I’d sent some new illustrations to my agent to get feedback on the entirely different technique I’ve been immersing myself in (i.e. doesn’t look
anything like my existing work), and she came back with words I’d been
secretly fantasising about hearing.
“Yes! Please
do more like this...” she said, which was lovely, but it was this bit that got me bouncing: “...so
we can upload them to the website under another
name”.
Another
name! Haha, if I can pull this off then
I have, you know, proper permission
to create a whole new alter ego. Sadly, this thrills me far more than it’s probably wise to admit. Like
an adolescent who’s invented their band’s name and album title before learning their first guitar chord, I’ve already decided on a pseudonym. (Just have to
make a lot more work before I can use it, but what an incentive.) I'll be looking at wigs next. Maybe coloured
contact lenses?
The different persona thing is quite common in illustration so clients don’t get all
confused, they like to see a name and know what they’re getting, not get befuddled by the crazy notion that an artist may have more than one style. Like authors, of course, when they use different pen names.
This got me thinking about all those musical aliases as well; I totally get why bands
and musicians might want to work on spin-off projects without affecting
identities they’ve already established. XTC did it (exceedingly well), and the Damned, Elvis Costello... I'm sure you can think of many more.
Because, don’t we
all want an alter ego from time to time?!
(XTC as) The Dukes Of Stratosphear: Vanishing Girl
