when I grow up I want to be...
The other day I was in London. I went to meet a friend. We ended up hanging out in a pub with a load of my friends friends who I had never met. It turns out they where quite an eclectic and interesting bunch. I had my moleskin with me and through out the evening I decided to make a number of drawings of the group. Here they are:
I started out with the guy with the beard. I mean you've gotta love his moustache.
I was kind of nervous and so I just went for it. His eyes went well wonkey but it made me laugh, he's a tattoo artist, a young guy who started out as a receptionist and worked his way in. He seemed to cross over, I mean he spoke really well, with great diction, but kind of slow, he was interesting, full of energy but also quite reserved.
Next up was the girl with the smile. She was a musician but also an artist, she had studied at the Slade and seemed very tuned in. She was talking a lot and was always laughing.
When I asked what the next guy did he told me he had started his own business, as a Milliner. The music was loud in the pub so I couldn't hear so good and when I asked him what? he said "A milliner, somebody who designs, makes, sells or trims hats and dresses"
It turns out he was one of the hottest young designers in the country and we got on quite well, I told him all about the Hat Museum in France that I had visited earlier this year.
The next dude was harder to pin down. He was constantly engaged in conversation. Very articulate with an impressive grasp on world affairs, he had just got back from Beirut where he had been living for the last two years as a foreign correspondent for the Guardian. Surprisingly he was also a fan of Beirut the band and spoke at length regarding the cancellation of the bands recent tour and Zach condons motivation behind it.
I always regard the royal college as a passport, in much the same way as I see the BBC. The next portrait should have been full of trepidation due to the fact that the sitter had not only studied at the royal college of Art but had also made illustrations for Paul Smith and exhibited alongside the likes of Tracy Emin. However she was so laid back and unassuming I really enjoyed it. She didn't even mention the Paul smith trousers I had on.
I would like to say that it is easy for me to come to terms with the fact that although I work in a public library (which I enjoy) I have studied art all my life. So whenever I meet a young practicing Artists who is for real I find it slightly unnerving. The next dude was a jack of all trades, a chameleon, who was doing his MA at Chelsea but who was also moonlighting in the worlds of contemporary Illustration, fine art painting and drawing and performance. To be honest I thought it was going to be an up hill struggle but as soon as he started talking about Marcel Duchamp I knew we where onto a winner.
The next dude was a gem. A complete nutter. He was all over the place, making sure everyone had a drink and having a good time. He seemed to fit into any conversation, and was the first person to really ask what I was doing or what I was up to. I found out that he was teaching at the London college of communication and that all though he had worked in California for a couple of years he had returned to London in 2002 to work for pentagram, while exhibiting his own work.
The next bloke was hilarious, he told me all about the independent magazine and the fact that they had approached him to include him in an article entitled the creative 30. He told me the independent, Volvo, VICE magazine and Yahoo had teamed up to find the 30 most creative people in the country and where planning to run an article in the Saturday supplement. I told him I was sorry I hadn't heard of any of the people on the judging panel and we laughed about his interest in Physicalist philosophy and hermeneutics.
I had never heard of the Shapes. However before we got to the pub my friend had warned me that the songwriter from the band was going to be there and that she was quite a character. As soon as my friend pointed her out I knew that I wanted to make a drawing of her but it wasn't until the end of the night that I managed to convince her that I could do so. We talked briefly about music and we got onto the subject of sonic art. She told me all about mixing various grime collectives and studying at the Guildhall School of music & Drama.
The last drawing of the night turned out to be a double portrait. She was the youngest of the group and had been taking pictures all night. Turns out she was a self taught photo enthusiast who could really capture a picture or two. She was currently studying fine art but was really into fashion and was getting some great exposure. She only agreed to let me draw her If she could take a picture in return.
I started out with the guy with the beard. I mean you've gotta love his moustache.
I was kind of nervous and so I just went for it. His eyes went well wonkey but it made me laugh, he's a tattoo artist, a young guy who started out as a receptionist and worked his way in. He seemed to cross over, I mean he spoke really well, with great diction, but kind of slow, he was interesting, full of energy but also quite reserved.
Next up was the girl with the smile. She was a musician but also an artist, she had studied at the Slade and seemed very tuned in. She was talking a lot and was always laughing.
When I asked what the next guy did he told me he had started his own business, as a Milliner. The music was loud in the pub so I couldn't hear so good and when I asked him what? he said "A milliner, somebody who designs, makes, sells or trims hats and dresses"
It turns out he was one of the hottest young designers in the country and we got on quite well, I told him all about the Hat Museum in France that I had visited earlier this year.
The next dude was harder to pin down. He was constantly engaged in conversation. Very articulate with an impressive grasp on world affairs, he had just got back from Beirut where he had been living for the last two years as a foreign correspondent for the Guardian. Surprisingly he was also a fan of Beirut the band and spoke at length regarding the cancellation of the bands recent tour and Zach condons motivation behind it.
I always regard the royal college as a passport, in much the same way as I see the BBC. The next portrait should have been full of trepidation due to the fact that the sitter had not only studied at the royal college of Art but had also made illustrations for Paul Smith and exhibited alongside the likes of Tracy Emin. However she was so laid back and unassuming I really enjoyed it. She didn't even mention the Paul smith trousers I had on.
I would like to say that it is easy for me to come to terms with the fact that although I work in a public library (which I enjoy) I have studied art all my life. So whenever I meet a young practicing Artists who is for real I find it slightly unnerving. The next dude was a jack of all trades, a chameleon, who was doing his MA at Chelsea but who was also moonlighting in the worlds of contemporary Illustration, fine art painting and drawing and performance. To be honest I thought it was going to be an up hill struggle but as soon as he started talking about Marcel Duchamp I knew we where onto a winner.
The next dude was a gem. A complete nutter. He was all over the place, making sure everyone had a drink and having a good time. He seemed to fit into any conversation, and was the first person to really ask what I was doing or what I was up to. I found out that he was teaching at the London college of communication and that all though he had worked in California for a couple of years he had returned to London in 2002 to work for pentagram, while exhibiting his own work.
The next bloke was hilarious, he told me all about the independent magazine and the fact that they had approached him to include him in an article entitled the creative 30. He told me the independent, Volvo, VICE magazine and Yahoo had teamed up to find the 30 most creative people in the country and where planning to run an article in the Saturday supplement. I told him I was sorry I hadn't heard of any of the people on the judging panel and we laughed about his interest in Physicalist philosophy and hermeneutics.
I had never heard of the Shapes. However before we got to the pub my friend had warned me that the songwriter from the band was going to be there and that she was quite a character. As soon as my friend pointed her out I knew that I wanted to make a drawing of her but it wasn't until the end of the night that I managed to convince her that I could do so. We talked briefly about music and we got onto the subject of sonic art. She told me all about mixing various grime collectives and studying at the Guildhall School of music & Drama.
The last drawing of the night turned out to be a double portrait. She was the youngest of the group and had been taking pictures all night. Turns out she was a self taught photo enthusiast who could really capture a picture or two. She was currently studying fine art but was really into fashion and was getting some great exposure. She only agreed to let me draw her If she could take a picture in return.
posted by olliebetts at 12:59 PM
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