April A to Z - A is for Art - an interview with Tony Hough

Pictured: Not Tony Hough

Hello lovely readers and welcome to April A to Z 2016! I look forward to the April A to Z more every year, both to see what delights all the bloggers have and to share the delights of the gamebook world with you, lovely reader. And our first delight is Tony Hough, artist of many gamebooks and many other things. And off we go...

For those of us who don't know, tell us about yourself.

Once upon a time I was a schoolboy who loved TV and comics, read a lot of SF and fantasy and loved art by Woodroffe, Pennington,Giger, Burns, Corben etc. and I dreamed of doing art just like them.... and  now I'm an old hippy who still loves to draw and paint weird stuff. I like it when people pay me money to do it so I can do it more.

What was your favourite piece of art to work on?

I think the Flea Market Tram illo from The Forgotten Spell was great fun. There are a lot of stories going on in that one small scene.

Your Spellcaster gamebook illustrations are wonderfully detailed and had to fit in with a puzzle. Were these quite challenging to do?

There are lots of visual puzzles and complex multi-layered illustrations with lots of magical clutter and things hidden in every corner, moreso than in the old FF illos. The challenge is to make them evocative and pleasing on the eye  as a whole image as well as in the details.Some of them took a long while to plan out so that they look natural, not overly contrived.

Not Tony, either.

What are you working on at the moment?

I have a few small game-related commissions in the pipeline but some gaps coming up - art directors take note!!

Where can people find you?

Google me, my lad, and I shall appear to you!! Or find me wandering around at SALUTE in April or Dragonmeet in December

Where can people buy your lovely art?

You can commission work or buy artwork originals from me through my website or facebook page. I also have prints available of many of my works via Redbubble, Fine Art America, Spreadshirt and Zazzle. See my website for details!

Here's Tony Hough