Interview: Press Gang Meet Illustrator, Bill Hope

Bill Hope has been an illustrator for around ten years. His latest work is the Adventures Unlimited series, a new creative collaboration with Andy Griffiths.

Bill lives in the Blue Mountains with his wife and puppy.

He recently Zoomed with Press Gang reporters from Kegworth and Granville South. Here are some of the highlights.

When did you know that you wanted to become an illustrator?

I always loved drawing. I’ve been drawing since I was a very young kid and I just kind of kept drawing. And then by the time I’d finished high school, I’d chosen to not do anything else. I thought I’d just keep drawing. And after I’d gone to university for illustration, I started to find some drawing jobs that people were willing to pay me for. 

Did you have a backup plan? 

I’ve never really had a plan B. It’s always kind of been illustration or bust for me, so I’m sure if it stopped working out I would find something else to do, but it’s always been my thing. 

What do you like about illustrating?

I like everything about illustration. I love simple things like art supplies. I love a new set of pencils or paints. But the thing I love about illustration most is that you’re taking something that you’ve imagined and it’s something that’s entirely your own. It’s just your idea, something that’s entirely occurred in your mind. And the job of illustration is trying to share that as effectively as possible with something else. 

Who has supported you most throughout your career?

I was very lucky that when I was a kid, neither of my parents were artists. My dad worked at a bank and my mum was a teacher, but they were both very interested in creative things and they were very encouraging. 

I once asked my dad, ‘what did you think when I went to art school?’ Because some parents are worried about people going into the arts because maybe it’s not a safe career. And he said, ‘Oh Bill, you seem to know what you’re doing. I thought it’d be best just to get out of your way.’

I thought that was really nice in that he was supportive, but he was also saying, you’re just going to do your thing anyway. I’m just going to let you do it. 

What is your favourite book that you’ve illustrated? 

Of course I’m going to say this, but this Adventures Unlimited book has been so much fun. And it’s a huge book. It’s got 300 drawings in it. So it’s a book that I feel like I’ve been able to put the most drawing out into, but it’s definitely the most fun I’ve had working on a project. 

Can you tell us a little bit about the book and what it’s about?

It’s about these two characters, You and Me who go on a journey in a place called the Land of Lost things. The Land of Lost Things is the place all your lost things end up. If you lose something, like a sock in the laundry or the TV remote, or your car keys or something like that, all of these things end up in the Land of Lost Things. 

All sorts of wild things happen to these two characters. They’re looking for their lost, lucky rabbit’s foot. And they come across all sorts of crazy characters and they get captured by a pirate rabbit and they almost get eaten by a gigantic cat and they forget their names and where they are, they completely lose the plot.