![\"Zinc](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zinc-img678-1024x725.jpg\")
‘Zinc’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn. Created using Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/b>Hi R\u00f3is\u00edn, your artwork is great – which is what we know you for – but looking at your\u00a0website<\/a>, we have discovered that you actually have rather a lot of job titles! All of them are creative, but which came first? Is there one you prefer?<\/h4>\nThank you, lovely to be talking with you and yes it is rather a lot of titles! I think the one time someone came closest to summing up what I do in a singular title, was when the filmmaker Don Coutts called me a horse of a different colour. This might seem like a rather odd title and strange observation, but I was delighted and knew instantly what he meant. I\u2019d never likened myself to the Emerald City horse that changes colour constantly, but all my creative loves, opportunities and job roles are doing just that.<\/p>\n
As for what came first, I was involved with music, art & design from early teens, but designing became the first career and it\u2019s one I love.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure I could pick a favourite, because I just love any form of creative work and the chance of learning something new.<\/p>\n
![\"littlestrobot](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/littlestrobot-001-607x1024.jpg\")
‘The Littlest Robot in the Universe’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn. Created using Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
How did you start out? Do you have any tips for any creative readers who would like to pursue a similar career path?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I started out by working for pubs, picking up work for chalkboards and graphic design. At 24 I studied Graphic & Digital Design. Studying isn\u2019t cheap, so I wanted to be sure I was choosing something vocational and make it as worthwhile as possible. If investing time and money in a course, use every moment of that time and if you do you\u2019ll likely get out much more than you put in. Also, there\u2019s so much you can teach yourself these days, just dedicate that time. Jump right in to a project and don\u2019t come out empty-handed.<\/p>\n
I think, if we want to carve a creative career and creative life, we should always keep learning and be as many things as possible. Don\u2019t be afraid to be lots of things. You can\u2019t unlearn something and all skills are transferable. I\u2019ve worked freelance in jobs and events that aren\u2019t creative as such, and some not at all, but it\u2019s about being present and available for when the creative opportunities come along.\u00a0 I became a junior art director for Story, an advertising agency, shortly after leaving college and know that all the jobs, hobbies and time I\u2019d had leading up to that role, made for a great portfolio and one shouting ideas.<\/p>\n
![\"BadWizard\"](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/BadWizard.jpg\")
‘Bad Wizard’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn, created with Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
What work have you been doing with Dylan Moran? <\/b><\/b><\/h4>\n
I started working for Dylan a couple of years ago on a freelance basis. He needed a jack of all trades (and that was my strength, hurray!) to assist with various creative projects, and so started as his writing\/typing assistant for comedy scripts and live shows, then began organising an art library of his plethora of wonderfully unique illustrations, which are now used in Dylan\u2019s books and the Off The Hook 2015 world tour.<\/p>\n
Late last year, Dylan asked me to art direct a series of books he was writing and illustrating.\u00a0 When he sent me the first title, \u201cPig Gets a Quadruple Bypass\u201d, I knew we were in for a lot of fun. The books are now on sale at his tour venues, soon to be available online, with more in the planning for next year.<\/p>\n
![\"robot](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/robot-butterfly-rg-300dpib-1024x728.jpg\")
‘Robot & the Butterfly’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn, done with grey Tombow dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
What does your Casting Assistant role involve?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I\u2019ve just left casting this summer to concentrate on art direction projects and my own work. As casting assistant the role varies from co-ordinating and running casting sessions, shortlisting for roles, audition script writing, role & screenplay descriptions, liaising with agents and actors, to researching and finding real people for roles, which is for me is the most challenging and fun part of the job; finding people the roles were made for, such as Cherry Campbell (Katie Morag, CBeebies) who is now the youngest ever BAFTA winner. The role can be very administrative, technical and creative, all at the same time.<\/p>\n
![\"littlest_robot](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/littlest_robot-world-001-1024x888.jpg\")
‘The Littlest Robot in the World’, created using Tombow dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
I saw you also do some writing work. Do you find this very different from your art, or do you find the two go hand in hand as creative outlets?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I think they do go hand in hand for me, I\u2019ve always written visually and like to draw pictures that tell stories. When I worked in advertising, it seemed that art directors more often than not would think of a campaign idea in words initially, where the copy writer would see the ideas pictorially.<\/p>\n
When writing, do you ever write by hand, or do you go straight to a computer?<\/b><\/h4>\n
If I\u2019m writing copy for a project or story it tends to be straight on to computer, but I\u2019ll always use paper & pen first for things like story ideas, songs & poetry. It\u2019s important for me to get ideas down, and putting them on paper or in a book I can see means I\u2019ll more likely pick it up again and use it, rather than it being hidden in a digital file. Brainstorming or scribbling on paper is better for the brain too!<\/p>\n
![\"Dragon](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dragon-736-72dpi-774x1024.jpg\")
A dragon R\u00f3is\u00edn created with Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
We couldn’t agree more! Do you do any writing for yourself, such as a diary or journal?<\/b><\/h4>\n
Yes, but not in the traditional sense. All the stories, songs & poems I write are a sort of journal to me: a chaotic log of emotions, observations and moments.<\/p>\n
When it comes to your own artwork, what are your favourite tools to use, and why?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I love drawing with pencil and graphic pens, but my favourite obsession has to be\u00a0Tombow Dual Brush Pens<\/a>. They\u2019re wonderfully fun, vibrant brush pens and give me the effect of blending with paint, but with the precision I don\u2019t get so easily with holding a brush. Unlike paint, I can also carry them everywhere with me, and much to my husband\u2019s amusement, I do!<\/p>\n![\"IntheCompanyofWolves_Ninoko\"](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IntheCompanyofWolves_Ninoko-729x1024.jpg\")
Acrylic on canvas. An illustration from a book R\u00f3is\u00edn wrote and illustrated, entitled ‘In The Company of Wolves’<\/p><\/div>\n
You are based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Is this where you grew up, or did you move there for artistic opportunities? I always think of Edinburgh as quite a hub of creativity.<\/b><\/h4>\n
I lived in Ireland when I was younger and started my school life there. My parents\u2019 work (in the hospitality industry) meant us moving around every few years, and we ended up in Edinburgh when I was 12. It\u2019s been my adopted home ever since. It\u2019s a great creative melting pot and the right size of city to easily involve yourself or indeed start a creative project. If it wasn\u2019t for Edinburgh, I\u2019m not so sure I\u2019d have had all the job roles and titles I do.<\/p>\n
What are your future creative plans?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I hope to work more on my own art & writing, and continue to work for Dylan Moran seasonally on projects. I also art direct for a cross-cultural training company based in France, and hope to gain new clients in the near future who may just need a horse of a different colour.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your time,\u00a0R\u00f3is\u00edn, and good luck with your creative future!<\/h4>\n![\"Inner](\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Inner-Song-_-spread-04-1024x753.jpg\")
An illustration from a story art book R\u00f3is\u00edn is writing and illustrating, entitled ‘Inner Song’, created in pencil<\/p><\/div>\n
Related links:<\/h4>\n
www.ninoko.com<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0R\u00f3is\u00edn’s website<\/p>\n
‘The Littlest Robot in the Universe’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn. Created using Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
How did you start out? Do you have any tips for any creative readers who would like to pursue a similar career path?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I started out by working for pubs, picking up work for chalkboards and graphic design. At 24 I studied Graphic & Digital Design. Studying isn\u2019t cheap, so I wanted to be sure I was choosing something vocational and make it as worthwhile as possible. If investing time and money in a course, use every moment of that time and if you do you\u2019ll likely get out much more than you put in. Also, there\u2019s so much you can teach yourself these days, just dedicate that time. Jump right in to a project and don\u2019t come out empty-handed.<\/p>\n
I think, if we want to carve a creative career and creative life, we should always keep learning and be as many things as possible. Don\u2019t be afraid to be lots of things. You can\u2019t unlearn something and all skills are transferable. I\u2019ve worked freelance in jobs and events that aren\u2019t creative as such, and some not at all, but it\u2019s about being present and available for when the creative opportunities come along.\u00a0 I became a junior art director for Story, an advertising agency, shortly after leaving college and know that all the jobs, hobbies and time I\u2019d had leading up to that role, made for a great portfolio and one shouting ideas.<\/p>\n
‘Bad Wizard’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn, created with Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
What work have you been doing with Dylan Moran? <\/b><\/b><\/h4>\n
I started working for Dylan a couple of years ago on a freelance basis. He needed a jack of all trades (and that was my strength, hurray!) to assist with various creative projects, and so started as his writing\/typing assistant for comedy scripts and live shows, then began organising an art library of his plethora of wonderfully unique illustrations, which are now used in Dylan\u2019s books and the Off The Hook 2015 world tour.<\/p>\n
Late last year, Dylan asked me to art direct a series of books he was writing and illustrating.\u00a0 When he sent me the first title, \u201cPig Gets a Quadruple Bypass\u201d, I knew we were in for a lot of fun. The books are now on sale at his tour venues, soon to be available online, with more in the planning for next year.<\/p>\n
‘Robot & the Butterfly’ by R\u00f3is\u00edn, done with grey Tombow dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
What does your Casting Assistant role involve?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I\u2019ve just left casting this summer to concentrate on art direction projects and my own work. As casting assistant the role varies from co-ordinating and running casting sessions, shortlisting for roles, audition script writing, role & screenplay descriptions, liaising with agents and actors, to researching and finding real people for roles, which is for me is the most challenging and fun part of the job; finding people the roles were made for, such as Cherry Campbell (Katie Morag, CBeebies) who is now the youngest ever BAFTA winner. The role can be very administrative, technical and creative, all at the same time.<\/p>\n
‘The Littlest Robot in the World’, created using Tombow dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
I saw you also do some writing work. Do you find this very different from your art, or do you find the two go hand in hand as creative outlets?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I think they do go hand in hand for me, I\u2019ve always written visually and like to draw pictures that tell stories. When I worked in advertising, it seemed that art directors more often than not would think of a campaign idea in words initially, where the copy writer would see the ideas pictorially.<\/p>\n
When writing, do you ever write by hand, or do you go straight to a computer?<\/b><\/h4>\n
If I\u2019m writing copy for a project or story it tends to be straight on to computer, but I\u2019ll always use paper & pen first for things like story ideas, songs & poetry. It\u2019s important for me to get ideas down, and putting them on paper or in a book I can see means I\u2019ll more likely pick it up again and use it, rather than it being hidden in a digital file. Brainstorming or scribbling on paper is better for the brain too!<\/p>\n
A dragon R\u00f3is\u00edn created with Tombow ABT dual brush pens<\/p><\/div>\n
We couldn’t agree more! Do you do any writing for yourself, such as a diary or journal?<\/b><\/h4>\n
Yes, but not in the traditional sense. All the stories, songs & poems I write are a sort of journal to me: a chaotic log of emotions, observations and moments.<\/p>\n
When it comes to your own artwork, what are your favourite tools to use, and why?<\/b><\/h4>\n
I love drawing with pencil and graphic pens, but my favourite obsession has to be\u00a0Tombow Dual Brush Pens<\/a>. They\u2019re wonderfully fun, vibrant brush pens and give me the effect of blending with paint, but with the precision I don\u2019t get so easily with holding a brush. Unlike paint, I can also carry them everywhere with me, and much to my husband\u2019s amusement, I do!<\/p>\n Acrylic on canvas. An illustration from a book R\u00f3is\u00edn wrote and illustrated, entitled ‘In The Company of Wolves’<\/p><\/div>\n I lived in Ireland when I was younger and started my school life there. My parents\u2019 work (in the hospitality industry) meant us moving around every few years, and we ended up in Edinburgh when I was 12. It\u2019s been my adopted home ever since. It\u2019s a great creative melting pot and the right size of city to easily involve yourself or indeed start a creative project. If it wasn\u2019t for Edinburgh, I\u2019m not so sure I\u2019d have had all the job roles and titles I do.<\/p>\n I hope to work more on my own art & writing, and continue to work for Dylan Moran seasonally on projects. I also art direct for a cross-cultural training company based in France, and hope to gain new clients in the near future who may just need a horse of a different colour.<\/p>\n An illustration from a story art book R\u00f3is\u00edn is writing and illustrating, entitled ‘Inner Song’, created in pencil<\/p><\/div>\n www.ninoko.com<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0R\u00f3is\u00edn’s website<\/p>\nYou are based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Is this where you grew up, or did you move there for artistic opportunities? I always think of Edinburgh as quite a hub of creativity.<\/b><\/h4>\n
What are your future creative plans?<\/b><\/h4>\n
Thank you for your time,\u00a0R\u00f3is\u00edn, and good luck with your creative future!<\/h4>\n
Related links:<\/h4>\n