On Track Off Road No.183

yan roadkill & bike art
the motorcycle industry. He asked me
to send some work over for that and it
snowballed from there I guess.
As the workload increased did you find
it conversely ate into the riding time?
I love to ride but, you’re right, work commitments
and deadlines eat into that. I
like riding flat track, as well as the community
and the whole scene in the UK
that has built up around it. There is a really
strong scene here but I don’t get on
track as often as I’d like. There is also the
risk of injury…it’s a double-edged sword
I guess. With bikes you are conscious of
drawing similar things every day but, like
I said, the personal illustration work can
mean a bit of an escape and it doesn’t
have to depict a motorcycle.
How would you characterise your style?
When I look back at old portfolios from
when I was at college then I guess the
roots and the base of where I am now
started back then. The work is so random,
but you start out trying new things
and by looking at other people’s work.
The best way to develop your own style
is to look at other people’s work and
through the process of replicating pieces
then you discover parts that you like
and you’d change. If you do that for long
enough then you build up your own style.
That strong black line work I have now is
very heavily influenced from things like
Pop Art and from reading comics when
I was a kid. I mean, the easiest way to
make a mark on paper is to get a black
pen or pen and ink! And then be bold. I
think it subconsciously makes me put a
frame on my work…but consciously I try
to build it into everything. After a while
your style becomes recognisable.