Gather round for a grim Halloween story: Years ago a publisher accused me of faking my folio
(I didn’t 😳)
As it’s nearly Halloween I thought I’d share a ghastly illustration story with you. Not a spooky one, but a grim one nevertheless. Gather round fellow illustrators.
Back in the mid 90’s, straight out of art school and bursting with enthusiasm and a big dollop of naivety, I was offered a job illustrating a piece of young fiction, or was it non fiction along the lines of Horrible Histories? I can’t quite remember. You know, a few black and white line drawings for a short, funny chapter book.
I knew immediately it wasn’t a good fit. I didn’t really like the text and thought it needed something more cartoony (is that a word) than my work. But I was excited to be asked, and thought I should get my act together and learn to illustrate anything that came my way (big mistake, I’ll come back to that later). So I said yes.
I have no idea who the publisher was, or what the book was called. I think I have suppressed that piece of information from my conscious brain, the whole thing was such a nightmare.
After a couple of weeks of pulling my hair out and filling up the bin beside my desk, I sent over some admittedly ropey rough drawings and waited. The editor sent me a list of changes. I took the comments on board and tried again and this time I got a phone call. She said she had liked my folio, but that THIS work was awful, and she questioned whether the work in my folio was really my own.
SHE ACCUSED ME OF FAKING MY FOLIO!
To be clear, I didn’t fake my folio. Imagine!
The reason my folio was full of good work was because in the right circumstances I can make REALLY good artwork 🤓. The reason the rough drawings for this book were so awful was because I was young and learning on the job, and had accepted a commission that was a bad fit for my work.
The job was taken off me and I was left to lick my wounds and come to terms with the fact that one of the big leading UK publishers saw me as a fake. Not just a fake, but someone who is capable of stealing someone else’s artwork.
Luckily I am stubborn, so I suppressed the name of the publisher and the title of the book from myself 😂 and I carried on with my career.
The lesson here is that your work won’t be right for everyone. Don’t even TRY to be everything to everyone. Be niche. Be yourself and be stubborn about it. Don’t accept work that doesn’t inspire you. Or do it my way, and accept everything in the early years, and learn from the aftermath. 😂
Making a book is teamwork. It takes a small team which usually includes you the illustrator, an editor and a designer, or sometimes an art director. When the chemistry is right it is magic. I am lucky to have found my dream publishing families now. I wouldn’t have been able to make the books I have without my brilliant editors and designers.
Tell me about your illustration nightmares below, we all have them! 👻
P.S. I do actually remember the editor’s name but in case she was learning on the job too I will keep her name under my hat. I looked her up today and she has won awards for nurturing new talent, so maybe she was having an off day.
P.P.S. My new website is up and you are actually ALLOWED to look! (I had a strict no looking policy before because my old website was so embarrassing 🙈)
Don’t try to be a square peg in a round hole. Great advice. You can’t be everything to everyone it never works out. A lesson not just for illustrators! My big mantra these days is YOU BE YOU.
Good post!