Molly McCammon: Illustrating the Good Life

What first sparked your interest in illustration, and how has your relationship with visual art evolved since you started?

I originally entered art and design with the intention of becoming a portrait painter. I loved watching Portrait Artist of the Year with my parents, and experimenting with portraiture myself led to a portfolio that got me into art school at 17.

During my foundation year, I was introduced to illustration and its design-led briefs. I quickly realised I was drawn to the clarity of purpose illustration offers - clear intentions, clear outcomes. That structure suited me far more than the open-ended nature of fine art, and illustration has felt like home ever since.

Your work feels instantly recognisable - how would you describe your illustration style in your own words?

Mid-century modern - rich, bold, and elegant.

You're often associated with a mid-century or nostalgic aesthetic. Where does that influence come from, and how do you balance it with a contemporary feel?

While completing my MA in picture book illustration, I became deeply influenced by children's books from the 1950s and 60s. Their simplicity, deep colour palettes, and confident shapes - often with minimal backgrounds - really resonated with me.

As my practice moved into commercial illustration, I began to push my colour palettes brighter and cleaner. That shift helps balance nostalgia with a more contemporary sensibility.

Texture and simplicity are prominent qualities in your work. How do you approach developing this tactile quality, and how do you decide what to leave out as much as what to include?

Simplicity is deceptively complex. My process involves a lot of editing - removing elements, reintroducing them, and constantly questioning whether each detail strengthens or distracts from the core idea.

Texture plays a crucial role, particularly because my work is now primarily digital. I want my illustrations to feel warm and tactile, almost hand-printed. I create my own Procreate brushes and use scanned textures from traditional print studios to introduce that sense of materiality.

Your choice of colour feels very intentional. How do you approach building a palette for a piece?

I always begin with what I call the "non-negotiables." If an image includes a banana, yellow is essential. From there, I slowly build the palette, adjusting each colour to suit the mood and tone of the
brief.

I tend to start with more colours than necessary and gradually reduce them - restraint is often where the magic happens.

Who or what are some of your biggest artistic influences?

Miroslav Šašek, Wolf Erlbruch, Virginie Morgand, and Alain Grée have all been hugely influential. Most of my inspirations come from mid-century picture book makers.

How do you hope people feel when they encounter your work now and in the future?

I hope my work evokes nostalgia, comfort, and happiness. At its core, I like to illustrate the good life.