Nicholas Darby is an illustrator in Bristol, UK. Much of his work is done digitally, many in black in white and with only a few colors used. This gives many of his pieces a sharp, bold look, while still showcasing his attention to detail. His illustrations are of seemingly normal things: birds, food, fashion models, celebrities; but his signature digitalization to these things is what makes them memorable.
I talked to Mr. Darby about the inspiration behind his work, why he prefers a digital medium, and his interest in celebrities, past and present.
Where are you currently living?
I’m currently based in Bristol, which is my hometown. I studied in Cornwall, right down in the South West at University College Falmouth which was a nice change of pace. But it’s good to be back in a city again, especially as I grew up here.
I’ve noticed you’ve done many portraits of famous people throughout history. How did you get started with that? What caused you to keep going?
I’ve always been interested in historical figures and I’ve been drawing them since I was a child—Romans, Ancient Greeks, Ancient Egyptians, Tudors, you name it. I got back into drawing figures from history more recently when I got involved with the Versus Project and produced four illustrations of famous queens. I really enjoy illustrating contemporary celebrities as well. And as the “celebrity world” is ever-changing, it’s constantly throwing out something interesting and inspiring.
It appears that most—if not all—of your work is done digitally. Is this done intentionally? What do you use to create your work?
Working digitally has been a natural progression for me. I still sketch and draw with traditional materials, but over the years I’ve relied more on digital technology to produce my illustrations purely because it’s quicker for me to achieve the desired aesthetic that way. I enjoy the freedom working digitally gives. When I’m putting an illustration together I like to work over lots of different layers giving me different options and allowing me to adjust things much more easily than if I were working on one complete pencil drawing for example.
I enjoyed the concept behind and the finished product of the Versus Project. Can you explain the project a bit? How did you first get involved with it?
The Versus Project is a collection of 52 amazing illustrations by 13 artists, all presented within a box of playing cards and sent to creative organizations to get them employed. It was created by the very talented Dave Ashby (www.liquidlizard.co.uk) and is in it’s third year now. It works on a submission basis: you produce and submit an illustration for one card design and then one person is picked to illustrate each set of cards. I submitted Cleopatra VII for the Queens and was lucky enough to be picked, so then I went on to produce illustrations of Helen of Troy, Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette to complete the set.
Any current of upcoming projects that you’re working on that you’d like to divulge?
I’m about to start a handful of new projects actually, all of which I’m looking forward to. I recently completed a project working on a record sleeve for Bristol Archive Records (www.bristolarchiverecords.com) and am about to start on another sleeve any day now. My new range of greeting cards is almost ready to go to print so I’ll be launching them in my online shop very soon. And I’ve got a few projects lined up with exciting new brand, Ohh Deer (www.ohhdeer.com). I can’t reveal too much, but I can say you’ll be seeing some new work from me on homeware, stationary and apparel in the not too distant future.
For more information on Nicholas Darby click here.