For issue 10, illustrator Dan Bright created a beautiful image of a 'walking palm' (Socratea exorrhiza), a native to the tropical rainforests of the Americas, with stilt-like roots that lift the body of the tree clear off the ground. Dan invites us into studio to share his joy in stepping away from his computer, and indulging in the messy, inky, tactile art of lino-cut printing
Dan, take us through your design process for your ‘walking palm’ illustration.
I normally work digitally, but I’ve been making lino prints on the side for a few years now so this this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something different and have some fun.
The space available on the page suggested a certain composition, so I spent few days feverishly scribbling ideas, trying to develop a character that felt reasonably believable and weird, but not scary. The hardest part was working out where to place its eye.
Once the design was signed off I had to work out how to actually deliver the print, and the panic set in. I decided on a four-colour, two-plate reduction print and started cutting some lino. Leaving many of the details to chance I aimed to work it out as I went along, printing lots of test prints and experimenting with transparent inks to mix colours and add depth. Once I was happy with the first two colour layers, I repeated the process for the next two, leaving it deliberately rough in places to give a nice, spiky, organic feel.
Are there any other interesting projects you're working on at the moment?
I’m – very slowly – creating a series of prints based on British folklore, myth and legend. It’s taking me forever because I’m enjoying researching the subject so much – every new story or creature I find leads to three or four others to read about. At some point I need to stop exploring and actually put some ink on paper.
I’m also in the early stages of writing and illustrating a children’s book about insects and the environment, which I’m really excited about.
Where do you turn for inspiration, particularly when you're in a creative lull?
The best way I’ve found to break out of a creative rut is to leave all my screens behind and go outside for a walk or do some gardening.
I’ve always been a massive nature geek and love finding new places to explore. If you pay attention you can find inspiration in the unlikeliest and most mundane of places, – I’ve found bee orchids, earthstars and wasps’ nests, all only a five minute walk from my city centre home.
What have you taken away from the lockdown experience?
How much I took for granted and how quickly it can be taken away. Hug, anyone? And that I really need to take much better care of my physical and mental health.
Tell us about your studio space. How does it reflect you?
My studio is set up in the spare bedroom and is split into two areas. One for my digital illustration work – it contains my desk, Macbook and Cintiq and is kept scrupulously clean and tidy. The other side has a workbench and printing press, where I do my drawing, printmaking and experimenting. It’s a lot messier, inkier and more fun.
I think people would say my studio is a pretty good reflection of my character – annoyingly precise and perfectionist on the one hand, and chaotically disorganised and messy on the other.
What's on your bedside table?
A glass of water.
A vintage Anglepoise Lamp, which I inherited (stole) from my parents.
A Kindle loaded with comfort reading, mostly Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse novels.
In Montmartre, by Sue Roe, which is about Paris in the early 1900s and the birth of modern art (if I could live in any place and time it would be there).
