importance of moving towards a brighter, more positive and more sustainable future. Nathan brought this theme to life with his whimsical character, Sebastian, who journeys through the book representing the achievements of humanity: from horse-drawn agriculture to steam power, from electricity to now wind and green energy.
MEET NATHAN
It’s with great pleasure that we introduce our amazing cover artist, Nathan Smith! Nathan is an award-winning British artist, illustrator and designer who has been working in the creative industries for nearly 30 years. He originally trained and worked as a theatre designer and scenic artist in London before moving into a long career in fine art and illustration. His work still contains a theatrical flare – “quirky, visually intriguing, playful and informal” are just some of the terms that have been used to describe his style.
Much of his work is inspired by nautical and aeronautical machines to which Nathan often gives anthropomorphic qualities. Set in nonsensical landscapes where logic is thrown away, the paintings capture the audience with the absurd. Throughout these landscapes, unusual characters and machines move with an alternative physical law of their own. The paintings are pointedly illustrative in style, a feature which now comes through strongly in his digital work. His digital work has been published internationally.
His Clients Include:
Financial Times / Newfoundland Labrador tourist board Canada / Target Brand Architecture Canada / Science Museum London / 3MS Music / 7us Media Group Germany / Wonkypix Games & Apps / Wild in Art / Silverstone motor racing / The Air Ambulance Service / Frobisher’s Fruits / Colchester & Winchester Zoo / Park Inn Hotels / London 2012 Olympics / Imperial War Museum
Nathan is represented by AAARep
How or why did you become an illustrator after working as a scenic artist?
Nathan: I always wanted to be an illustrator. As a scenic artist I recreated the work of other designers onto back cloths. I wanted to express my own creativity.
We love the whimsical and theatrical flare in your work. Can you elaborate on how you developed your style?
Nathan: I was always heavily influenced by fantasy art and the magical realism of illustrators like Patrick Woodroffe and William Heath Robinson. I suppose I had also unconsciously absorbed some of the atmosphere of the english repertory theatre. Stylised back drops, paint frames and ladders often feature in my early acrylic paintings and illustrations.
How did you develop your diverse illustration skills?
Nathan: I began with traditional media and developed a style using acrylic paint and collage. Then in 2010 I began drawing on an ipad, and completely changed the way I wanted to work. I taught myself to use photoshop then ZBrush and completely fell in love with it. I had previously created traditional ceramic sculptures and so I felt completely at home with 3D clay.
What inspires your creativity?
Nathan: I am inspired by all kinds of subject matter. After the financial crash I became influenced by economics and politics. One such illustration ‘Dodo Economics’ features on my pages in this year’s Directory of Illustration. All things to do with flight and aviation in general have also always inspired me and influenced my illustration.
You are clearly a passionate artist…What are the driving forces behind your work?
Nathan: My main driving force is the unstoppable urge to create. I am constantly restless especially when it comes to learning new skills and making a new piece of work.
How did you feel when you were asked to be the cover artist?
Nathan: My agent Antonio Adriao (AAARep) has been promoting my artwork in the Directory of Illustration since 2016 and so I was delighted to be asked to illustrate the cover.
We’ve learned that your process begins with a sketch before progressing to your Wacom tablet. Was this the process behind this year’s cover design? Did you do anything differently?
Nathan: I began this year’s cover design as usual with several sketches on paper. Then I jumped straight into 3D, blocking out the major forms and building the look of the characters. The look of the silhouette is always important to me. I like to present my concept as an almost finished illustration in greyscale, subtly indicating background features.
What message/feeling do the images express to you?
Nathan: The message that the image expresses to me is one of hope: that humanity needs to change its ways, look after the planet a lot better and be accountable for its past actions. The character of Sebastian goes on a journey to a better cleaner future.
What media did you use?
Nathan: I used ZBrush and composed the illustration in Affinity Photo and Photoshop.
How did you choose your colour palette?
Nathan: I wanted to avoid using a similar colour palette to previous D of I covers. When I knew Sebastian’s body would be that of a steam engine, Stephenson’s Rocket sprang to mind. It’s colours of white, yellow and black worked perfectly. The Rocket’s white chimney would become the wind turbine head of the character. I wanted the organic colours of the rural landscape to influence the colour palette of the scales.
Can you share with us your inspiration for the visuals you created for the cover, inside cover and spread?
Nathan: I wanted to tell the complex story of equity and sustainability through a character and to have this character journey through the inside cover and credits spread. I wanted to show how equity was about balance and judgement. I imagined an anthropomorphic character and my thoughts went straight to power and steam power. The character of Sebastian is a composite of a horse, a steam engine and a wind turbine, inspired by the three ages of industrial power. He is weighed in the balance by the scales of equity. The cogs across the inside pages representing interconnectivity and power driven machinery.
We’d like to thank Nathan for sharing his process with us and, of course, for his incredible cover art! This year’s DI39 cover is unlike any cover we’ve had before and we are honored and excited to share it with the world.
Cover and End Sheets: Nathan Smith, represented by AAARep.
Book Design & Art Direction: Lisa Wiant
Creative Director: Tamra Dempsey
