Darren Di Lieto
@darrendilieto.com
Creative Director at Hireillo · 🔗🌳 linktr.ee/dilieto
Over the weekend at Mil-D-Con, I watched actor Mark Williams (known for The Fast Show and Father Brown) participate in a Q&A session. He certainly doesn't suffer fools gladly, and it was delightful to watch. 🙂
October 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Over the weekend at Mil-D-Con, I watched actor Mark Williams (known for The Fast Show and Father Brown) participate in a Q&A session. He certainly doesn't suffer fools gladly, and it was delightful to watch. 🙂
Twelve 12x18-inch prints, and I'm out of matte black ink. They were fresh cartridges, yikes. 😱 ... Luckily, I have more ink arriving tomorrow.
September 30, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Twelve 12x18-inch prints, and I'm out of matte black ink. They were fresh cartridges, yikes. 😱 ... Luckily, I have more ink arriving tomorrow.
It's my forty-third birthday, yay! 🥳 Time doesn't half fly. Shown is a fun little gift my fantastic partner got me. 🙂 Now it's time for cake and lots of it! 😋
September 25, 2025 at 2:38 PM
It's my forty-third birthday, yay! 🥳 Time doesn't half fly. Shown is a fun little gift my fantastic partner got me. 🙂 Now it's time for cake and lots of it! 😋
I'm sorry for the radio silence. I've been swamped and have been working on a top-secret project, while also trying to go to the gym more regularly. Here's a photo I took during a recent trip to London.
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
I'm sorry for the radio silence. I've been swamped and have been working on a top-secret project, while also trying to go to the gym more regularly. Here's a photo I took during a recent trip to London.
I had an interesting chat with @mrtomfroese.bsky.social yesterday for his Thoughts on Illustration podcast. I'm looking forward to the episode, which I expect will be released sometime in October/November. 🎙️
September 17, 2025 at 12:26 PM
I had an interesting chat with @mrtomfroese.bsky.social yesterday for his Thoughts on Illustration podcast. I'm looking forward to the episode, which I expect will be released sometime in October/November. 🎙️
Morgan is selling a few books I picked up on Kickstarter several years ago. They have been sitting on my shelf since then.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15732093...
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15732093...
September 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Morgan is selling a few books I picked up on Kickstarter several years ago. They have been sitting on my shelf since then.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15732093...
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15732093...
Stop doom-scrolling and enjoy nature. Maybe touch some grass? There's always tomorrow for work and social media. I took this photo of the ducks and birds at Bradgate Park near Leicester.
September 6, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Stop doom-scrolling and enjoy nature. Maybe touch some grass? There's always tomorrow for work and social media. I took this photo of the ducks and birds at Bradgate Park near Leicester.
It's nice to see that the State of Illustration is getting some coverage. 😃 Thank you downthetubes.net (John Freeman) and @dailycartoonist.bsky.social (Alan Gardner)! 🖖 #stateofillustration #weareillustrators #illosurvey
1. bit.ly/dtt-state7
2. bit.ly/tdc-state7
1. bit.ly/dtt-state7
2. bit.ly/tdc-state7
September 2, 2025 at 2:03 PM
It's nice to see that the State of Illustration is getting some coverage. 😃 Thank you downthetubes.net (John Freeman) and @dailycartoonist.bsky.social (Alan Gardner)! 🖖 #stateofillustration #weareillustrators #illosurvey
1. bit.ly/dtt-state7
2. bit.ly/tdc-state7
1. bit.ly/dtt-state7
2. bit.ly/tdc-state7
That's me done emailing everyone who said they wanted to be told about the latest State of Illustration report. If you didn't get an email from me, please reach out or subscribe to my Gumroad list. I think I've earned the right to take a five-minute break. I might go for a walk. 😁 shop.hireillo.com
August 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
That's me done emailing everyone who said they wanted to be told about the latest State of Illustration report. If you didn't get an email from me, please reach out or subscribe to my Gumroad list. I think I've earned the right to take a five-minute break. I might go for a walk. 😁 shop.hireillo.com
Over the bank holiday weekend, I worked with four clients, helping them with their budgets and finding the right illustrators. It's a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but it's rewarding to connect people and help them earn a living.
August 26, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Over the bank holiday weekend, I worked with four clients, helping them with their budgets and finding the right illustrators. It's a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but it's rewarding to connect people and help them earn a living.
The latest State of Illustration report is finally available! 🙌 I will be promoting it properly over the next few weeks, but I wanted to give my followers on my personal pages a heads-up before I start doing that.
You can find the report at shop.hireillo.com/l/state-7
You can find the report at shop.hireillo.com/l/state-7
August 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The latest State of Illustration report is finally available! 🙌 I will be promoting it properly over the next few weeks, but I wanted to give my followers on my personal pages a heads-up before I start doing that.
You can find the report at shop.hireillo.com/l/state-7
You can find the report at shop.hireillo.com/l/state-7
I thought I'd share a photo of my desk, as it's not looking horrendous at the moment. What does your workspace look like? Please feel free to post yours in my comments or tag it with #OnMyDesk via your account. 😉
August 18, 2025 at 11:47 AM
I thought I'd share a photo of my desk, as it's not looking horrendous at the moment. What does your workspace look like? Please feel free to post yours in my comments or tag it with #OnMyDesk via your account. 😉
I know I'm going to get blowback for this, but business has been tricky for the last few years, and I need to get paid if I'm going to survive. I'm about to release the new State of Illustration report, and I won't be making the payment optional, unlike in previous years.
August 15, 2025 at 10:22 AM
I know I'm going to get blowback for this, but business has been tricky for the last few years, and I need to get paid if I'm going to survive. I'm about to release the new State of Illustration report, and I won't be making the payment optional, unlike in previous years.
I've been keeping my head down while working on the State of Illustration report, which I incidentally finished the first draft of this morning. 🙌 To prove that I don't spend all my time in my hobbit hole, here's a photo of a Jackdaw I took recently. Tchack, tchack!
August 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
I've been keeping my head down while working on the State of Illustration report, which I incidentally finished the first draft of this morning. 🙌 To prove that I don't spend all my time in my hobbit hole, here's a photo of a Jackdaw I took recently. Tchack, tchack!
The latest State of Illustration report is almost ready, hopefully in a week or two. My eyes and brain hate me! Seventeen pages done, twenty-five give or take, to go.
If you'd like to be notified when it's finished, download the old version at stateofillustration.com
If you'd like to be notified when it's finished, download the old version at stateofillustration.com
July 30, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The latest State of Illustration report is almost ready, hopefully in a week or two. My eyes and brain hate me! Seventeen pages done, twenty-five give or take, to go.
If you'd like to be notified when it's finished, download the old version at stateofillustration.com
If you'd like to be notified when it's finished, download the old version at stateofillustration.com
I took this photo at Bradgate Park and the expressions on the faces of this derpy Fallow Deer doe and fawn just about sums up my mood today. 😐
July 29, 2025 at 1:21 PM
I took this photo at Bradgate Park and the expressions on the faces of this derpy Fallow Deer doe and fawn just about sums up my mood today. 😐
I'm slowly chipping away at the 2025 State of Illustration report. I think my brain is slightly frazzled, but the project is coming together. Art by Beach. ❤️
July 28, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I'm slowly chipping away at the 2025 State of Illustration report. I think my brain is slightly frazzled, but the project is coming together. Art by Beach. ❤️
Is your web hosting or web-creation platform becoming unaffordable? I've been providing inexpensive, reliable hosting and support for years and am always happy to help you with setting everything up. 💻🧔🏻
Send me a DM to find out more.
Send me a DM to find out more.
July 22, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Is your web hosting or web-creation platform becoming unaffordable? I've been providing inexpensive, reliable hosting and support for years and am always happy to help you with setting everything up. 💻🧔🏻
Send me a DM to find out more.
Send me a DM to find out more.
I perused the Small Press Day tables at Forbidden Planet Leicester this morning, picked up a few goodies, and had a good, but brief, catch-up with Drew Summers. There's always a ton of interesting art and comics on display on SPD, and I always want to buy everything! Indy comic artists are cool. 🖖
July 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I perused the Small Press Day tables at Forbidden Planet Leicester this morning, picked up a few goodies, and had a good, but brief, catch-up with Drew Summers. There's always a ton of interesting art and comics on display on SPD, and I always want to buy everything! Indy comic artists are cool. 🖖
We took half a day off yesterday and decided to visit Charnwood Museum. Because, why not? It was fun. 😄
July 19, 2025 at 12:46 PM
We took half a day off yesterday and decided to visit Charnwood Museum. Because, why not? It was fun. 😄
I took this photo several weeks ago at Nene Park. I got a good number of close-ups of the Heron, but I much preferred this wide shot of the habitat. I've muted the colour as I felt the lush greens were overwhelming to the point where the photo looked fake. It was a fabulously sunny day.
July 17, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I took this photo several weeks ago at Nene Park. I got a good number of close-ups of the Heron, but I much preferred this wide shot of the habitat. I've muted the colour as I felt the lush greens were overwhelming to the point where the photo looked fake. It was a fabulously sunny day.
Is cover art more important than a book's content? I often buy based on cover art alone. Here are comics I'd buy without knowing their contents, though I know, for a fact, their stories are as captivating as their covers. Does the success of a book come down to more than its cover?
July 11, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Is cover art more important than a book's content? I often buy based on cover art alone. Here are comics I'd buy without knowing their contents, though I know, for a fact, their stories are as captivating as their covers. Does the success of a book come down to more than its cover?
I've not posted any moon photos for a while. I took this one last night while the skies were clear, looking out of our back window in Leicester. I took it freehand with a Nikon D3200 (300mm lens) and removed some of the noise with Affinity Photo.
July 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I've not posted any moon photos for a while. I took this one last night while the skies were clear, looking out of our back window in Leicester. I took it freehand with a Nikon D3200 (300mm lens) and removed some of the noise with Affinity Photo.
New social avatar! "I Hate Mondays" by @matttimson.bsky.social. Matt has perfectly captured my grumpy side, probably because he understands what it means to be grumpy himself. 😘
July 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM
New social avatar! "I Hate Mondays" by @matttimson.bsky.social. Matt has perfectly captured my grumpy side, probably because he understands what it means to be grumpy himself. 😘
If you need guidance or a boost, I have several portfolio review slots available this month. Sign up at shop.hireillo.com/l/review-wit...
July 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
If you need guidance or a boost, I have several portfolio review slots available this month. Sign up at shop.hireillo.com/l/review-wit...