Illustrator Joanne Young took some time to talk with us about her work…

I am a freelance illustrator/Artist based in Ely, Cambridgeshire. I work from my studio in my flat, which I share with my boyfriend and my cat Pippin.

In 2009, I graduated from Norwich University of the arts with a first in illustration, before moving on to study a masters in children’s book illustration at Cambridge School of Art. My work has been long listed twice in the Book Illustration competition run by the House of Illustration and Folio Society, for last year’s Brave New World and for their current brief Heart of Darkness, (the winner and 5 runners up will be announced this September.)

I work in a mixture of pencil, coloured pencil and pen & ink with Photoshop, which I select by what seems most appropriate to the project. I specialise in narrative illustration for editorial and book Illustration for adults and children. Clients have included the Times Eureka Magazine, Walker Books and Black Dog Publishing. I also do pieces to be included in shows, which I primarily show in and around Norwich and Cambridge. My work tends to concentrate on creating atmospheric pieces that play with the ideas of scale, tone, shadow and pattern.

A typical day for me is to get up when my boyfriend goes to work, (potter around my flat for a little bit) then head to my spare room, which my studio is in around 9. If I have a commission on, I will typically work on it non-stop throughout the day and into the night if needed. On quieter days, I will work on promotional material and aim to contact clients, as well as working on personal projects and ideas.

At the moment though, I am taking some time out to work my own picture book ideas, which generally starts with a lot of sketching, playing around with different techniques, until I figure out a direction I want to pursue. I tend to complete a finished image that gives me an idea of the atmosphere, and then I work on the rest of the book from there. At the moment I am playing around with character ideas.

I am also working on a series of pen & ink drawings of buildings, which I am hoping to exhibit soon. They concentrate on experimenting with new ways of creating texture and contrast through stippling. My latest drawing was of an Ely workhouse, and I am hoping to produce more drawings of buildings in and around Ely and Cambridge, as well as a few other buildings from places I have visited, such as the Orthodox Church I saw when I visited Kiev, Ukraine.

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I’m a freelance photographer and photographic artist currently living and working around Cambridge. My journey in photography started back in 2007, when I was given an old Russian film SLR by my father. I’d always liked photography but I was newly inspired and began taking pictures pretty much everywhere I went. In my spare time I started learning about photography and discovering artists online; people like Stephen Shore, Joel Sternfeld and William Eggleston. I also loved Tarkovsky’s polaroids and Patrick Taberna’s square format images. I think I learned a lot from looking at works like these, especially about how photography can imbue a sense of meaning on ordinary things. In 2010 I enrolled on a BA course at Cambridge School of Art. I graduated in 2013 and I’ve been working on various jobs since.

Being a photographer doesn’t really come with a set routine, but there’s always something keeping me occupied throughout the week, often including evenings and weekends. If I’m not out shooting, I could be at home editing, catching up on emails, going out and meeting people, finding inspiration online or in galleries or at the cinema, doing my research and learning about things, or maybe updating spreadsheets… I run my business from my bedroom, so I have to spend some time just trying to keep it from overflowing. It can be difficult to stop working.

Studying photography was great because it allowed me to try lots of things and figure out what was for me. I’ve done a few projects now which have required me to blend into a place, event or situation and observe. I think I’m naturally suited to this way of working; maybe it helps that I’m quite a non-threatening presence, and I can stay tuned in to what’s happening around me. Sometimes I stage things more, ask people to do things, direct people in certain ways – especially with my personal work – but I’m always interested in catching something quite natural and honest, even if it does come from a certain way of seeing things.

Recently I’ve been working on several commissioned projects with local artists. There is a very active artistic community around Cambridge. I photograph artworks and art-related events and activities, and I’m also co-ordinating photography and video production for a city-wide art exhibition which is happening in October.

When I have time for it, I try to keep my personal work going. A few weeks ago, I learnt how to make photopolymer prints from digital photographs. I’m planning a few photo shoots over the summer, including a collaboration with an artist who works with light. Personally, I’m interested in how the human experience relates to spaces and environments. I’m deeply inspired and affected by nature: the sky, the weather, remote landscapes and seasonal changes. I like the idea of a dual experience of the external, physical world, and an internal landscape of memory, emotion and imagination. I take photographs on walks by myself, or with friends who I can direct to embody what I’m trying to express.

For more work by Josh, take a look at his Central Station Showcase.

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