Hi Molly! How are you?
Hello! I’m good, thanks; how are you?
I’m great, thank you. I just want to say thanks for doing this. I’m really looking forward to speaking with you. Shall we start with an introduction and a little about your background?
Sure. I’m Molly McCammon, an illustrator based on the East Coast of Scotland. My work has been seen in editorial projects, commercials and branding. I studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, where I still have strong links.
What first inspired you to pursue a career in illustration?
Well, it sounds like a cliche, but I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. I never stopped to think about anything other than drawing or painting. By the time I left high school, a career in the arts was my only ambition. It was art school or art school. Thankfully, I was accepted into art college, and I could throw myself into it.
Did you always know it would be illustration? Did you explore other disciplines?
I originally thought I’d follow a fine art path. I was really interested in realism at the time. Our first year at Duncan of Jordanstone is a ‘general course’ where you can try all the different disciplines before specialising. During that year, we were given a mixture of design briefs, and those felt more natural to me. I would be given an art brief, and I could just never make sense of it. However, I loved the design briefs because they gave me the guardrails I needed to keep my creative process on track. So, from that first year, it was between Graphic Design and Illustration. But I remember a tutor told me, ‘You can draw really well, and you like drawing. There’s gonna be more scope in Illustration this course for you.’ that guidance was what swung it for me.
I’ve spoken to a few commercial photographers who have said the same. Really tight briefs changed it for them — the pressure of having to turn it around quickly, no room to think about it too much. Does that pressure help or hinder you?
Totally. I was also like that, particularly at the start of my career. I’d ponder it too long if I got a brief with a long deadline. But those quick editorial jobs that needed to be turned around in two days just made for a much happier process. I’m still happier in that environment. I like being told when and how they need it.
Can you tell me about your Master’s degree?
Sure. It was a phenomenal experience. After studying Illustration at Duncan of Jordanstone, I had the opportunity to do the Children’s Illustration Master’s at the Cambridge School of Art. It was a year and a half of the most insane training ever. It was so full-on. I was surrounded by insanely talented people, and I believe that’s what pushed my work on. It really elevated my work.
It had a competitive nature, but it was also a very loving, supportive environment. The tutors there were absolutely incredible, and I think by the end of it, we all came out as much better image makers. For the first semester, they made us draw observationally from real life for about four months straight. As soon as we started stylising anything, it was a verbal slap on the wrist and back to the drawing board. ‘Draw what you see.’
I don’t know anyone who came out of that three to four-month period drawing the same way. I would recommend that to anyone. If I could go back again, I would do it in a heartbeat.
That sounds like an amazing experience. What kind of styles do you work in now?
I would say my style is quite nostalgic, with a mid-century or vintage nod to it. I’m inspired by traditional printing methods. For example, with screen printing, you can only print in flat, coloured layers. When I realised I could recreate that digitally, I nailed my colours to the mast, so to speak, and made it my own. That’s all I’ve ever done since. It has become a part of me, and I suppose that nostalgic nod comes from the riso or screenprint days.
Have any local influences shaped your work?
I admire Natalie Russell, a local picturebook illustrator. She was one of my tutors in my fourth year, and she kindly took me under her wing and helped me make some picture books. She also really encouraged me to do the Master’s course afterwards. So, I owe a lot of my creative journey to Natalie.
Illustration is competitive. Did you know there would be quite so much competition for work?
No, I didn’t. After education, there was a period of about two or three years where I’d try to get eyes on my work. I would always reach out to people and get knockbacks and rejections. But with each of those, I was returning to my portfolio and thinking of ways to improve it. Most of my learning happened after university, and I was trying to get real clients. I didn’t really think about what happens after art college. I was very much in the moment, and I sometimes think back on it now and ask, ‘What was I thinking?!’ — I just thought I was gonna graduate and honestly be hired as an illustrator. I’m sure our tutors told us that wouldn’t likely be the case. But in my head, I had this idyllic vision of getting hired by a big company and being on the payroll, drawing all day.
Obviously, that very rarely happens now. So, I reached out to some successful illustrators and asked them how they make money from their work, and I was quickly brought back to reality. It’s virtually all freelance. You work for yourself and move from project to project. If you’re lucky, clients will stay with you.
What advice did they give you?
I remember a talk by a fabric designer called Karen Mabon. She was a proponent of getting up at 6:00 every day and emailing new clients while holding down a fulltime job to pay the bills. Chasing down new prospects constantly. I just realised then that I’d have to work hard to make a living from my work. After university, I worked in a jewellery shop and started to do the same thing. I would wake up early and get on with it, drafting out emails and crafting my portfolio. I did that with a full-time job for three years before landing anything big.
Did you ever have a mentor to help with that?
I would say the closest thing to a mentor is my agent, Handsome Frank. I won their Handsome Future award last year, and as a result, they took me under their wing and helped me craft and refine a portfolio aimed at landing bigger clients. John and Tom at Handsome Frank have been brilliant with me, and they’ve identified gaps to fill in my work. Small tweaks, like the final presentation, sometimes make all the difference. They also know the business side of things inside out, so that’s also very helpful to learn.
What’s been your biggest challenge as an illustrator?
Telling people what I do for a living. I find it so hard to describe to people for some reason. If I say the word illustrator, I often hear things like, ‘Oh, cartoons?’ or ‘I’ve got a cousin who does that’. It’s hard to put into words the amount of work and effort that goes into what I do.
Another challenge is battling people’s concept that this is all just a God-given talent. You’re not born with the ability to draw — you must learn it. To learn it, you need to put in the hours. It’s like anything else, isn’t it? You have to practice and work hard to gain and improve any skill.
I’m still not convinced my parents know what I do. Nor should they, I suppose!
It’s so difficult! Now, I tend to refer to myself as an ‘artist’ instead of an illustrator, even though it’s not how I would define myself. It just sometimes lands better with people who aren’t in our industry. If you’re down London Way, you’re bound to live on the same street as an actor, artist, film producer, and all the rest of it. The industry isn’t as ingrained in Scottish culture, at least in Dundee. So, I find that it can be more difficult to explain.
What principles inform your process?
A sense of quiet simplicity runs through most of my work. I like to reduce things down to their simplest form. That’s much harder than it looks. I really enjoy the challenge of making a body, face or subject matter recognisable as a simple shape. Texture is also a big thing for me, as I mentioned earlier. With my background and interest in riso and screenprinting, I don’t like things to look flat or digital. Even if that’s how the final piece is produced, I’m obsessed with making it look like it’s been printed out physically.
But fundamentally, I like to display what I call ‘the good life’ in all of my illustrations. I was looking at my portfolio the other day and realised there isn’t much variety in mood or emotion — I’m perfectly comfortable with that. Everything feels happy. I think it’s quite nice. I enjoy illustrating smiling, relaxed people in a fun environment.
I love that. One of the things that underpins our work is a sense of ‘creative optimism’. Lovely to hear from other creatives with the same outlook. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to your illustrations. I see it as part of our job to take a subject and put a positive twist on it if we can.
Absolutely. If I get to make it up, which I do, I will make it feel how I want it to feel. How I’d like to live in that scene, you know? The sun will be shining. People will be relaxed. The good life!
Are there any other themes that are important to your work?
Yes, connection. Most of my work features people sharing moments. Interaction. Human connection.
What brings you joy?
I love spending time with my husband and my family. I also love walking along the beach, which I’m lucky enough to live beside. At work, I get the most joy from a happy client sign-off. I love it when they take the time to write me a nice message to say that I brought their vision to life. I can live off of that type of kindness for weeks!
How do you stay inspired?
I’m quite involved in the creative community online — Instagram and X. It can be such a solitary job working as an illustrator sometimes, I need to feel connected somehow. So, I spend quite a lot of time scrolling on Instagram and chatting with other creators. That’s how I stay inspired, by keeping in touch with other people who are doing amazing work.
Do you work from home or have a studio? What’s your setup like?
I tend to work on my sofa! I’m quite lucky because I can sprawl out at home. My husband’s work shifts are completely different to mine, so we don’t have or need an office. It’s quite a small flat, but it’s nice and cosy. When the fire is on, the place heats up in no time. I’m happy. I can sit on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good movie and still get the work done.
What advice would you give to somebody interested in a career in illustration?
It’s super important to find a niche within your work. Find a subject matter that you like working with and spend the time to hone your craft. I’m a believer that you do need to pick something and run with it. That would be my one bit of advice. If you want to become an illustrator, go and illustrate. Draw until you can’t draw any more. Then, get up and do it again.
And what’s the best advice that you’ve been given?
Don’t stop. Don’t take rejections to heart and just keep going. Take on board feedback, but if one person likes your work, there’s a good chance that others will, too. You’re maybe just not hearing from them, or they haven’t even seen your work yet. So keep going. Keep working. Eventually, something will click.
Where should emerging talent look for feedback?
I contacted people I admired on social media or by email. I was quite ballsy in that way. I would recommend asking people you admire to see if they will give you some advice or feedback. Shoot your shot. What’s the worst that could happen?
What’s your favourite piece of work that you’ve worked on recently?
Hmm, I think one of my favourites was an editorial piece for Virtuoso the magazine. They asked me to illustrate scenes on a cruise ship of people having a good time and basking in the sun. That brief was just me to a T. So, I relished in it, and I think I stayed up for seven late nights in a row to make this the best piece possible. It really aligned with me.
How would you describe the current industry landscape?
It’s quite an interesting time for us, right? We’ve got this looming threat of AI, and everyone’s talking about it. I see it as a potential positive because it makes clients more wary about who they ask to make creative work for them. That benefits people like you and me. If they’re worried that they might be hiring someone who isn’t a human, they’ll likely go for something they know will absolutely be of high quality. Someone who knows their craft inside out and doesn’t work with AI tools. Clients investigating who they’re hiring and who they’re commissioning for the work can’t be a bad thing. So yeah, I’m feeling quite positive right now.
A brilliant point. I hadn’t thought about it that way. AI aside, how has the commercial landscape changed during your career?
I think more and more commercial clients are seeing the value of high-quality illustration. It just takes one big brand to use illustration in their work and their competitors start twitching and begin looking for illustrators as well. I’ve seen much of that happening in the drinks space. We’re getting a lot of requests from food and drink brands just now.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would that be?
I can’t publicly talk about it, but I have a collaborative piece coming out in June, which I’m super excited about it. This one will be UK-wide; most people will walk down the road and have a good chance of seeing my work. It’s just really exciting for me. I’ll not give away any clues, but keep your eyes peeled!
I’d also love to collaborate with an airline. As I mentioned, I love to express the ‘holiday’ feeling in my work. So, doing an advertisement campaign for British Airways or someone like that would be amazing. I
Any final thoughts?
If you’re interested in illustration and you’re prepared to put the work in, you can definitely have a career in it. There’s money to be made. If you want to draw for a living, you can do it.
Brilliant advice. Thanks for your time, it was lovely speaking with you!
That’s great. Liam, thank you so much for this. It was fun!
