Illustrator Elly Walton: crafting playful narratives through the art of osmosis

In the world of illustration, Elly Walton stands out as a virtuoso of playful storytelling. This award-winning artist has made her mark across various mediums throughout her career spanning two decades. Her distinctive style, characterised by whimsy and charm, has graced the pages of publications like Time Out, Reader's Digest and The Guardian, as well as advertising campaigns for major brands such as Nestle, Bayer and Sky.

We chatted with the Derby-based illustrator to learn more about her creative journey to date, how she gets inspired, and where she sees the profession heading.

Quirky influences

Those of a certain age won't be surprised to learn that Elly's journey as an illustrator is rooted in the colourful and sometimes eccentric world of the late 1970s and early 1980s children's television she experienced in childhood. "There was an abundance of innovative animation going on around that time that was fearless, fun and unique," she recalls.

"The Magic Roundabout, Bagpuss, Mr Benn, and Camberwick Green are just a few of the shows that seemed totally normal at the time but, looking back, are actually quite bonkers. That kind of quirky stuff still appeals to me."

Her love for illustration was further nurtured by children's books, which offered layers of visual storytelling. "The illustrated books I most loved as a kid were those you could come back to, find more stories within stories in the art," she enthuses. "Like the brilliant illustrations created by Joseph Wright for the What A Mess books, where tiny birds argued in the background behind the main character. Absolutely hilarious."

This early appreciation for hidden stories within illustrations would become a hallmark of Elly's work. But the journey to developing her signature style was one of growth and self-discovery. "I started out creating quite scratchy characters with wobbly black outlines and tiny faces," Elly remembers. Their faces were so small, like they were trying to shrink inwards!"

She attributes this initial approach to a lack of confidence and skill with her tools. However, as her pen control improved and her understanding of figures and movement deepened, Elly found herself better able to translate the characters from her imagination onto paper.

Narrative approach

One of the most striking aspects of Elly's work is its strong narrative element. Her background in editorial illustration has significantly influenced her approach to all projects. "With editorial, you're starting with someone else's story, building on that and visually interpreting the piece of writing in an entertaining way, trying to bring something extra," she explains.

This storytelling approach extends beyond merely illustrating the given text. "Once I've decided on a route to take the illustration," she explains, "the fun part is developing from the sketch and adding fun extras, little side stories for people to spot later."

As her career has progressed, Elly has become increasingly aware of the power of illustration to shape perceptions. "I've realised over the years that showing a wealth of diversity in the characters I draw is really important," she states. "Illustration as part of larger pop culture has some power to shape how we all view the world and do some good."

This realisation has led to a conscious effort in her work to make thoughtful choices about representation. With each illustration, Elly carefully considers what she's depicting. "It's a work in progress, but with each illustration, I try to make good choices about who I'm showing, why, and how," she says.

Inspirations

When it comes to staying inspired and generating new ideas, Elly takes a pretty relaxed approach. "Inspiration is probably a kind of osmosis," she explains. "It filters in through my pores whilst I'm generally distracted with life. I really should be feeding myself a diet of high-brow content, but if I'm honest, it's probably fed by Netflix and Instagram."

That's not to say she doesn't seek out more traditional sources of inspiration. "Occasionally, I enjoy going to a gallery, theatre show or flicking through art books," she adds. "I remember seeing a fun play about Spike Milligan's life a few years ago. The way they treated the staging of people lying in bed, having the beds standing upright as though we were looking at them from a bird's eye view, struck me as so funny and clever. I was conscious of trying different perspectives in my work for a while afterwards."

Routine also plays a crucial role in Elly's creative process. "I have a walk around my local area every morning, which really does help get me ready for the day," she says. "It's a truism, but letting your brain wander can actually help to come back to a particularly chewy brief and find a solution."

Golden age of illustration

Many people are worried about the future of illustration right now. But personally, Elly is feeling pretty positive right now. "I'm not sure whether it's an evolution in the industry or that I've just become more aware of the possibilities for projects, but it does feel like we're in a really golden age for illustration," she says.

Her reasoning? "It's being used across so many media," she explains. "I've recently illustrated a map for an indie video game based in a dystopian future and a welcome card for a luxury hotel that had previously used photography but wanted a more bespoke, quirky feel. I am constantly amazed and delighted by the range of projects I am lucky to be offered."

Meanwhile, the rise of digital platforms has profoundly impacted Elly's approach to illustration. "I started out using traditional media, pencils, ink pens and a paper pad and have gradually moved to be completely digital now, drawing directly onto a tablet into various software," she reveals. "There's a temptation to share personal work on social media as soon as it's created. But sometimes, it's best to let it steep, think about it, and consider what needs tweaking, refining or binning altogether.

She notes how social media and online portfolios have democratised the industry. "It feels easier to share work, get instant feedback, get work in front of potential clients. I've had work from surprising people and places I would never have reached without an online folio presence. When I started out, I was only in touch with a tiny group of contacts, sending out printed mail packs to lists garnered from printed publications. That's still a part of my promotional work, but there are so many more opportunities now."

Challenges to overcome

At the same time, Elly is acutely aware of the challenges facing illustrators today. "Top of the list has to be AI," she says. "There's a lot of concern about the impact on illustrators' careers and anger that these tools scrape original human creativity to generate seemingly 'new' images that are actually only an amalgamation. I imagine AI as a monkey with a pot of glue, making a really poor collage from magazine scraps, or a robot mixing all the colours of the rainbow to make a nice poo-brown colour."

Yet she remains hopeful. "It's too soon to tell how many clients will choose to use AI imagery rather than commissioning bespoke work and what impact it will have," she believes. "From my limited trials with AI image generation, it's hard to direct and get a specific outcome, but I'm sure it will improve. I'm hoping that art directors will still want the creativity and craziness of working with a flawed, individual human person."

As an example, Elly enthusiastically speaks about her recent work on maps for a local hotel. "Their vision was to use local illustrators for each of the hotel locations of their larger brand," she explains. This struck me as a really charming idea: each location has its own unique visual persona but is united by illustration.

"It was a challenging job," she adds, "as the maps had to be both functional and beautiful, showing quite a lot of information about rooms within the hotel, the grounds and the wider local area without overloading with information. They're not out yet, but I'm looking forward to hearing feedback on how useful customers find the maps. Hopefully, no one ends up getting lost in the shrubberies."