An Interview with Fashion Illustrator Andy Bumpus
This fashion season illustration has become quite popular. I was able to catch up with fashion illustrator Andy Bumpus, whose work has been recently featured on Amelia's Magazine and at Fashion Scout.
Where did you go to school?
I studied Fine Art at Northumbria University up in the cold and wonderful northern city of Newcastle Upon Tyne
Where you always interested in illustration?
Absolutely, illustration/drawing has always been a major interest - I had a childhood fascination with scientific diagrams and maps. I loved the way they explained the world through beautiful illustrated detail. As a teen, seeing Salvador Dali’s preparatory sketches in the Tate Modern on a school trip was particularly memorable. Drawn with a wobbly human hand, in just a few lines he captured something the final paintings couldn't. I can also remember watching a fascinating programme about Karl Lagerfeld - watching him draw was truly inspiring, almost magical how he made a piece appear on the page.
In terms of my inspiration, the expressionist painter Paul Klee’s notion of “taking a line for a walk” particularly resonates with my current approach to illustration. Conceptually, music is also a massive influence and I love the work of composers Avro Pärt and Steve Reich. It’s amazing how something so minimal can covey such a strong sense of substance - I’d love to achieve this with my drawing.
This season you were illustrating for Vauxhall Fashion Scout. Did you have a favorite show? What shows inspired you?
I saw and illustrated so many great shows at Vauxhall Fashion Scout over Fashion Week. I loved the theatre of Ziad Ghanem’s show and the wonderful ideas of Kirsty Ward - I thought it was amazing how she mixed the precious with the everyday to create pieces with a playful sense of suburban shamanism. Another inspirational show was the Maria Francesca Pepe presentation - it was completely unearthly, fashion communicating a sublime sense of otherness.
Where do you work?
At the moment I work in music advertising. 
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a zine, which I aim get out before summer, plus an array of fashion illustration projects.