Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Guillory.
Mike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born to illustrate, natural ability to draw. Started in 1965 at an “advertising agency” in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Relocated to Houston in 1971, going to work as a production artist for Dunham & Associates, working up to design and illustration in a very short period of time. Progressed from there to L. Dunham, Inc. as creative director/designer/illustrator, which later merged with another studio–Graphic Designers Group.
Left to work for Pegasus Design in Houston as creative director/designer/illustrator for too many years to count. We had many worldwide Fortune 500 corporations as clients and designed and produced a multitude of Annual Reports, brochures, ads, etc.
Left in 2002 to form my own company, do mostly illustration, and slow down life a bit. I kept some of the most interesting and fun clients, as a somewhat slower pace.
All illustration is created by hand, on the drawing board. I am proficient in many different mediums and art styles. All of the art is scanned to produce digital images that can be enhanced, modified or whatever is needed, and sent to the client via the internet. I also illustrate many books for a Houston-based publisher, as well as directly from various authors. I also illustrate for other art studios/marketing firms in Houston as well as other areas of the U.S.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Pretty smooth, sometimes difficult dealing with difficult clients!
Biggest hurdle–unrealistic deadlines! The art that I create isn’t done on the computer with the punch of one key.
However, I think that I work fast, in comparison to many other illustrators.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Strong background in design and illustration. I pride myself in doing the very best quality work for my clients in the fastest reasonable time at cost-effective pricing. I pay a lot of attention to detail and try to foresee any production issues that could arise and do my best to eliminate them.
I guess my diverse art styles would set me apart from other illustrators. I also have an “engineering” mind as far as how things work, which helps me in some of the technical illustrations that I’ve had to do over the years.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Winning a Gold at the 64th annual New York Art Director’s Club show.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 409-974-4050
- Email: mg@mikeguillory.com
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