Interview with Megan Ilett-Mackie and how to illustrate for print

What themes have you been interested in exploring within your work?

I like to try and show a sense of adventure and fun in my work and not take the content too seriously (Unless it warrants that of course) - I want you to be able to explore the images and find little details that may make you smile.

What media processes do you use? Why?I use a kind of digital collage process that is heavily influenced by screen printing. I start with tiny thumbnails to get a good overall shape and look then start to build larger roughs. Then I make a fully detailed full size rough normally. I take some layout paper and trace each shape separately to split up the colours similarly to how you would screen printing.

Then these are scanned, assembled in Photoshop and finally a colour overlay is applied, this allows me to constantly tweak colours and placement.

What are you currently working on and how is it going?
I’m working on my final major project at the moment which is a 16 page 52 x 42cm book so that’s quite a challenge and is giving me new problems to solve that wouldn’t normally be there with smaller images.

The book is going to be an ambitious cityscape book, which will start with one event that will trickle down to cause more havoc which in  turn causes more…

It’s going well thanks; I’ve completed the backgrounds on the first double spread so today I’ll start populating it with people, animals, zombies and Juggalos to name a few. (This will all make sense when the book’s done!)

What artists have inspired you?

At the moment my favourites are Paul Blow, Jacob Stead, Jack Hudson, Owen Davy, Mcbess, Ugo Gattoni and anything Nobrow really.

What was the last exhibition you went to see and what did you think?

This sounds really narcissistic but it was a group show we did with uni called ‘London film locations’ which was great! We produced images based on films set in London and exhibited it in a nice little gallery in Dalston.

Which has been your most important piece of work and why?

But this piece for the ‘London Locations’ exhibition is one of my favorites so far

Have you approached any galleries or competitions with your work?

I aim to approach more galleries in summer when it’s promotion time, but so far all the exhibitions I've been in have been organised by me and friends or through uni.

In terms of competitions I've entered the Folio society and Macmillan children’s books so far. This year I’m going to enter the piece below into various print and narrative competitions, probably Aesthetica.  It’s a screen printed concertina book about Redwood trees.

Do you have a website or blog where I can find out more about your work?

You can see my work here http://www.alex-foster.com
And my illustration brand here http://www.getbetterclothing.com

What are you plans for after this course?

Lots of ideas and plans for the new Get Better clothing line so over summer I’ll be doing a lot of printing and organising an exhibition/launch show.

Thanks!