Interview with illustrator/concept designer Lachlan Creagh

How have you got to where you are today?

I was born in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. I studied industrial design for several years at university but realised this career wasn’t for me, and moved to Canberra where I completed a 1 year post graduate degree in computer animation.

I then worked for three years at a video production company working on TVCs and corporate videos. I spent the next 12 years working full time in the computer games industry in Brisbane and doing part-time freelance work in my spare time. I worked as a 3D artist, Lead artist, Lead Animator, senior animator/concept artist and, most recently, senior concept designer during this time. I was involved in the formative teams of Auran Games, Evolutions Games and Pandemic Studios Australia.

I have created animation, concepts and illustration for games on PC, Xbox, Playstation and next generation consoles. I have also produced animation for TVC’s, theme parks and events, and created concepts and designs for launches, sculptures, events and displays.

In 2008 I made the decision to pursue a full time career as a freelance illustrator, concept designer and animator.
I packed my family up and decided on a sea change to northern NSW near Kingscliff for some beautiful sunsets, fresh air and inspiration.

I have since Illustrated over 15 books for children.

In a few words, describe yourself…

A student of and producer of good ideas, good design, and good drawing. Or…. Unkempt looking drawing obsessed ideas man.

What are you spending your time on at the moment?

A series of kids books for Scholastic called “Little Mates” takes up a large proportion of my time. It’s a 26 book series – that I’m halfway through. I’m also finishing another book called, “Wombat went a walking” and doing bits of concept work for a series pitch.

Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?

Generally two ways… I spend a few hours looking though books to get psyched (if it’s going to be realistic), or alternatively starving my brain… if I remove distractions eventually it (my brain) gets bored and starts coming up with things. Normally I just sit and start doodling though.

Evocative music can help – typically atmospheric soundtrack type stuff (like Basil Poledouris’s Atlantean Sword, from Conan the Barbarian), but mainly once things are already working.

What or who inspires you?

There are different types of inspiration, art-wise and idea-wise it’s largely nature and what I observe from life. I believe its best to get ideas “fresh” from the source. Then there’s sort of career role models of (Australian) people who’ve carved a living out by creating art, for example, Shaun Tan and Ashley Wood.

So at first there’s art work role models (for art technique/quality) — then there’s career role models once you’ve decided to go your own way/do your own style. It’s important to still learning techniques, but the need to be an artist/creator – and not a tradesman – is now more pressing.

I was given a book when I was 6, called “The Complete book of Drawing and Painting” by Hugh Laidman — that guy could really draw and looking at it now I can see how the drawing in that one book affected me (even to my taste in women I suspect). I suppose other childhood influences would be Asterix, Richard Scarry, Brian Wildsmith and Ronald Searle, Jules Feiffer — but I’m not sure how much of that manifests itself.

In terms of artists, there’s many I admire… including the usual ones you might suspect (Klimt, Schiele, Ingres, Mucha, Singer Sargent, Rackham, Rockwell) but also slightly more modern people like Yoshitaka Amano, Brom, Katsuya Terada and Juan Gimenez for example.

What are you most proud of?

Managing to snare my now wife the 3 kids we have.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be someone who found dinosaur bones – a paleontologist because I was obsessed with dinosaurs, but because in Australia in the 70’s they had found all Australian dinosaurs, I kind of gave up on the idea.

Currently though, the “great australian dinosaur book” is on my list of things to do. At school I did maths/science because I thought only empoverished deadbeats did art (and it would bring my TE score down). I am trying to prove myself wrong.

To see more of Lachlan’s work, check out his blog.