Dan The Scribbler

MY FIRST PAINTING IN 20 YEARS

Despite having two art degrees and managing to make a living in the field of art and design for the past 15 years I haven’t painted since I did my post A-level foundation course almost 20 years ago. I am an illustrator (aka The Scribbler) and graphic designer and have worked for a range of clients from local to international in the fields of publishing, brand development and advertising both in print and through digital media. I have been commissioned to create my own artwork, to act purely as a designer, to design projects involving finding and art directing other artists and to do both the design and illustration.

A mere couple of months after moving into the studio next-door to the highly talented and established fine artist, Sarah Graham, I agreed to take part in a group show with Sarah and her sister Elaine. We decided to exhibit in a small gallery in our home town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire and agreed that we would all produce ten new paintings on the theme of birds, in keeping with the gallery itself which is called The Art Nest. The date of the show was agreed and the timer was ticking.

I was a little apprehensive about producing enough work and of a high enough standard to sit alongside two artists who regularly sell their work in professional galleries. However I have been pulling rabbits out of hats with my work for many years and I also quite enjoy the adrenalin rush of being under pressure so knew I'd manage. My biggest challenge was to fit in the creation of these paintings around pulling in and completing paid work, not to mention my other responsibility of being a Dad.

I wanted to keep the concept of my paintings fairly simple and try to enjoy the process of putting paint on canvas again. When I say again I actually mean for the first time ever.

I visited the fabulous Bird of Prey Centre in Shuttleworth, Bedfordshire over the summer and was inspired by the variety of owls on show. They appealed to the illustrator in me and immediately I could visualise many different characters and potential narratives. Inspired, I bought all my canvases, some new brushes and a limited selection of acrylic paint and then started worrying.

STANLEY

After putting it off for a couple of weeks I took the bull by the horns (or owl by the beak) and started a painting. Sarah had equipped me with some practice board and some excellent tips to experiment with. Amazingly the practice went so well that I decided that my first attempt, named Stanley after a friend's son, was actually good enough for other people to see! In fact, I was so chuffed that I sent a picture of it to Sarah immediately. Her reply was encouraging: "Bloody hell! It's great! I think you should get it framed and put it in the show!"

Progression of my first painting, Stanley

Once I had completed Stanley I felt that he was was missing something so I decided to give all the pieces a light-hearted accessory to add some daftness to juxtapose the seriousness of these amazing birds. Stanley's accessory is a bow tie embellished with worms.

Although the style of the painting was much more detailed than my usual illustration style I was happy that the tone of the images would be in keeping with my silly view of the world.

1 DOWN 9 TO GO

Armed with the confidence of having one in the bag I embarked on my first painting on canvas. This one was to be called Felix, named after a friend and local hairdresser.

Progression of Felix

I sacrificed several evenings and weekends in order to create these paintings but it did not seem like work. It was so therapeutic to get a break from the Mac and the numerous head, shoulder and neck aches and pains I suffer on a regular basis from sitting in front of a computer were totally alleviated. Best of all, most weeks I managed to create something new that I was proud of.

Sue

Some of my other paintings: Paul, Cecil, Dave and Sasha

Rita

MARKETING THE SHOW

As I have a lot of experience of marketing design I was asked to produce a poster and flyer for the show and had a bit of fun with the typography. Emmeline from The Art Nest got the material printed and we all did our bit to get local businesses to advertise the show in their shop windows.

Two Birds and a Bloke poster and flyer design

CARDS AND PRINTS

I wanted to offer punters the more affordable option of buying cards and prints as obviously not everyone has the monry for originals. All my paintings were photographed and I had to colour match them when producing digital files for reproduction. The cards and prints were ordered and proofs approved before I had even completed all 10 paintings so a couple of the later images did not make it which is a shame as they are some of my favourites. I will be selling these online when I get a minute but for now please contact me directly if you are interested.


The Scribbler cards arrived just in time for the exhibition

PRIVATE VIEW

Cards arrived, prints and framed paintings were collected and Sarah, Elaine and I hung the show a couple of days before Two Birds and a Bloke the opened to the public.The 'Birds' had both produced some excellent work and overall the show looked extremely colourful and fun. The opening evening of the exhibition was great fun and a huge success.

When planning any party the hosts always worry that they will be eating Twiglets and twiddling their thumbs in an empty house but thankfully the gallery was packed all evening. It was great to see so many familiar faces as well as meeting some lovely people for the first time. Many thanks go to gallery owner Emmeline Webb for plying us all with wine and nibbles, Ade Goodsall for playing guitar on the night and to photographer Sharon Cooper for documenting the evening for posterity.

Right to left: The Two Birds and the Bloke, a young fan, Felix and Felix, The Art Nest opening night

On reflection, I am very proud that I managed to create paintings that I am happy with and, more importantly, to produce enough of them to hang in a proper gallery seen by a discerning public. Sitting in front of a Mac all day is part of a creative's job in this day and age but putting on this exhibition has also helped me to realise that the process of painting is as important as the finished image and something that needs to be maintained in my creative output and not picked up again in another 20 years!