Ink and Imagination
Oct
Former Whitchurch firefighter Eric Heyman dreamed of becoming an illustrator. Today, his work adorns the front of books worldwide
In Rhiwbina village, on dark autumnal evenings, you may see a light glowing from a wooden workshop at the bottom of a garden. Inside this workshop, you’ll find Eric Heyman, applying the finishing details to his latest piece of art. Over the last decade, Eric’s work has appeared on the front of books across the world.
“I’ve been busy!” he laughs. “As well as all the illustration work, I was invited to draw dragons at the Hay Festival last summer. I’ve done similar things at Rhiwbina Library and at a Drink and Draw session at Snails in Rhiwbina village. It’s gone a bit bonkers, to be honest.”
Eric’s creative spark was ignited right here in north Cardiff.
“My childhood was on Lon Isa in Rhiwbina’s Garden Village. I attended Rhiwbeina Primary School and was taught by two incredible teachers – Mrs Jones and Mr Thomas. They were hugely motivating, both for my artwork and for life in general. I later went to Whitchurch High School, where my art teacher was Mr Reynolds. I was in that art classroom more than any other place.”
Eric’s youth became a fertile period for creative thought and inspiration:
“Back then, my ambition was to be a political cartoonist, but as I grew older, I became more drawn to figures like Disney animator Ken Anderson and illustrators such as Quentin Blake.
“I have a vivid memory of seeing Quentin on Jackanory, sketching the story’s characters directly onto a wall as he spoke. It captivated me and became a lasting memory. I started creating cartoons and illustrations and received my first paid job from a local Rhiwbina woman, Pat Campbell. She asked me to produce some artwork for Rhiwbina Tennis Club, which is how I made my first 10 shillings.”
Eric finished his schooling at Whitchurch High School, but in terms of formal art education, that was the endpoint.
“I served as a Police Cadet briefly and nearly enlisted in the Royal Marines. Ultimately, I joined the Fire Service, beginning at Adamsdown Fire Station and later being stationed at Whitchurch.”
Eric served in the fire service for 31 years but his love for art was always present.
“My desire to illustrate was never far away. Having left education, I began teaching myself. I never attended art college and I’ve never had any official training. Rhiwbina Library was an invaluable resource, and I would go there to borrow books on anatomy. I enjoyed drawing cartoons but was also determined to cultivate a unique personal style.
“I produced illustrations for the fire service’s safety guides and entered the illustration industry through a friend, Mike Collins. He was an artist who worked on the Wolverine character for Marvel comics. He advised me to assemble a portfolio, which I did, sending it to many publishers. I received many rejections.
“However, the Welsh Books Council contacted me and asked me to work on several children’s books, including projects for Oxford University Press, Sony Pixar, and Disney Animation. I was still a firefighter then, but a few years before retirement, Emma Ball Ltd approached me to design greetings cards. I spent four or five years designing cards, but my primary objective was always to secure a good agent and a major publishing contract. I’ve now got a great agent and the book work is now stacking up, just as I had hoped.”
Eric’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Shortlisted for an award at the Junior Book Awards in London in September, Eric’s illustrations have graced the front of many Welsh-based books.
“I was recently a finalist for a book called And I Hear Dragons, a book of poems about dragons from writers that featured both the English and Welsh language. Firefly Press were the publishers and it was a piece of work I was particularly proud of.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work on some wonderful books. One of my favourites was from the publishers Atebol; the book was called Ni a Nhw (translated as Us and Them), which focused on two main characters – a squirrel and a mole. One lived above ground and one lived underground. The two had never met yet somehow hated each other because they lived in different worlds to their own. At the end of the book, the two meet and discover that they had no reason to hate each other. In this day and age, I think that book carries a powerful metaphor.”
Eric has developed his own style over the years but he has taken a lot of inspiration from Ronald Searle, who was an artist and satirical cartoonist.
“He was responsible for the creation of St Trinians School. My style is more ‘scratchy’, which is achieved through several different techniques that I’ve learned. I use pigment liner pens; they have different sized nibs, which are great for drawing. I also use a knife to literally scratch away at some of the paint I’ve laid down. I apply this to drawings of trees for instance, to help it create that look of depth. I create collages which are interesting because it’s another medium by which I can create scenes. I’ve just started looking into digital drawing but there’s a huge amount to learn.”
It takes a few weeks for an image to mature into a final version that can be used for publishing.
“After a few weeks of research, a commissioned illustration will always start out as just a few sketches, to see if it matches what the book publishers want. There’s no point creating a complete version if it’s not what they want. The publishers may suggest a few changes before I move onto the next stage, which is where the illustration is more fully developed. Even when the illustration is completed, the publishers may still tweak a few things before it appears in or on the front of a book. There are lots of things to take into account – where the wording will appear and what kind of tone they are looking for, depending on their audience.
“For younger readers for instance, you need to adapt the characters – give them bigger eyes and give them thicker outlines to make them more cartoonish.”
Eric’s career isn’t just a happy accident. It has taken him decades of continued learning to get to where he is.
“Starting out is hugely difficult but if you have the belief and the determination, you can do it. I was fortunate in that my fire service job was able to finance me while I was starting out. If you’re looking to get into this line of work, be prepared for the long haul. Anyone starting out will also need to take into account the rise of Artificial Intelligence, which has the potential to blur many of the copyright laws.”
Looking ahead to the immediate future, Eric is busy working on his latest creations.
“Every year, I create a set of winter postcards, that people can send instead of Christmas cards. The postcard format saves on paper and helps spread the festive message easier.”
As the year comes to an end, Eric is reflective on how far he has come since leaving the fire service.
“My dream was always to have a small studio of mine in my garden where I could go and work.” He pulls back the curtains, looks out at the small wooden outhouse in his garden, and smiles.
“And there it is.”
Eric’s winter postcards are available at eheyman4@gmail.com or find Eric on Instagram or LinkedIn
