Joe Mallender is a London based freelance illustrator and the artist under this week’s Illustrated spotlight. We find out what the London College of Fashion student is hungry for.
WHERE DID YOU FASCINATION WITH ART BEGIN?
My fascination with art began from a young age, I have always been fascinated with image making whether it be drawings, paintings or photography. I have always admired skill and a good eye for things. This led me down the technical route of art and portraiture, being able to accurately portray a subject to a recognizable level. Drawing accurately was very important to me from a young age and is something I aim to perfect over time.
WHY ILLUSTRATION OVER ANY OTHER MEDIA?
Illustration is a broad term it can encompass many different mediums and styles. I wouldn’t say I chose illustration over other mediums, I chose illustration because it encompasses any medium you desire. I feel it also provides the artist with a wider range of techniques to showcase his/her’s personality and individualization; one can create a very distinctive and personal style.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?
I like to capture the beauty of a subject particularly focusing on the female figure. I get infatuated with a certain look or style and feel compelled to share it and capture it onto paper. I like to play with the realism style to convey what I see in the subject to the audience. Ultimately I think art should be able to speak for itself, enabling the audience to interpret it intuitively.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?
I admire many people for many different reasons but in terms of illustration it has to be David Downton, he captures beauty and style in such an effortless and fluid way, which is incomparable to anyone else I have seen – for me he is the epitome of fashion illustration. I also admire the distinct styles of Caroline Andrieu, Gabriel Moreno and Russ Mills, collectively they have inspired me to include more colour into my work.
WHAT ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR?
I’m hungry to keep selling my work and gain respect in my field, I want to experiment in as many different mediums as possible and push boundaries in image making. I would hate to be a one-dimensional illustrator throughout my career. Most importantly I hope for people to continue to find pleasure in viewing my work.
