Editor’s note: With ICON9 The Illustration Conference on the horizon—four days of art, discussion, performance, and plenty of talk in Austin, TX—the current roster for the Q&A is peopled with many of the exceptional artists making presentations during this biannual artfest. Alex Mathers will be on the ICON9 Mainstage Saturday, July 9, at 9 am. Info

Q: What are some of your favorite things about living and working in the UK?

A: I have a British father and Austrian mother and am I am currently based in London, UK. I love working in this city, though I prefer a bit of variety in my work environments rather than having a studio or office in one place (for now). I will be moving to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam for the second time in late July 2016 to live and work. I find my creativity is best encouraged through a changing environment while staying committed to working hard, rather than traveling hard.

Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? What is the balance between art you create on paper [or other analog medium] versus in the computer?

A: I do have a notebook for sketches and notes that I do not use as much as my digital journal on my computer, which I use for putting down journals, posts and ideas in one place. Depending on the project I’m working on I use a paper sketchbook or I sketch direct in the computer when I start projects, but the computer and digital approach takes up about 95% of my illustration work, but also my writing and consulting work.

Q: What is the most important item in your studio?

A: My laptop with my illustration tablet a close second, and a good book a close third.

Q: How do you know when the art is finished?

A: When I’ve reached a balance between personal satisfaction with the project and the urgency of ending it in pursuit of other projects.

Q: What was your favorite book as a child?

A: I read a lot as a child, and one of the stand out books for me was Roald Dahl’s autobiographical novel about his life before becoming a writer, Going Solo.

Q: What is the best book you’ve recently read?

A: I don’t read much fiction these days and tend to read business and self-development books. I really enjoyed reading Mastery by one of my favourite authors, Robert Greene, which describes in depth how many of the world’s masters developed their elite skill in their fields.

Q: If you had to choose one medium to work in for an entire year, eliminating all others, what medium would you choose?

A: I work with words, speech and illustration, and ideas is the thing I like to create most of all, so it would have to be Scrivener, the software I use to write with.

Q: What elements of daily life exert the most influence on your work practice?

A: For me reading books is my primary source of triggering new ideas, which then feed into my artwork, my consulting and my writing. Talking to people is very important to hone my ideas so that I know they work in the real world.

Q: What was the painting or drawing or film or otherwise that most affected your approach to art? 

A: It was Walt Disney and Hannah Barbera animation that got me the most inspired to create art and eventually get into illustration, though artists like Wayne Thiebaud and Hokusai and illustrators Stephen Biesty and Herge were certainly strong influences.

Q: Who was the teacher or mentor or visiting artist who most influenced you early in your training or career?

A: I had a teacher called Mr. Stokes who wore green shoes who gave me the belief in myself to continue making art. 

Q: What would be your last supper?

A: Mum’s Spaghetti Bolognese.

Alex Mathers is an illustrator, writer, speaker, and consultant from England, currently based in London. He specialises in digital vector maps and landscapes, influenced by a geography degree completed in 2006 and writes about running a creative business and making an impact, on Red Lemon Club, through which he has self-published several books and courses on marketing. He often works with creative businesses to improve their marketing strategies so that they bring in more customers and clients. He also runs an illustration platform called Ape on the Moon.

Red Lemon Club: redlemonclub.com

Ape on the Moon: apeonthemoon.com