Stephen Campbell
What inspires you?
The children and teenagers that I see at my day job as an art therapist at Bellevue Hospital, in New York City. Those New York City teens have amazing street style. Movies like Richardson's Mademoiselle or Godard's Weekend, Klein's Polly Maggoo or Tati's Playtime. My collections of Snoopy and Tin Tin. Travel. Photographers like Jean-Pierre Khazem and Sam Haskins. Icons like Polly Melon—they live and die with the fashion!
Are you interested in fashion? Yes, but also many other things too. Growing up, I would always draw the fashions from the newspaper style page or fashion magazines.
Describe your work. I think of my work as paper cut-outs with many layers. My details, colour and humour are the most important. I like my figures to have just enough information to do their job. The rest is left up to the viewer to decide the figure's name, ethnicity, story and qualities, etc.
Which media and techniques do you use? My Illustrations are created in Adobe Illustrator. I only draw with the mouse. The mouse gives a line quality like a marker for me. The computer allows me to paint and mix colours. I am able to see the colour in my head. Then, with the computer colour CMYK palette, I am able to mix the desired colour. Instant gratification. In addition, I always carry a sketchbook and marker. When I travel, I am able to use my sketchbook to generate illustration throughout the year. I am always sketching a bit of something. Later, I will incorporate these little sketch ideas when needed, Sometimes an illustration might come from the drawing of a bag or shoe seen on the street or subway.
What, for you, makes a successful fashion illustration?
The communication has to be clear.
It needs to be reinforced by the details, colour and humour. There should be a reason to give the Illustration a second look and study it.
What artistic training have you undertaken?
In college my major was in Graphic Design/Packaging. I flunked out of the colour-theory classes and programme due to my inability to mix acrylic paints for colour scales, I explored different meda and types of art while graduating with an art-history major.
Growing up, I have to thank my mother and grandmother for providing me with creative art experiences. They made me aware that everything (and anything) can be made with your hands. This philosophy has helped me through all my development as an artist, whether I was sculpting, sewing, gardening or embroidering a dog head on a sweater.
If you could give one piece of advice to a student, what would it be?
My advice is to pursue what you enjoy. Draw what you know. I draw or make something every day. If not, I am at least thinking about the next illustration in my mind. Even if I didn't have any success in my illustration career, I would still be drawing every day. Do your own thing. Trends come and go in illustration and fashion. Be aware of the world and history inside and outside of fashion, then illustrate your way. Develop your instincts, and know to listen to them. Those first instincts of choice are what make you different.
Describe yourself and your greatest achievement.
Observant, Lacoste-loving prep, hard worker, collector, art therapist, illustrator. The launch of my Ralph Pucci Mannequin lines—the thrill of seeing my work reinterpreted as a lifesize, three-dimensional object.
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