Nishant Choksi : DesiCreative in Brighton, England

Nishant Choksi : I’m a 33 year old illustrator working from Brighton, England. I’m married and have a daughter with a second one coming in July. I like comic books, UPA animation, Gram Parsons and coffee.

Why are you an Illustrator?

I wanted to be a comic book artist but could never get beyond the first panel. Illustration seemed like the best alternative.  My work is one panel from a longer narrative.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?

I studied fine art at Central St. Martins. I didn’t like the look of illustration and design courses as they were too structured. The fine art course was more about working things out on your own and self initiated.

You have a distinct style of illustration. How long did it take you to develop your style?

I’ve been working for about 9 years and my style has developed a lot in this time. It was much more angular and cartoony in the earlier days. I still feel like I’m finding my voice. I have a way to go before I feel I’ve nailed what’s in my head.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?

I was frequently told I should do art as a hobby and have a more secure profession. My grandfather supported me to make it a career. Early on he helped me write letters to publishers, he bought me books about cartooning and wrote gag cartoons for me to illustrate. My Grandfather really made it possible for me to go into the arts.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Illustrations?

When I saw the works of Elwood H Smith and Lou Brooks I knew illustration is what I wanted to do.

When did you start freelancing?

Around January 2001. I took my folio around for a few months and in April I had my first commission. I slowly got busier and by the second year I was managing to support myself.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit Illustrations?

When I’m staying up all night to meet a deadline, I hate the job then.

Are many advertising agencies getting illustrations made these days? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?

Illustration has had a boom in the last few years. Many large ad campaigns have used illustration. It’s slowed down at the moment and hopefully it will pick up again. I work mostly in publishing but spent the last 2 years working on a large campaign for Vodafone, which involved billboards, POS and TV animations.

Do you have clients who give you steady work or do you advertise for new clients often?

I’m really lazy with advertising and rely on my website mostly. I’ve started blogging and have put work on Flickr. This has raised my internet profile and has led to exhibitions in the US and some fun book projects. I’m working on more advertising this year, which will be postcards, a new site and silkscreen prints.

Any other Indian Illustrators who you admire?

Gary Taxali

Do you have any favourite fellow illustrators or resources relating to your fields?

I spend too much time on:
Grain Edit
IllustrationMundo
www.drawn.ca
Labelle Illustration
The AOI
Drawger

I love these guys:
Miguel Gallardo
The Brain Box
Jim Flora
Edwin Fotheringham
Christian North East

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on Illustration as a career option?

Do the work you like and develop a distinct voice. Most of all you need perseverance.

Mac or PC?

PC but tempted to switch to Mac, maybe this year.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?

Gene Dietch. He did amazing work for the Record Changer and animated for UPA.

What’s on your iPod?

Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Springsteen.

Can you tell me about “Hot Rods and Hariy Beasts”?

The idea for the exhibition came from discussion with the other 3 illustrators online. None of us had met before but we knew of each other’s work and thought there was some commonality between our styles. It took about a year from when the idea was first conceived to the opening night.

Working towards the exhibition meant that I had to dedicate time to generating work outside a commission, which is a very good thing. It is often these self-promotional pieces that move the work forward and keep it interesting for me. Having a deadline of the exhibition forced me to turn commission work down and concentrate on producing pieces for the show. It is also a different way of promoting your work, other than source books and websites. It gives you an opportunity to meet clients face to face. The gallery was chosen because the location was in the heart of the advertising agencies.

The exhibition was a success. The private view was really busy and I met clients and learnt a lot about promotion and how the internet can be used effectively for this.

see more of Nishant’s work here