Living and working by design

It was not for fortune or fame that Pomm Jitpratuk decided to work as a freelance illustrator. Rather, it was for the sheer happiness that comes from simply being himself and doing the thing he loves most.

Illustrators work in a variety of visual arts such as drawing, painting, photography and even computer graphics. Mostly, Pomm chooses to use his drawing and painting skills.

Most people think the point of illustration is simply to present pictures along with text, but Pomm disagrees. "An illustrator is like a storyteller. We talk to clients about what they want to convey. We interpret and visualise these ideas and draw them," says the 26-year-old illustrator.

Pomm has created illustrations for magazines, such as Volume, Image, A Day and Oom Living. He also designs for products and businesses, such as S&P cookie packages, Greyhound, Qconceptstore and Vanilla Restaurant.

Sometimes he has to meet and talk with clients or business partners about new concepts, but mostly his working life consists of sitting in his office, drawing pictures.

He moved to Bangkok from London - where he completed his education - in late 2003, but because he did not have any connections, it was difficult to find work. But he never gave up.

"My illustrations for [fashion label] playhound were my first job. The client knew me through a friend of Pee Li [Li is Pomm's business partner]. For many months, I didn't have any work, but I understood it might take time to develop my skills. I found more work after my second solo exhibition [in 2005]."

Pomm had known since high school that illustrating was what he wanted to do. He got his A-level in art at Bedales Grammar School, England, and graduated in graphic design from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, London.

He has enjoyed drawing since he was young. He still carries a notebook everywhere he goes. Every page is filled with his sketches, drawings and idea notes.

"I always draw pictures, even on the dining table. If I don't have a notebook, I can draw on tissue," Pomm says with a laugh. When it's time to make the illustrations, these pictures and idea notes will be used.

Pomm has a unique drawing style. He likes to use sexual symbolism and black-and-white rather than colour images. His work is influenced by the Austrian artist Egon Schiele.

Some clients contact him because they see and like his work. Others don't like some of the things he does. For him, it is sometimes hard to deal with clients and balance between his style and clients' needs.

"Some clients like my work, but they might feel it is too erotic for some people. They might want me to change it a bit. So I have to create another work which fits the clients' needs, but still keep my style. That's a tough job."

Illustrators in Thailand earn anything from Bt600 to Bt2,000 per picture. Pomm started at just Bt800 per picture, but since his work has become well known, he can charge more now. He gets a few jobs each month. It might not be a big income but he says he'll never quit.

"In life we have to work every day. Some people have jobs they don't really like and become like a tree that is beginning to wilt. I understand people sometimes don't have choices or have limitations. But if you can choose, you should choose things you enjoy the most and do the best!"

Besides working as a freelance illustrator, he also opened a multipurpose design company with two close friends. The company creates fine designs utilising advanced technology for websites, brochures, print media, shop displays and logos. His responsibilities are the painting and drawing jobs, while his friends handle the interactive programmes and graphic design.

"We have the same attitude about the working process. We like and enjoy the jobs we do. We strive to do things we've never done before."

As a professional artist, you have to present and create new ideas, so seeking information and inspiration and new knowledge is all very important.

"Creating art isn't much different in principle to science. To create art we have to find information and analyse it. In my working process, we don't read or look at pictures or designs from reference books to create art, but we do read textbooks to learn and develop ideas," says Pomm.

Indeed, in his office there is a small library of many kinds of textbooks.

"If we talk about design or even painting, we're talking about creative thought and ideas. But ideas never come into your head if you don't learn new things," says Pomm.

He is also a special lecturer in advanced illustration at Bangkok University, and every year he puts on solo exhibitions, which have been shown in Bangkok, New York and Switzerland.

Suwicha Chanitnun

The Nation