Mark Conlan: Building Blocks
Mark Conlan is a Melbourne-based illustrator with a distinguished style and presence, with an impressive client list spanning The New York Times, Coca Cola, and The Guardian. He spoke to The Baram House about his beginnings, the importance of work volume, and most of all, the virtue of patience.
By Yoojin Shin
Find a place of calm (blue)
Mr. Mark Conlan, welcome to The Baram House! Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Thank you very much for having me. My name is Mark Conlan, I am an illustrator from Dublin, Ireland currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Lately, I have been delving more and more into limited palettes expressing those little moments of calm as best I can.
Let’s talk about your beginnings. Were you an artistic child? When did you begin to realize that you may want to create for a living?
I had a massive passion and interest to constantly be creative from a young age. I spent a lot of my younger years drawing and exploring creativity, I was always that kid who got art sets for Christmas and people’s leftover cardboard and paper so that I could doodle.
So I presume everyone else saw some talent in me and allowed me to persist in exploring my creativity. I guess it was when I got to high school that I realized it was a possibility that I could create for a career, so I delved deeper and began to focus on determining which area I wanted to explore in university.
Find a place of calm (color)
Did you have any disagreements with your family over your choice of career?
No, never! I was very fortunate to be always supported by my family. They always encouraged me to explore my curiosities; and when I realized I wanted to be a creative, I had their full backing and, most importantly, belief.
Did you attend art school?
I did. I studied Classical and Computer Animation at university. It was such a great experience. They thought you how to draw for animation—we learnt a lot more about life drawing, gesture, and weight while developing our knowledge of color and how to express ourselves as artists.
It was such. Great experience in general, suddenly being around all these other passionate artists who had very similar interests as yourself. Sometimes, that part of the experience stood out even more to me.
Vessel 1
Acrylics and Posca on Canvas
90 x 122 cm
Vessel 2
Acrylics and Posca on Canvas
90 x 122 cm
How many years did it take you to be able to make a living solely out of your art?
I’m not sure you can put a time stamp on this, to be honest. After university, I moved to London where I worked as a graphic designer for several years before I even knew I could become a full-time illustrator. As soon as I moved to Melbourne, I began to work as an illustrator, as I realized that it was my true passion. It took a few months to build up a website and portfolio to begin getting clients that would trust me to work on their projects. Over the past five years, it has definitely gotten more fruitful. I have a good client list and am kept busy year-round. I think everyone is different though. I achieved some good clients quickly, so I don’t think there’s a certain recipe. Just try it for yourself—if you’re passionate and enthusiastic, anything can happen.
Tell us about an artistic or career decision you made that you regret but learned greatly from.
I think my only regret would be that I didn’t delve into becoming an illustrator at an earlier stage. But I think everything I have either studied or worked as have definitely stood to me and helped getting me to this point—so really, I don’t have any regrets. I just think I would have enjoyed being an illustrator a lot more than all those other creative jobs (laughs).
Vessel 3
Acrylics and Posca on Canvas
51 x 76 cm
Vessel 4
Acrylics and Posca on Canvas
51 x 76 cm
Shifting gears to your creative practice―why the recent emphasis on blue?
I’m not sure what suddenly brought it on, but I had began exploring more limited palettes a while back and a certain blue was in amongst those limited colors. I think it was a happy accident where I thought: why don’t I try some more developed illustrations with just this color!
It was a practice that allowed me to focus on the composition more rather than just lots of color. The illustrations were well received when I shared them and I began to love this new exploration myself. Now I feel like I maybe have overdone it (laughs).
How did you build your own style? Was it something that happened organically over time or was there an element of conscious decision?
It was definitely organic. I used to just draw, draw, draw and draw at the start. I carried a notebook everywhere—I think I just tried to make it obsessive, just drawing as much as I could in one day. Naturally, drawing this much, you begin to develop your own style of mark-making. Though I do believe that your style is always changing as an artist. I think it should too. It shows you’re curious and are always keen to keep developing and finding new ways to express yourself.
Vessel 5
Acrylics and Posca on Canvas
45 x 61 cm
Vessel 6
Acrylics and Posca on Canvas
45 x 61 cm
Would you still make art if you weren’t able to show it to anyone?
Of course, I love creating no matter who ends up seeing it. I think it’s engrained in me now to create something on a daily basis. If I go a day without drawing, I always feel a bit misaligned. Art is good for the soul.
Do you have any word of advice for artists in the beginnings of their careers?
I always try to give this advice. Just try to be patient—be patient and it will all come to you eventually. Try not to rush everything at the start of your career, focus on building relationships and developing your skills as an artist. You got this!
Mark Conlan is an Irish artist based in Melbourne, Australia. His characteristic whimsical style is both unique and playful, accentuated by his bold use of color in full spectrum and limited palettes. Mark’s ability to distill a concept down to its visual essence is what sets him apart, affording him the privilege of working with some of the world’s most recognizable brands. You can discover more of his works on his Instagram and website.
