Creative Report - Interviewing Akbar Ali

Summary of work:

Akbar Ali is a leading illustrator in the indie pop scene, working for many bands within the genre - doing t-shirt designs, vinyls, album covers and zines. He has worked for many of my favourite bands, such as Clour Me Wedneday, Baby Arms and Peaness.

Questions:

1. Firstly, I was just wondering about your uni life, if you went to uni. What did you study and what were you like as a creative person then? 
2. What or who inspires your illustrations?
3. How did you develop your distinctive comic style?
4. How did you end up working in the indie pop scene with bands like the Tuts, Personal Best and Peaness?
5. What plans do you have for the future?
6. Do you have any advice for a young illustrator? I'm looking to go into publication illustration one day.

Answers:

Firstly, I was just wondering about your uni life, if you went to uni. What did you study and what were you like as a creative person then?

I studied at the University of Westminster for my Illustration degree and got a 1st which I was really proud about. It wasn't too bad but it felt less focused than my Foundation year at West Thames College which had good course structure but the freedom to pursue your interests. Everyone was fixated on finding a 'voice' and a 'style'. Some students were happily practising their art through a style that they were comfortable and good at. I only started to feel comfortable with my artwork towards the end of my last year, where I found that I really enjoyed black and white image making. I was happy with colour and loved it but black and white seemed to be more direct and the starkness was immediate. 

What or who inspires your illustrations?

My friends who are very creative. Nature, plants and animals. Music, stories and other illustrators for example Jillian Tamaki, Craig Thompson and Jaime Hernandez. 

How did you develop your distinctive comic style?

I developed my style through the enjoyment of fairy tales, stories, myths and children's books. I dabbled in narrative illustration and started to find out about comics. I really got into the work of Jaime Hernandez at university as I slowly started to enjoy the music my friends were creating: punk, indie music that had a political message or a story. Jaime Hernandez's work was black and white and stark. I liked how he blocked out whole shapes in black. It was like Aubrey Beardsley but much less embellished and delicate, more punk. I do like embellishment and biomorphic, arabesque line-work but it wasn't what my friends needed. They were my most reliable and accessible clients.

Jaime Hernandez

Aubery Beardsley

How did you end up working in the indie pop scene with bands like the Tuts, Personal Best and Peaness?

It wasn't through networking or handing out business cards for me. They were my friends and friends of friends. I have no musical ability but it was something that was very inspiring. Jennifer Doveton of Colour me Wednesday/Baby Arms would need artwork to promote the music and she'd started a sort of creative collective called Dovetown which I was a part of. She'd see something I'd created she liked and would work it into the promotion of the music under this name. Whether it be merch or album art. Slowly bands that she'd rub shoulders with would find my work on her band merch and would then go ahead and contact me. I often found that I had to come up with ideas that would catch your eye almost immediately. Like a logo would. It had to grab you instantly. Almost everyone I've worked for in the scene were great clients to work with. They were working class creative and understood the perils and joys of working as an artist. 

What plans do you have for the future?

I'd love to continue making art for bands (I don't have to buy any t-shirts this way). I want to start working big scale again with lots of paint and colour and big fat brushes, sort of like when I was doing my Foundation year. The more corporate commissions, working with children's publishers, is few and far between and often take a long time to complete but it would be nice to start refreshing my portfolio and attracting more attention in this arena. I'd also like to explore my own brown, Muslim, south Asian heritage and how I can feed it into my illustrations. This is something that I've never found comfortable or the opportunity to do. 

Do you have any advice for a young illustrator? I'm looking to go into publication illustration one day.

If you're looking to go into publication illustration one day I would suggest creating illustrations for stories, fairy tales and myths anything that has a narrative. Read loads and enjoy finding inspiration. Study your favourite artists, make it work for you. Find what you like about their work. Buy their work. Try it yourself. Give credit where it's due. Join forces with like-minded people if you can. Work on little projects that you enjoy and have a purpose and that remind you why you like to create.

What I have learnt from this:

One of the most important things I took from this interview was that you shouldn't have to force your style - it should come naturally as Akbar said. I hope that in third year I do eventually find a style that I can stick with.

Also I found his advice particularly motivating - the idea of illustrating fairy tales and myths to practice narrative storytelling is something I definitely want to take forward. He also recommended working with like-minded people, he finds collaborating with fellow working class creatives really helpful. He also suggested reading more - which is something I really want to take forward and to work on little projects that remind me why I like to create. This could be to start making more zines and smaller works, on the side of my degree.