Design x Clare Stockwell
Illustrator & Designer at Hart Howerton
Illustration by Bonnie Kate Wolf
Interview conducted by Stephen Jordan on February 12, 2020
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and where you came from.
I’m 25 years old. I grew up in Redwood City, California, and I went to the University of Oregon. From there, I studied architecture and found myself, surprisingly, back in the Silicon Valley practicing architecture.
How did you get into design? Was there a moment when you realized that you wanted to pursue it?
I was always an artist. In high school, I loved drawing, and it came naturally to me. I was also a critical thinker. I took AP Calculus! So I thought architecture would be a good decision. Throughout high school, I was drawing for friends and doing small projects. That’s something I see in a lot of designers now—we’re constantly doing side projects. This is what makes me a creative today. There wasn’t a particular moment when I realized I wanted to pursue design. I almost feel like I didn’t have a choice. It was a natural path for me.
Tell us a little bit about your illustrations.
Illustration, especially today, is my solace from the technical world of architecture. Architectural design can feel very limited by code constraints, wellness and safety of the public, and all those things, which are super important. But as a young designer, I wanted to be more explorative, and illustration became my outlet.
My mom is an art therapist. She had me drawing when I was three years old, and it became a big part of my life as I grew older. In high school, I did a lot of calligraphy. I drew people’s names and things of that nature. When I went to college, I started doing portraiture, which eventually developed into what I do today.
I’ve personally been dabbling in illustration recently, and I found that it's tough to develop a unique style. Tell us about your process in developing your illustration style.
I can totally relate. I think it was important to detach myself from other artists and resist comparison.
“I think it was important to detach myself from other artists and resist comparison.”
At one point, I became really interested in drawing people. It stemmed from drawing famous artists I admire. One of the first celebrities I drew was Anderson Paak, and it was a watercolor with ink over it. I was really into hyperrealism and attempted to capture every shade and detail, but one day I took away the watercolor from the background and ended up with this really cool black and white illustration.
I took a graphic design course in college that taught me the fundamentals of vector art. In architecture, I learned more about visual patterns and design principles. Combining the knowledge I gained from graphic design and architecture helped me become a better illustrator.
Illustration by Clare Stockwell
Tell us about your new book, Between Your Eyes and Through the Heart.
My book is a partnership with a buddy of mine from the University of Oregon. It is a children's book that walks the reader through a series of affirmations and lessons. My friend Joey Euphrat came to me and said, “Hey Clare, I wrote this children’s book, and the first person I thought of was you. If you would be down to illustrate this, that would be awesome!” I thought it was a great way for me to work on something unique, so I went for it! I learned so much during the process. It took about two years to finish, largely because I was simultaneously working a full-time job and also because I’m a perfectionist.
As the illustrator, I had to align the written script with the visuals to create a cohesive story. I wanted the reader to relate to the protagonist, and that can be difficult to achieve. I think my biggest mistake was thinking about the spreads individually, then immediately diving into them by creating detailed pieces. In retrospect, I should have started at a higher level by storyboarding the vision.
The main character of the story is a bear, and I had to draw him so many different times to get it right. It took at least twenty iterations of that bear to get the one that is in the book today. As the illustrator, I not only had to draw the visuals but also format the book. I thought about text placement and how it related to the accompanying image. If I had to give a first time book illustrator advice, it would be to not start drawing until you understand the publishing constraints. Pick a place to print and understand the formatting first. Because I didn't do that, we had to change the format three times, which affected the illustrations.
Why do you think animals are relatable to kids? In fact, there are even books for adults, like Julie Zhou’s The Making of a Manager, that feature animals.
I think that animals can help bridge a lot of the issues around ethics. We struggled with creating a character type.
“I think that animals can help bridge a lot of the issues around ethics.”
First, we started with people, but by doing so we had to think about who we would represent. What ethnicity? What culture? I think most people can relate to animals. I found myself saying: “I love this bear!” or “This alligator looks so cool with a saxophone.” So for us we wanted to make a book that anyone can read and love.
Illustration by Clare Stockwell
What has your experience as a woman been like in the design industry?
In my particular architecture environment, women aren’t really represented in management. And I know there are a lot of firms that have female principals and mentors, but I do feel that no matter how much I prove myself or how much I show my technical capabilities, I don’t have the same mentorship opportunities as men do in the office.
How do you navigate that obstacle?
Well, I never think of myself as stuck. I take knowledge from people. I don’t wait for them to mentor me.
“Well, I never think of myself as stuck. I take knowledge from people. I don’t wait for them to mentor me.”
I say, “I know you know a lot about this subject. Teach me.” Something I observed is that women will often apologize in the workplace, and that’s something that I’ve been trying to combat. Stop apologizing. If you do something wrong, react, change, and adapt, but don’t apologize.
What topics in the design industry are you particularly interested in?
Topics surrounding carbon neutrality are really interesting to me. I don't think we have a lot of traction in most offices around this issue. I think the biggest thing that prevents designers from implementing and pushing clients to think about sustainability is lack of knowledge and confidence. I’ve seen even the most confident and intelligent leaders get really antsy about building sustainability discussions.
I get really excited talking about mass timber construction and engineering too.
What are three pieces of advice you can give to people in the job search process?
I would encourage you to not jump on your first offer, and to interview with multiple firms. Write down a list of intentional questions. Talk to your mentors at school and people you know in the field about what those questions should look like.
How do you deal with desperation in the job search?
Getting that first job offer is always so exciting because it takes so much work to research, prepare your portfolio, and interview. Especially coming out of college with little work experience, it’s really easy to ignore red flags in the interview process. Talking to people is important because a lot of times in interviews you can’t get the whole truth. Everyone is super excited and trying to sell the company. I found that the best way is to reach out and talk to people in your same position at these companies.
What’s your favorite place to relax in the Bay Area?
I love Edgewood Park in Redwood City. At the end of a trail and on top of a hill, there’s a tree, and anyone from the Peninsula might say it's their tree, but it’s really mine. It’s this cool oak tree, and the branches diverge straight out, parallel to the ground. You can climb up, sit on top, and look out over San Francisco and the entire Peninsula. But shh, it’s a secret.
