Jack Gibson is a Scottish illustrator, graphic designer and animator based in Edinburgh.
His work is colourful, bold and expressive often reflecting aspects of Scottish culture,
nature and history in a humorous and playful style. Jack works across a range of
mediums including lino prints, risograph prints, digital and video.

See Jack work as part of our annual autumn open call, We Fear Nae Evil. featuring thirty three artists exploring the strange and magical stories of Scottish Folklore, plus our Sextet listening station is back with twenty-four new pieces for you to spend some quality time with.

Hi Jack! How did you arrive at the theme of your work?
I went camping near Loch Ness and on the bus up I read a lot about where the myth of the Loch Ness monster came from. I was interested in how the story developed and how it’s been revived over time. It’s a strange symbol of both traditional Scottish folklore and kitsch novelty tourism. I’d also been looking at a lot of Celtic art: repeating patterns and banners that felt similar to the shape of the monster. I drew a lot of variations of these before deciding on one I really liked. I normally work digitally but I wanted to create a tactile, handmade piece as a final.

Can you walk us through your creative process?
I work on ideas in my sketchbook. I’ll draw something that interests me over and over again in pencil and pen until I get to something I really like. At this point I’m more interested in how something looks than how it feels. I’m looking at things from a design point of view, finding balance, shape and form in my drawings. I scan these into the computer and use photoshop to add colour and textures. I’ll also play around with typography if needed. If it’s a lino print I’ll trace these drawings and carve them out. If it’s a riso print I’ll limit myself to 2-3 colours and experiment with how they layer up.

How do you overcome creative blocks?
Go for a walk. I like to go to the library to find new things to look at and read about that aren’t on a screen. This can often lead to going down rabbit holes exploring subjects that peak my interest like local history, cultural phenomenon etc that I want to explore in my work.

What advice would you give to artists who are just starting out?
Don’t be afraid to share your work. Share it online. Share it with anyone who might be interested. Take yourself and your art seriously. It might take a long time but just keep going.

Which artists inspire you? Are there non-artistic influences such as literature or music that impact your work? 
I’m inspired by the work of printmaker, Willie Rodger. He could create such expressive characters and designs in such few lines and shapes. His characters have a real weight to their form. It feels immediate and expressive whilst having carefully considered design choices which is something I work towards in my own practice. I also like vintage beer mats and comics. I often work with references to my own real or imagined nostalgia through colour and textures. 

What emotions or reactions do you hope viewers experience when they see your artwork?
I hope that people feel inspired to create and share their own art.

Find out more about Jack’s work on Instagram or his website. We Fear Nae Evil runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 16th October.