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In the Studio: Fay Dalton

July 15, 2025

From Moscow streets to Jamaican beaches, the James Bond novels revel in their glamorous locations. And although illustrator Fay Dalton lives and works in the slightly less sexy Harrow in west London, she’s surrounded by inspiration in her studio.

The walls of the large ground-floor room are covered with movie posters, including Jason Edmiston’s Hateful Eight and Laurent Durieux’s Bambi. Books are everywhere: contemporary and vintage artists, pulp, comics, anatomy – and, of course, Bond. ‘I was super excited but also nervous to illustrate such a prestigious and loved series,’ she says. ‘I’ve been a fan of Bond since childhood so it feels amazing to be linked to such a celebrated, iconic British character.’

At her studio, PCs and scanners sit alongside pencils, chalk, gouache and acrylics – and of course a massive dog bed for her Alaskan Malamute, Lobo. ‘I use a mix of mediums. My roughs are pencil, chalk and acrylic and then I rework in acrylic and scan in for digitally painting,’ she explains. ‘Although it’s digital I try to keep the illustrations looking as painterly and textured as possible to preserve that slightly gritty vintage appeal.’

And that’s important because Dalton specialises in a vintage, painterly style. ‘I adore the original masters of the 50s and 60s, people like Robert McGinnis and Alberto Vargas, plus more contemporary artists such as Simon Davis, Glen Fabry, Sean Phillips and Bill Sienkiewicz,’ she says. ‘Illustrating Bond gives me the opportunity to stay true to the era and as vintage as I can.’

Indeed, creating the artwork for Folio’s James Bond novels is a dream job, she says. ‘I choose scenes that don’t give the plot away, and aren’t too close to the ending or each other. I love the intros to the Bond girls and villains, and the action scenes, which give me opportunities to be dynamic, explosive and dramatic.’

Illustrations: © Fay Dalton from Casino Royale