ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gerard Fay
More than forty years as a professional artist and illustrator.
I create book covers and commissioned artwork for authors, publishers and magazines. Characters, atmosphere and the small details that make a scene believable are at the heart of my work.
FOUR DECADES OF COMMISSIONED WORK
A lifetime working as an artist and illustrator
After leaving Salford Art College in the late 1970s, I began working as a freelance illustrator. Before graduating, I travelled to London and signed with an artists’ agent on Wardour Street in Soho — quite an introduction to the professional art world for a seventeen-year-old working-class lad from Manchester.
Over the years, I have worked with magazine publishers, advertising agencies and design studios across the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. The work has varied, but I have always approached it in much the same way: understand the story, create the right atmosphere and make an image that draws the viewer in.
Published Experience
More than forty years of commissioned work
Artwork created for magazines, publishers and authors, with particular experience in character-led scenes, historical settings and bringing written stories to life.
Bringing stories to life
Much of my professional life has been spent illustrating magazine fiction and editorial features. I have always enjoyed finding the right characters and setting, and creating an image that suggests there is more to the story beyond the scene shown.
One editorial colleague described my work as helping to “bring the stories to life.” That has stayed with me and still guides the way I approach every commission.
Book covers and commissioned artwork
Alongside magazine and publishing commissions, I create atmospheric, story-led book covers for authors and publishers. Whether I am working on a cover or a magazine story, I look for the characters, period details and atmosphere that will give the reader an immediate feel for the story.
“Superbly brought
to life.”
Selected editorial feedback from commissioned fiction illustration work.
BEHIND THE ARTWORK
How the artwork came together
In 2024, The People’s Friend featured my illustration process for the award-winning story Fossils, including a behind-the-scenes look at how the artwork developed from concept to final published image.
Looking for commissioned illustration?
If you have a book cover, magazine story or publishing project in mind, tell me a little about the story, the format you need and how the artwork will be used.