Clare Mallison

Clare Mallison

(She/Her) • London, UK

Biography Interview

Clare Mallison is a London based illustrator who has been working for over 15 years in the creative industry. She developed her loose pen and ink style through many years of observational drawing. With this Clare is always on the look out for how society changes and represents itself in everyday life. Using a mix between pencil, markers or water color with a strong and visible line to capture her different subjects. She often finishing her work digitally.

Clare regularly illustrates for newspapers and magazines around the world. Her work has been featured on billboards, window displays, animations, hoardings and wine bottles. Her first Children’s book ‘when Cherry lost Terry’ was published this year.

Selected clients


LA Times, New York Times, The Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell, Elle Decoration, Elle Collections, Marie Claire, The Boston Globe, BBC, CNN, Made Thought, Sid Lee, Blinkreative, 180 LA, BBDO and McCANN, Do books, D magazine.

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Clare Mallison in the Spotlight


Clare Mallison

Your pronouns
She/ Her

How do you define your identity?
Do you identify with (or advocate for) any marginalized communities?

Where is home?
Surrey UK

Describe your illustration style in one sentence
Analogue ink line, spots of colour, reportage.

What lights your soul on fire?
I have very young children so a good night sleep and I am tripping.

What themes do you enjoy exploring in your illustrations?
People in every day life, I was recently asked to draw a market scene. I loved going there and taking snaps of everything going on. You never know what you’re going to see and what you will capture.

What techniques do you use?
Dip pens and ink, markers, pencils and photoshop.

How much of yourself and your own story can we see in your work?
Lots, in my personal work I draw places I often to go to and people I have seen. I draw myself in my personal and commercial work especially as I am the quickest reference I can find! I use Photo Booth a lot on my Mac!

Is there an unmistakable thread in your creative work?
Capturing little moments seems to be a regular theme.

What do you want to be known for?
An illustrator who can capture a human element that people can resonate with.

Which projects excite you most?
Quick turn around editorials, I love the adrenaline rush! And seeing it in the paper the next day.

What is your dream gig?
Hmm there is quite a few. I would love to illustrate a book again. I love doing cover art work. A big billboard would be nice and of course a huge budget!!

Where, when and how do you best create?
I work under my staircase in my home. During the day and often late in the evening. Podcasts or netflix keeping me company.

How has your style evolved since you started?
Economy of line I think has improved my earlier work was more worked into. I go back and forth and sometimes have to loosen up again. Location drawing helps me with this.

What do you find most challenging in your practice or in the illustration industry?
Instagram, social media, press and trends sometimes I have to stop myself from being over influenced.

How as being an illustrator changed your life?
I can’t imagine a different life. I am just really happy to do something that really excites me.

Name a tool you can’t live without!
My mapping dip pen

Tell us about a project you worked on that was meaningful to you as an artist.
My first children book came out this year. I started work on it when my baby was tiny (couple of weeks!) it was lovely to draw something that I could dedicate to my children.

What influences or inspires your art?
Sounds corny but people going about their daily lives.

What would you tell your younger self?
Sometimes I have to remember what my confident younger self would say.

Why do you think art speaks louder than words?
Image is an immediate thing a primal language.

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