Hmm, not quite sure what I am anymore …

We’re talking 2009 when I discovered Danny Gregory’s approach to drawing when I first started drawing again.

(I realise that it is grammatically impossible to ‘first start drawing again’, but my pre-2009 drawing wasn’t really, truly drawing for a purpose, it was aimless drawing, drawing for the sake of producing a picture of a pretty scene. I was going through the motions, but I didn’t know who I was)

flash forward to now –

and I still see myself as a drawer of things in front of me, but things have changed, and warped.

As a magazine illustrator – I find myself being sent photos to reproduce and, sometimes, I’m sent ideas which I have to somehow conjure into reality (Elvis driving a camper van is still one of my favourites!) which involve sourcing photographs and manipulating them into a drawing.

This was something I recently had to do with a series of mythological tales. One of my personal favourites being the Tale of Brave Gelert. A faithful hound who protected it’s masters’ infant child from a wicked wolf.

As a card designer – I find myself taking illustrations and tweaking and tuning them in Photoshop.

Adding in, necessary, details; such as the information that is found on the backs of cards.

As a writer of foodie booklets – I find myself having to test, and retest (and retest) recipes before I can think about illustrating them.

And having to work out page designs.

It’s quite fascinating finding out what’s just around the next corner; what I’ll be asked to turn my (drawing) hand to next …