After hurtling from space and landing on earth, the very next thing I picked up was a pen! I wish, but you can certainly read a bit more about me below!
One of the best things about being an artist is helping others bring their own ideas to life. If you have a project, would like a piece of fan art, or a bespoke piece for a loved one, I'd love to hear from you.
The 1980s were a weird time in the UK. You either had lots or not much and my family definitely fell into the latter category so I suppose it was natural that pens, pencils, old printer paper brought home (the kind that had the holes running down the sides) and anything else lying around the house became things I could use.
Coupled with this were cartoons, the 1980s spawned iconic cartoons that I just lapped up. Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, Dungeons and Dragons, the list could go on, but I loved them and it just clicked that if I could draw these adventures, they didn't just stay on the screen - I could have them at home. Far from the rainy, terraced, and then semi-detached house I grew up in, I could instead take my imagination anywhere!
It was weird, but my mind switched off as a youngster when I drew pictures. There was no internal chatter and it was only the thoughts about what I was drawing that filled my head. No matter my age, whenever I start to draw a tremendous, powerful calmness fills me up and time seems to evaporate. That's why I would recommend art to anyone.
I also think art puts your voice into the world. Even the generic, mass-produced art you see in bargain shops makes people feel good (which is exactly why there's so much of it), and being able to do that is very rewarding. Like the vast majority of people, I want to leave the world a bit better than I found it. One day I won't be here, but my art will and the ideas, feelings and emotions will still be there within those pieces of art.
Family. It really is that simple, my family are my biggest inspiration. Growing up, the one thing that I remember was that my grandparents always had time for me. I never felt rushed or that my ideas were unimportant, their gift of time was so precious and inspired me to believe the drawings I did were important. I am colourblind, my grandad was colourblind too, but he created wonderful wooden toys. I can remember all the tins of small enamel paint had the names of the colours written so that he didn't make mistakes. It never deterred him, and as he got older his hands would shake so he's ask me to draw and paint onto them. We would do our hobbies in the same room, in happy silence.
My Grandma was an equal inspiration, if there was a project I had in mind she brought it to life. Turtles Lairs, Ghostbusters fire stations, Star Wars vehicles - there wasn't a safe cardboard box! She would make these with me (and they were miles better than the actual toys) but she would also get me to draw the designs, dripping art in there.
Now as a dad, my inspiration is my children. I want to echo those same values given to me and show them that whatever your passion is, you can take that talent and run with it! They also inspire me creatively with our chats: ideas of what to draw discussed in the car, jokes we share and the time we spend together.
Detailed, fantastical and bold. Being colourblind a lot of my work is black and white ink work, however, with the advent of digital art and labelled pens and pencils coming to market, my colour work is also on show. I love to draw portraits, characters, superheroes and monsters - taking inspiration from the vast wealth of comics, cartoons and fantasy books I read growing up.
Spiderman is my absolute favourite superhero and his iconic look was created by Steve Ditko, this led me to Marvel comics and the work of Jack Kirby. His art style, the 'Kirby krackle', and how he created such movement on a static page fascinated me. Growing up, I loved the Fighting Fantasy novels (they're still a great read as an adult now!). These choose-your-own adventures were brilliantly illustrated and the black pen and ink style of Russ Nicholson really resonated and shaped my drawing style massively. Finally, Eastman and Laird, the creators of Ninja Turtles. I can remember vividly being given the original comic as a kid. Of all the comics I've read, either before that moment or indeed after, there's not one that has influenced me more. It was gritty, cool, unflinching and I loved it.
Chris is a freelance writer & illustrator. Thanks for checking out our site. You can stay up to date with our blog, comics and artwork by signing up to our FREE newsletter.