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Emily Tolson- Cover Artist
A freelance illustrator, Emily Tolson lives in Bermuda. She's originally from South Africa, though, where she completed her BA and MA in Fine Art at the University of Stellenbosch. "I am lucky in that I have always lived in exceptionally beautiful and inspiring places, and wonderful scenery does influence my work."
Do you have a favourite fairy tale?
"I love 'The Tale of One Who Travelled to Learn What Shivering Meant'."
But she also identifies with Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones). "I am working at turning myself into a witch," she says. "It is a work in progress."
Favourite fairy tale artists?
"Dulac, Beardsley, Rackham, all the usual suspects. Contemporary artists I love Alan Lee and Kinuko Craft."
What are your particular influences or inspirations?
"The Pre-Raphaelites, contemporary fantasy artists to many to name."
Which stories would you like to illustrate or create art for?
"Fairy tales are always good to illustrate, Alice in Wonderland, Hamlet (I like Ophelia), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ossian, The Ulster Cycle, Neil Gaiman's short stories, the list goes on..."
Having loved fairy tales and fairy tale illustrations since she was a child, Emily came to use them as the inspiration for her thesis. "Researching them, I discovered so much I didn't know before and got me totally hooked."
What could you not ever do without?
"My computer, water, my camera...my husband (not necesarily in that order). Oh and Dunkley's Chocolate Milk."
One way Emily stimulates her artistic drive is to "…try to hang out with other creative people as much as possible. For me is a social past-time and too often I do it alone. I like to give and receive feedback, I like to debate. Art is such a different career path from a "nine to five", it helps to chat with other people who make creativity a priority. Even if their creativity is geared towards a totally different area, say fine art photography or ballet, it makes it all the more interesting."
What other activities inspire your personal creativity?
"I am a voracious reader although if I am not careful reading time does battle with working time. I love to snorkel, and this never ceases to give me a sense of the surreal, which I enjoy and find inspiring. I like to build pin-hole cameras and take old fashioned photographs with them. I will never pass up a stroll through a beautiful graveyard."
And when the muse strikes--typically five minutes after she's begun to work or just when she's about to fall asleep – Emily taps into the story in her mind and reaches out for her favourite tools -- pencil, oils, or her wacom tablet. "[I try to] let the words inspire images in my head...before doing tonnes of thumbnails."
Is creating art an "innate" or "learned" ability or something in between?
"Something in between...I'm still learning all the time."
Is there a particular style you prefer?
"I am trying to become looser and more expressive. I like romantic-inspired moody pieces."
What do you advise other budding artists?
"Keep painting, keep going. If art is what you want to do you can find a way."
Check out her blog
Les Bonnes Fees Staff
All Art and Photographs on this page property of Emily Tolson and used with Permission