Turning Back the Clock with 2014 Illustration Awards Winner Stephanie Singleton

Recently we were in touch with Stephanie Singleton, a Toronto-born and raised Illustrator and a Young Blood Category winner from the 2014 Illustration Awards competition, with our request to participate in our online Q&A. From time-to-time, Applied Arts is curious to see where past winners are now in their career.

How do you stay inspired?

I try to do things unrelated to illustration - I read a lot, write and spend time outdoors when I can.

What is the most difficult piece you worked on? What were the challenges?

If I could pick collectively, all the projects where I’m illustrating an entire book have been the most difficult. This is usually due to the sheer volume of illustrations and occasionally the timelines will shift without much notice. Seeing it all come together in the end makes everything seem worth it though!

What is the project you are most proud of? What was your creative process? 

The project I am most proud of is probably the ‘This is for People Who Love Birds’ set I did with Running Press last year. I love birds, and it was such a treat to be able to create illustrations for a themed book and a variety of objects. Finally being able to see the physical product was so rewarding. The creative process was similar to a typical client project - these illustrations weren’t really conceptual in nature, so I had to mainly focus on gathering reference material. I worked closely with the art director who gave me a list of all the illustrations required, then I went to sketches, followed by revisions, and then to the final illustrations.

What advice would give a young illustrator?

Persistence and patience are key - but I would also try to build relationships with other illustrators that are at a similar stage to you. Community is so beneficial, especially since this is such a solitary job.