About Me
I was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK in 1977, a few months before the world was introduced to Luke Skywalker and the gang for the first time. My eighties childhood was pretty normal, but not, as many would assume, consumed by art: in fact, I was more likely to be found tearing around on my BMX or watching Police Academy movies than spending time perpetually crayon in hand. But over time it was apparent I had a strong knack for observational drawing, and an uncanny ability to draw likenesses. By the time I was done with school, it was apparent that an art career was beckoning.
After a brief (but ultimately doomed) flirtation with graphic design, I first became seriously intrigued by caricature in the late nineties. I began sketching celebrities in my free time, which landed me a regular slot cartooning for the university newspaper. I was subsequently hired by UK film magazine ‘Flicks' to create a series of editorial illustrations, and my career was underway.
However, despite these early dabblings I consider my true caricaturist education to have taken place when I worked at a theme park. I began working at Alton Towers Resort in spring 2002, undertaking four consecutive seasons before moving on in late 2005. I found this period invaluable, allowing me to not only develop the notoriously tricky eye for caricature, but also get comfortable drawing in front of an audience hanging on my every pen stroke. (I’ll also be the first to admit I was atrocious at first, and would like to offer sincere apologies to the recipients of any of those early masterpieces… )
However, over time something clicked and an unexpected thing happened: I began to enjoy myself. Allowing each person's unique features, personality and individual ‘design’ dictate how likenesses unfolded, the process gradually became extremely enjoyable and fun. Clearly, it was infectious: the crowd began to have a blast too. Shortly afterwards, I scooped 1st place award in the Best Likenesses category at the International Society of Caricature Artists (ISCA) annual convention in Las Vegas, a true indicator of how far I had come in a relatively short space of time.
Since those formative years I have worked continuously as a freelance caricature artist and illustrator, undertaking live caricature bookings at hundreds of weddings, events and venues worldwide, and creating studio caricature illustration for a wide range of clients and applications. In recent times I have also bowed to phenomenal demand and begun to offer caricature workshops and tutorials, both on and offline.
I live on the outskirts of Newcastle with my wife Lynsey and two amazing boys Tom and Joe, who also love to draw.