WORLD ILLUSTRATION AWARDS: INTERVIEW WITH BILLY PARTRIDGE, SOCIETY OF ARTISTS’ AGENTS (SAA) AWARD NEW TALENT WINNER 2023
As part of his win, Billy Partridge has been mentored by Arena Illustration for more than 6 months. We catch up and ask him how he is getting on.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your practice as an illustrator?
I’m a UK based illustrator, mainly working within the publishing sector at present. My work often revolves around characters (mostly of the slightly bizarre kind) and the sometimes mythical worlds they inhabit. Earlier this year I completed my debut picture book, ‘HUPO and the Wonder Thief’, which is due for release spring next year with Flying Eye Books, and am currently working on a number of other fun publishing projects!
How has winning the SAA Award helped to tackle your goals and develop your practice?
Winning an award has been incredibly helpful for me in a way that I think only this particular award (the SAA award could be). So far, it has been an incredibly insightful learning experience, and I’ve come to a much stronger understanding of how my work fits into the market, and where to go looking for jobs that will suit it. Caroline from Arena agency has been instrumental in steering me through this process, and I look forward to continuing down this path.
It’s also been fantastic having my work shown to publishers who I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to contact, and Caroline’s knowledge of the industry has allowed me to tailor my portfolio better to what’s currently in demand.
Can you tell us about any forthcoming projects or your future plans?
I’m currently in the process of creating HUPO 2, in which the characters find themselves in a whole new battle. Expect lots of action, emotion, and the odd meme-able expression from Hupo. I’m also developing picture book and older reader concepts which should be the beginnings of some really cool projects! An area I’m really enjoying expanding into alongside this is visual development, mostly character design in particular. I’ve previously created concepts for Spinmaster Entertainment (of Paw Patrol fame), and am currently pitching with a studio on a commerical project which is all very hush hush for now.
What commission would be your dream commission?
I think my absolute dream commission would be to create my own animated television series, something along the lines of Adventure Time or any of the crazy Old School Cartoon Network shows. I’m currently in the process of building a pitch for such a series alongside some really lovely producers over in LA, so never say never! It would also be great to tackle some big commercial jobs in the coming years, as I love the possibilities offered by these sorts of projects.
What would your advice be for illustrators who might be thinking about entering this year’s Awards?
My advice? Do it! It’s a great way to put yourself out there, particularly if that’s not something you’re used to doing. Ultimately, it’s going to get your work seen by a lot of new people, and it can’t hurt to give it a good airing. Choose a piece that you feel particularly proud of and use it as your way of putting yourself forward and introducing yourself. In many ways, winning an award is just a bonus.
