Illustrator Zoë Taylor’s heroine escapes a party through clichéd melodrama and sporadic linework

Zoë Taylor’s first book Joyride tells the story of a woman at a party who, through a series of instances, finds herself in the woods on a deserted roadside. The book has been published by Breakdown Press and sees the illustrator’s sparse drawings coming together to create “a sense of atmosphere, drama and surprise.”

The book’s simplicity is the initial draw but with each turn of the page a sense of mystery and intrigue is conjured. “I wanted the story to hang on moments of clichéd melodrama – car crashes, explosions, kisses etc. but I also wanted to leave lots open to interpretation through the characters and why they do what they do,” Zoë explains.  

Printed by Risograph at Hato Press, Zoë’s energetic and lively linework is brought to life further with this added texture. Her style has become “rawer and more spontaneous” as she develops her illustrations,  this is clearly seen in her expressive, haphazard linework that gives an impression of the action. This is emphasised through the absence of colour and depth in the book. “My drawings used to be more tonal but lately I’ve enjoyed being more economical and seeing if you can create atmosphere through just lines and marks,” explains Zoe. “I had tried adding colour in earlier versions but then it felt right that everything was quite stark and seemed more instant – like when you’re getting thoughts down in a sketchbook.”