Peter Smith in spotlight

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Have you always been drawing?
In this respect I am actually the odd man out because I am a photographer.
Nonetheless, I can easily answer the question with a simple 'YES'. As a child I was always drawing and was not that bad at it either. But as with many people, I wandered off track during my school career. I was also not bad in technical subjects, by the way. But how did I end up here on a Web site for illustrators? Because I also make illustrations, photo-illustrations. Just like other illustrators, I think that I have a need to create my own world.

How old were you when you first knew you wanted to do something with visuals?
The first time was when I was four and accompanied my father on a visit to the studio of Henk Helmantel (a painter). The visit made an enormous impression on me; seeing a man that spent the entire day drawing or painting. And his paintings were even more beautiful than photographs!
The second time was when I was 14. My neighbour invited me to watch him at work in his darkroom; he placed a piece of paper under a type of slide projector, turned it on and then he put the piece of paper in a tray filled with 'water'...and gradually a picture miraculously started to appear on the paper! The third time was after I had decided to drop out of my studies in computer technology at Technical College. I wanted to do something that I really liked. I still like doing it!

Have you studied somewhere?
Yes, at the Royal Academy for the Visual Arts in The Hague.

How do you receive work and who are your clients?
My work assignments are primarily normal photo reports for magazines. Illustration assignments are the icing on the cake for me. For two years I illustrated a cartoon for a monthly magazine. In terms of media exposure, this cartoon has been my biggest success up to now. The illustrations are circulated throughout the world and easily a million people have now seen one or more of these cartoons.. Peter Smith
How do you get started on a work assignment and what inspires you?
The illustrations I make are often used to accompany informative/scientific articles. I first read the article and then try to extract the absurd aspect from it – the ‘man biting the dog’, as it were. Such an aspect or angle is always there to find, otherwise it wouldn’t be newsworthy. I then convert this idea into an image. I make a sketch of it and then discuss this sketch with my client. If he or she had another image in mind, I will do everything I can to win him or her over to my idea. If I don’t succeed, then I pass up the assignment, unless of course the other idea is better or easy to realise. You see, I spend much more time realising an assignment than I charge the client for. I want to get pleasure out of the work I put into it. I try to find my inspiration from within. That is to say, I always try to make something that looks unique. Of course I am inspired by other people, but I never try to copy their work or to make a derivative of it.

In what media do you prefer to work?
With clay and wood. For instance, the arms from the self-portrait pictured here are carved from wood. The eyelids and the hands are made of clay, as are the irises of the eyes. The whites of the eyes are made from silicon paste.

When is a illustration finished?
Never. It has even happened before that I come across a picture that I made years ago and I see something in it that could be improved. So I sit down and improve it.

What work of yours are you most satisfied with?
A photo-illustration that I made on the subject of AIDS at the time it was still considered to be a terminal illness. It is a fairly macabre picture with swimming sperm cells whose heads have been replaced with skulls.

What kind of project would you still like to tackle?
A children’s book. In fact, I have already started it.

sources of inspiration

sources of inspiration:
1] Henk Helmantel, as a fou year old I visited his workshop and was very impressed with all the things you could do with paint.

2] Gerald Scarfe, for his illustrations/animations for the Pink Floyd movie "The Wall".

3] Erwin Olaf, appreciated as a human and photographer. By the way, he owns one of my pictures, it hangs on the wall in his private gallery... his toilet.

4] Eric Schreurs. Lang getwijfeld of ik Hein de Korte als vierde zou noemen. De humor van Hein is absurdistischer, maar de tekenstijl van Eric spreekt mij meer aan.

Peter Smiths art is on show during the Noorderlichtfestival in Groningen in gallery Lichtzone (oude kijk in 't jatstraat).

portrait: selfportrait

translation: Ellen van Boggelen-Heutink

to the website of metin seven



		Have you always been drawing? In this respect I am actually the odd man out because I am a photographer. Nonetheless, I can easily answer the question with a simple 'YES'. As a child I was always drawing and was not that bad at it either. But as with many people, I wandered off track during my school career. I was also not bad in technical subjects, by the way. But how did I end up here on a Web site for illustrators? Because I also make illustrations, photo-illustrations. Just like other illustrators, I think that I have a need to create my own world. How old were you when you first knew you wanted to do something with visuals? The first time was when I was four and accompanied my father on a visit to the studio of Henk Helmantel (a painter). The visit made an enormous impression on me; seeing a man that spent the entire day drawing or painting. And his paintings were even more beautiful than photographs! The second time was when I was 14. My neighbour invited me to watch him at work in his darkroom; he placed a piece of paper under a type of slide projector, turned it on and then he put the piece of paper in a tray filled with 'water'...and gradually a picture miraculously started to appear on the paper! The third time was after I had decided to drop out of my studies in computer technology at Technical College. I wanted to do something that I really liked. I still like doing it! Have you studied somewhere? Yes, at the Royal Academy for the Visual Arts in The Hague. How do you receive work and who are your clients? My work assignments are primarily normal photo reports for magazines. Illustration assignments are the icing on the cake for me. For two years I illustrated a cartoon for a monthly magazine. In terms of media exposure, this cartoon has been my biggest success up to now. The illustrations are circulated throughout the world and easily a million people have now seen one or more of these cartoons..		How do you get started on a work assignment and what inspires you? The illustrations I make are often used to accompany informative/scientific articles. I first read the article and then try to extract the absurd aspect from it – the ‘man biting the dog’, as it were. Such an aspect or angle is always there to find, otherwise it wouldn’t be newsworthy. I then convert this idea into an image. I make a sketch of it and then discuss this sketch with my client. If he or she had another image in mind, I will do everything I can to win him or her over to my idea. If I don’t succeed, then I pass up the assignment, unless of course the other idea is better or easy to realise. You see, I spend much more time realising an assignment than I charge the client for. I want to get pleasure out of the work I put into it. I try to find my inspiration from within. That is to say, I always try to make something that looks unique. Of course I am inspired by other people, but I never try to copy their work or to make a derivative of it. In what media do you prefer to work? With clay and wood. For instance, the arms from the self-portrait pictured here are carved from wood. The eyelids and the hands are made of clay, as are the irises of the eyes. The whites of the eyes are made from silicon paste. When is a illustration finished? Never. It has even happened before that I come across a picture that I made years ago and I see something in it that could be improved. So I sit down and improve it. What work of yours are you most satisfied with? A photo-illustration that I made on the subject of AIDS at the time it was still considered to be a terminal illness. It is a fairly macabre picture with swimming sperm cells whose heads have been replaced with skulls. What kind of project would you still like to tackle? A children’s book. In fact, I have already started it.

		sources of inspiration: 1] Henk Helmantel, as a fou year old I visited his workshop and was very impressed with all the things you could do with paint. 2] Gerald Scarfe, for his illustrations/animations for the Pink Floyd movie "The Wall". 3] Erwin Olaf, appreciated as a human and photographer. By the way, he owns one of my pictures, it hangs on the wall in his private gallery... his toilet. 4] Eric Schreurs. Lang getwijfeld of ik Hein de Korte als vierde zou noemen. De humor van Hein is absurdistischer, maar de tekenstijl van Eric spreekt mij meer aan. Peter Smiths art is on show during the Noorderlichtfestival in Groningen in gallery Lichtzone (oude kijk in 't jatstraat). portrait: selfportrait translation: Ellen van Boggelen-Heutink