Daryl Joyce

Editor: Peter Labrow · Last update: Saturday, September 25, 2010

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Daryl Joyce is a leading science fiction illustrator, who specialises in Doctor Who illustrations. His work has appeared in Doctor Who magazine, in Telos books, on the BBC’s Doctor Who Web site and in the official Doctor Who annuals.

How long have you been working as a professional illustrator?

Since 1999, and on and off for years before that with the odd job that came along.

Why do you focus so heavily on Doctor Who?

Doctor Who is an illustrator’s dream. Essentially it is about a man who can go anywhere in time and anywhere in Spain.. er, I mean space. You can be painting a space station one week, an historical battle the next. There is such a rich vein of possibilities.

Dalek saucer from Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150ADDalek saucer from Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150AD

Which is your favourite Dalek illustration (yours and someone else’s)?

My  favourite Dalek illustration is Frank Bellamy’s Radio Times cover. Not only is it iconic, (it’s got to be the most famous RT cover ever) but it’s just a damn fine piece of illustration. I also like Roy Knipe’s ‘Death to the Daleks’ Target cover and Alister Pearson’s Daleks Masterplan part 2. Of my own I think I’d go for the Genesis of the Daleks spreads that I did in a graphic novel style.

Genesis of the Daleks – by Daryl JoyceGenesis of the Daleks – by Daryl Joyce

Which illustrators have most influenced your work?

Don Lawrence, Ron Embleton, Wilf Hardy, Frank Bellamy, Gerry Haylock and Alister Pearson. There are many others I admire, but those mentioned are the ones that have been influential in bringing me to the style I have.

Which Doctors/period do you prefer to illustrate for?

I really like the early era. The Hartnell years really tested the boundaries of the formula. Those boundaries have shrunk over the years. My preferred Doctors to illustrate are Troughton and Pertwee, they just have such great faces.

Which Dalek design is your favourite – classic TV, movie or new series?

Movie probably. I like what’s been done with the new Dalek, keeping it utterly faithful but beefing it up, but as that is clearly heavily influenced by the movie Daleks I’d have to go for them.

Movie Dalek illustrated by Daryl JoyceMovie Dalek illustrated by Daryl Joyce

Which do you think is the most effective Dalek story (TV, film, comic or audio)?

Genesis of the Daleks is obviously a great story, but mostly for all the political manoeuvring of Davros, it’s a really blindingly good script in which to a large extent the Daleks are merely a backdrop. The original introductory Dalek story is also a fine ‘boys own’ adventure that I never tire of. But the Daleks are at their best and most manipulative in Power of the Daleks. That truly is a great Dalek story. Such a shame it no longer exists in any form but audio.

In which media do you work?

Gouache almost exclusively, but a lot of design and composition is done on computer now.

How long does a typical illustration take to complete?

How long is a piece of string? I don’t know the answer to that. Illustrations can be so many different sizes and have varying levels of complexity. I have completed a painting over a couple of evenings – equally I’ve worked for a couple of months on some. A typical painting – perhaps a fortnight.

Day of the Daleks – by Daryl JoyceDay of the Daleks – by Daryl Joyce

Which illustration did you enjoy working on the most?

I like the ones I can lose myself in, so it’ll probably be the Genesis spreads again, that or some of the other Dr Who spreads like Invasion of the Dinosaurs or The Daemons. I also enjoyed the Dalek coming out of the Thames because again it tells a story and pushes the boundaries of what was seen on TV back in 1964 whilst, hopefully, being faithful. For the same reason I enjoyed creating the nasty Dalek mutation throttling Tom Baker’s Doctor – a faithful recreation of the scene, but with added extras.

What would be a dream commission?

Storyboarding a Doctor FX sequence, something like that. I’ve always had an interest in film so bringing 2D visuals to life would be the dream commission.

Who are your Doctor Who heroes?

Robert Holmes, Patrick Troughton, Verity Lambert,  William Hartnell, Innes Lloyd, Terry Nation, Jon Pertwee, Phillip Hinchcliffe, Tom Baker, Katy Manning...  let’s face it, too many to mention, Anyone who put magic into my childhood by firing my imagination and drawing me into their world.