Artist of the Month: Gareth Arrowsmith
Gorillaz, caricatures and music magazines: we see what our latest Artist of the Month is made of…
When we first noticed Gareth’s work, the thing we immediately latched on to is an unavoidable comparison with Beano and Dandy; it’s that ruddy, cheeky ‘Boy’s Own’ style that charmed us as kids. Mud pies and getting into scrapes with the neighbour, slingshots and muddy trainers. He is an illustrator with a real eye for character.
So much so, the Widnes-born, Liverpool John Moores Illustration graduate (2010) chose to debut his latest character with us, especially for this feature. It’s someone he’s been working on for a while, and who now emblazons the banner slot on our homepage.
“His name is Rex, He is a 10 year old boy that dreams one day he will become a pilot like his granddad was. The hat he is wearing belonged to his granddad and refuses to take it off. Also he likes lollipops.”
Influenced by a range of artists from comic books to graffiti to illustration, Gareth cites his all-time top role model as Jamie Hewlett. “From his Tank Girl days to Gorillaz, his line work and character design are the two things that stand out to me and I have often tried to replicate in the development in my own style.”
Others include colour expert Todd James, as well as comic and caricature artist Jack Davis. “A big thing for me is try to push the artwork and develop the style constantly, from the content to the process… at the minute I am looking and thinking about injecting more movement and a fluidity that would give the drawing more emotion, which I think Jack Davis has down to a tee.”
It was a graphic design internship at Halton Council in 2011 that really sparked a desire to pursue a career in illustration. Having to engage young people in designing and painting public murals one minute, to designing logos for council initiatives the next, Gareth thought hard about potential day jobs and realised that designing full-time, on his own terms, was the way forward.
He started to draw for friends’ magazines, going on to seek out more and more magazines for ideas. Sending examples of his work to publications that he liked, he soon started getting commissioned to regularly illustrate articles in music magazines Loud and Quiet and Bido Lito, and Italian design magazine Creazina.
It’s fair to say Gareth is at the beginning of his career, and still seeking to make this pay a full-time wage (like many illustrators out there at the moment, he has an unrelated day job). He is looking to get involved in interesting projects, exhibit his work (he’s just been in his first group exhibition in London), meet other illustrators, and just keep on working hard for people he respects.
When asked where he wants to be in five years (a horrible question, sorry Gareth), he is honest about how hard it’s going to be, but determined to be pursuing a career in design his way and in his style. “I ideally want to be making art and making a living from it, but trying to diversify from illustration into toy design, to anything that comes my way. If it’s suited to my artwork, I’ll be well up for it.”
Part of the plan is currently identifying potential new clients. He admits he has written a massive list of publications and galleries he wants to contact.
“The list is still going on (laughs), so I’ll have to spend more time on that. It’s just trying to get out promotional stuff for agencies, galleries, stuff that’s actually printed… my next illustration for Bido Lito is on how to help young musicians get on the ladder; I made a little teenage rocker on an A-frame ladder, just starting to climb to the top, surrounded by musical instruments…”
An apt image for many of us, trying to get on and ascend that metaphorical ladder.
Laura Robertson
garetharrowsmith.blogspot.co.uk
