Interview with Illustrator and Print Designer, Jessica May Underwood

At just 24 years old, London based freelance illustrator JESSICA MAY UNDERWOOD has already started to make a name for herself after ranging her work from designing pieces for small businesses to fashion houses such as HOUSE OF HOLLAND and ALEXANDER MCQUEEN. After graduating from Saint Martins in 2007 from studying Graphic Design, Underwood chose to specialise in Illustration. Writer RUSSELL ARKINSTALL talked to Underwood about her passion for floral prints, designer collaborations and her obsession with American culture as inspiration.

Have you always been interested in illustration?

I have always drawn, ever since I was little, when I used to copy all the flower fairies! At school I liked art but was always going to do English Literature. At secondary school I was told to pursue drawing and then from that point I started collecting Vogue and my interest just grew really.

What experience have you gained so far?

I interned at McQueen for over four months and my next project after that was with Hermione De Paula, who I met at McQueen, who also did prints and I lived with her for a year. I’m doing stuff with her for next season as well, her ideas are amazing and she does a lot of floral and psychedelic style prints.

What was your collaboration with House of Holland like?

Henry contacted me personally along with five other illustrators, including the guy who illustration for Marc Jacobs, to help design prints for his Spring/Summer 09 collection which all he was said was called ‘Sex, Lies and Volleyball’. Henry went to the Columbia Road Flower Market and picked out his favourite flowers and I did a rose bud print for him, which he chose to put on a blazer, t-shirt and bag.

What was it like working so closely with Henry?

It was great as we were already friends and as he was a friend he was very honest. If he said he didn’t like something I didn’t take it to heart. My rose bud design he said was too thistly too start with and that he wanted to make it more pretty.

Who inspires you in the fashion and art world?

Obviously McQueen. At the moment I really love Alexander Wang and his latest collection is amazing. There are so many unheard of’s at the moment who I get inspired by and I really love old art nouveau drawings like Mucha’s work. Who I’m inspired by changes all the time really.

What else inspires you in everyday life?

At the moment I’m obsessed with L.A. I’ve visited L.A on and off for the last year and a half and I helped Kanye West on his clothing line over there. Through contacts in L.A, Kanye West agency were looking for creative talent and Kanye saw my stuff for Henry and loved it. I got to sit and draw clothes with him and that was a great opportunity for me. I also went on a road trip from New York to L.A in July which was so inspiring and I did drawings all the way across America and became really emerged in everything American and particularly Native American history. I’m also inspired by some of the films, which are coming out lately like Where The Wild Things Are and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It’s sometimes nice to work from literature. I used to be quite rigid with my drawing and now I’m making my next challenge drawing from literature and giving my work narrative.

Whose work would you say yours is closest too?

Well I always get commissioned to do florals and I like drawing people and people often say my work is like Julie Verhoeven who launched her own clothing line three years ago. She actually lectured me at Saint Martins and she said ‘I really like your drawings’ and I was like ‘You too!’. I have quite a fluid style and quite an old fashioned way of drawing, even though I don’t mean for it to.

When thinking of ideas where do you tend to start?

I did some work for a clothing line in February and I sat with a trend forecaster and all she said was Alice in Wonderland, tea parties and insects. Then I would often go away and get some of my own photos, talk to my mum a lot as she has great ideas, tear things from magazines, I go to the V&A and I look at books. I have a massive file on my computer on positive things and I am constantly dragging things into there which I like or images which people think I may like and send to me.

As you do fashion drawing, would you ever pursue fashion design?

I started in fashion but I’m definitely more of an illustrator than a pattern cutter. One project I’m hoping to do one day is starting a line together with my friend Florence Raymond as she is a great designer. I would love to do an amazing classic and luxurious basics line. Matches Fashion takes on designers who pay attention to specifics and there is really nothing like that anymore. It should really be all about detail but now everything is just made in masses.

Who would you love to collaborate or work with if you got the chance?

Obviously I would love to work for Vogue. I would love to work on the Olsen’s line, The Row, they’re amazing. I would love to do stuff for Balenciaga. That’s my goal, to get prints on amazing garments.

What are your hopes for 2010 and beyond?

To collaborate with as many inspirational high end designers as possible. I want to create more ties with California and L.A and do more over there. The creative energies in L.A are so different to London and I love being around it.

Photography NEDIM NAZERALI