Reflecting on how his style has evolved over the years, Tom shared with Bored Panda, "I think my images have become simpler and cleaner as I've become more interested in telling stories than making pictures. Though of course, making an attractive image is important too. The most important influence was probably having a weekly cartooning job at The Guardian (and later at New Scientist), which forced me to constantly make new work to a strict deadline."
Like any artist, Gauld has faced creative blocks but has developed strategies to overcome them. "I try to keep making things even if I'm not sure if they're any good. Sometimes I feel something is really awful, but then I look at it again the next day and realize it's not bad, or I see what needs to be fixed. I also go for a walk to get a change of scene and maybe work in a coffee shop for a while."
Inspiration for Tom’s comics often comes from the everyday, and he always keeps his notebook handy to capture potential ideas. "I always carry around a notebook and scribble down anything that could be the beginning of an idea. It could be something I overhear on the street, a scene in a movie, an article in a magazine, or a painting. My daughter was recently using a sleep app that played soothing sounds, and I knew right away there was something I could do with that."
Despite his success, the artist acknowledges the challenges of the creative process, particularly when it comes to generating ideas, as he told Bored Panda, "The hardest part of the creative process for me is coming up with ideas. There’s some little spark that has to go off in my brain, and, unfortunately, I don’t know how to make it happen. I can encourage it, but there’s no guarantee. Sometimes I sit doodling for hours, and nothing comes, so I just have to hope the next day will be better."
For aspiring artists, Tom offers advice rooted in experience. "Just make a lot of work and try not to get discouraged when something doesn't work out quite right. And don’t feel you need to write some big opus of a graphic novel to start with. I did a lot of very short comics when I was starting and learned so much, even from the ones that were pretty bad."
