Tell us a little about yourself...
I am a freelance illustrator living and working in Leeds. I started up my own venture Bloodbuzz Illustration about a year ago and things have just taken off from there really. The style I work in has slowly developed over the last few years.
As a young artist, you struggle between finding your unique voice in a saturated world, but also wanting to be open to working in a vast range of styles and contexts. I think that kind of sums up the journey every artist embarks on throughout life anyway, so it's important to continually be developing your skill set and ideas.
Even as a child, I would endlessly sellotape A4 pieces of paper together, manically drawing creatures and creating escapist worlds. Drawing has always been an outlet for me to escape through and it's never really left me.
This year in particular, I decided I wanted to start working on a large scale and I think my current style really came off the back of that. Working on such a scale means having to consider so many other elements as you are working with such a substantial space; it needs to be just as impressive. If I had to sum up my style in a few words, it would be; graphic, apocalyptic comedy.
Do you have a preferable skill or tool you use?
Not really. As a young artist, I play around with an array of styles and materials. If I had to talk about certain tools that are never absent from my work, it would be Unipin fineliner drawing pens, which lend themselves to the pace and level of detail in which I work.
From when and what did your love of Art & Design stem from?
There has never been a time in my life where I can remember art not being a huge part of my life. I believe that being creatively inclined comes with its pros and cons, but it has always been a comfort blanket for me. You can submerge yourself into a piece of work, and give it everything you have, despite all the other sh*t that's going on in your life. It sounds pretty cliché, but it really is an escape pod. I've loved art since I was a kid and it’s never really gone away.
Can you elaborate on the preparation of creating a design?
It's pretty simple really. I don't ever have a plan when I start a drawing; maybe a vague notion of one particular aspect I want to include but I never know what way the work will go. That's why I create so much of it, and a lot of it is just exploration of my mind, ideas and mode of expression. I’ll have all of my pens and markers lying around, and I'll just draw whatever I feel like doing that day; some stuff works, a lot doesn't. It's the stuff that works that carries that idea to the next level.
Do you have a favourite design to date that you’ve created?
I couldn't say I have a favourite, because I get excited by new work, I always like what I'm working on at that particular moment in time. I get bored very easily and I'm pretty hard on myself, so looking back on old work doesn't interest me. I always want to show off shiny new projects.
How have your design skills developed over the years ?
That's an easy one. It's just practice. It's drawing every single day and constantly creating work and expanding concepts and ideas, while keeping in touch with the contemporary art world. I have come a long way in the last few years, but that's down to the amount of time and effort and passion I put into my work. It's all I want to do and it’s a big deal to me.
What inspires you?
Everything and nothing. I operate from my head, so whatever is going on in there at the time I guess.
Any exciting new projects coming up?
My main focus at the moment is a non-profit organisation founded and run by Raf Bogan and Roddy Taylor in Leeds. It's called &/or Emporium (take a look at their Facebook page here) and I have been involved in assisting the curation and running of their art event for a few months now. We have a residency in Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen, and have collaborated with some incredible artists to date. We host a large range of artists and stall holders, showcasing the endless creative talent Leeds is bringing to the table at the moment. We will be festival hopping this summer, so keep your eyes peeled for us!
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