Introducing Clay Hickson
Please join us in welcoming Clay to our roster of artists at Breed. Clay lives in California where he works as an illustrator, bringing a distinctly West Coast look and feel to his work. Among his clients are The New York Times, Penguin Random House UK, Moog, and Hermès. With his wife, fellow illustrator Liana Jegers, he also runs Caboose, which publishes limited-edition artist books and prints.
As is our custom, we’re breaking the ice by asking Clay a few questions to allow him to introduce himself.
How did studying printmaking lead into a career as an illustrator?
Well, it wasn’t exactly a straight line. While I was in school studying printmaking, I made a very conscious effort to do all the processes by hand and rely as little as possible on the computer. So, even though I didn’t take any illustration classes, I spent a lot of time drawing in my printmaking classes. After graduating, it was mostly the lack of access to a print shop that forced me to focus more on drawing. After a couple of years of sharing those drawings online, I started getting approached by brave art directors who offered terrifyingly quick illustration jobs.
How would you describe your artistic style?
I try to approach my work with a light-heartedness and humour. There’s an undeniable 1960’s counterculture influence mixed with a bold Pop Art aesthetic. At the most fundamental level, I draw with a pen on paper and then add colour. I dunno what else to say!
Had you been interested in illustration growing up? What attracted your initial interest?
It’s funny because, even though my dad was an illustrator, I never had much interest in it and never once considered it for a career. I didn’t really start drawing much until high school but even then, I didn’t take it too seriously. When I went to art school, my original focus was photography. It wasn’t until I started taking printmaking classes that I focused more on drawing. And it wasn’t until I started getting illustration jobs that I began really paying attention to illustration as a craft.
Tell us about where you live in California?
I live on the eastside of Los Angeles where it’s always sunny and you can get good produce year round. Ironically, I don’t like the sun very much and I would much rather live somewhere grey and rainy, but this is where we landed and I love it for lots of other reasons.
What is your studio set up like?
It’s fairly simple. I have a drawing table on one side and a computer desk on the other side. Lots of books and zines and tchotchkes scattered about. For many years, my wife and I shared a single desk and sat about two feet away from each other all day. We made it work, but I have to admit, it’s nice to have my own desk.
Talk us through a typical day for you as an illustrator.
It varies depending on how much work I have but generally, I get up at 6am and either draw or read while we eat breakfast. I usually get to the studio around 8:30 and do boring stuff on the computer for a bit. Then when I feel like I’ve wasted enough time, I get to the real work of drawing, scanning, colouring, etc… After work, I’ll usually go to the thrift store or maybe to a movie. And that’s about it. Simple!
Tell us about Caboose Books, the publishing platform you set up with your wife Liana.
As I mentioned before, it was a struggle to find access to a print shop after graduating from school, so around 2012, I decided to buy a used Risograph printer. I had never actually used one, but I had a feeling it would scratch the printmaking itch without the need for too much space or equipment since it is essentially a self-contained screen printing machine. After a few months of tinkering with it, I decided to start a press and invite other people to make prints and zines that we would publish. And we’ve basically been carrying on like that ever since. It’s been a really nice way to connect with other artists that we admire and collaborate on projects in a fun, casual way. In 2017, Liana and I decided to start a monthly publication called The Smudge. We really had no idea what we were doing but we sold annual subscriptions and figured it out as we went. The Smudge would turn out to be one of our most fruitful projects to date. It gave us a print space where we could experiment with design, typography, and illustration without having to answer to any editors or art directors. The pace of it forced us to stay nimble and try new things. We published an issue every month for five years before we decided it had run its course.
Who would you say have been the biggest influences on your illustrative style?
I’ve found inspiration from lots of different places over the years, but one of the most constant sources has been Push Pin Studio, the mid-century design studio started by Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast. Their work is an endless fountain of inspiration for me. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, I stumble across another illustrator from their roster and a whole new world opens up.
Do you listen to music while you work? If so, can we ask who?
I do! I listen to a little bit of everything, but the rotation is usually pretty jazz heavy. Ahmad Jamal, Yusef Lateef, and Thelonious Monk are some of my go-to’s. Kraftwerk also gets a lot of play time.
A hard ask, but which piece of your work means the most to you?
Very hard question! Last year I worked on a huge book called TEXAS! that I’m very proud of. It’s over 600 pages and chock-full of illustrations. By far the biggest project I’ve ever worked on and I learned a lot from it.
With looking to work with more UK brands, who would be on a list that you’d love to work with?
Without being too cliché, I would love to work with one of the legendary tea or biscuit brands. Like a Fortnum and Mason or McVitie’s. Will work for Hobnobs.
View Clay’s portfolios here.
Image shown: The New Yorker