Graduate Directory 2011

Christopher Darling

School of Visual Arts, New York, US / 2010

Illustration

‘First attempt, graphic and child-like’ is how Christopher Darling describes his oeuvre. Indeed, it was as a child that his illustrative prowess was first noticed – at school, he was always asked to create the bulletins for concerts and plays, although he didn’t realise at the time that his contributions came under the banner of illustration. And the commissions just keep rolling in; he is currently working on a body of drawings of Robert Johnson that will later be animated for Sony Music. We fell for his MFA thesis, an 150-page diary about a kid struggling with his identity in 1987 written by LA-based writer Christopher Staunton, which he is now preparing to show to publishers in New York.

Most inspired by: My dad was a professional football player and later a minister. He always drew in his free time and has a really nerdy/humorous style. My mum is a writer; so in a weird way my parents really rubbed off on me.

www.christopherdarling.com