Steven Wilson is an Illustrator who lives and works in Brighton, UK. Originally from North London Steven fell in love with Brighton’s liberal attitudes and tendency to attract the weird and wonderful whilst studying on the renowned Illustration course there.

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Steven Wilson
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Steven Wilson
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What themes do you pursue in your work?

Everyday objects, type, portraits are a few common themes, I think a lot of my work is based on things we see in popular culture. I like to try and draw things that most people can relate to and recognize instantly but I try to take whatever that is and abstract it in some way so it is a new and unique way of representing a universally recognized thing.

What work do you most enjoy doing?

Anything that feels new, I struggle when a client asks for a carbon copy of something I've done before, it's hard to recreate things with the same spontaneity and feeling the second time around.

What’s your favourite colour?

I like all shades of Green, I find it calming to be surrounded by plants and greenery.

What’s your favorite book?

I think there are a few I'd pick here but I think it's really linked to what stage of life you're at when you read a book as to what effect it has on you, if you read a book at the right moment when you can really relate to aspects of it then it's even more powerful. Someone gave me Catcher In The Rye to read when I was 18 and had moved away from home to start Uni, I was struggling to settle in as it felt like a huge change for me from where I had grown up so the book really resonated with me and some of the feelings I had at that point. Another example is Grapes of Wrath which I read after the birth of my first child while my wife was breastfeeding, I was quite emotional about it all at that point so that felt like the right moment to read that. I try to pass books I've read, songs or film recommendations to my kids at the right time for that very reason, so they can experience them at the point where they might be their most poignant and relatable.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

I became an illustrator straight from graduation at 21 years old so I've never had another full time job. I did have a whole variety of jobs while I was a student to help me pay my way through; I worked on building sites quite a bit helping out friend's parents who were in that trade as a labourer. I also worked in a small bank for a couple of years at the front desk during the holidays whilst at University, the bank was actually robbed whilst I worked there which was quite an experience. My lack of CV is a bit of a worry, I'm not sure how employable I am if I had to find a 'proper job' having worked on my own as an illustrator for nearly 25 years.

What do you like most about your work?

When I feel like I have discovered something new. There is a great sense of satisfaction when you find a nice solution to a brief or discover a new way of working or aesthetic and the feeling I get from that isn't something I can get in any other area of my life. It is unique and I'm constantly working to try and have those moments of discovery and the satisfaction that goes with it.