Graduate Directory 2011

Owen Gatley

University of West England, UK / 2010

Illustration

Even before Owen Gatley knew what an illustrator was, he spent much of his time drawing characters from comic book and cartoons. ‘I guess my work tends to be nostalgic, and draws on 1950s - 60s design and comics. Although I mainly compose things in Photoshop, I like to use gouache and pencil when I can, so the work doesn't become too computerised or stagnant. I like it when you can see the artist's hand in the work,’ he says. His final project explored the idea of car crashes and glamorous deaths for which he produced 3D paper car models and of which, he says deprecatingly, he’s ‘still quite proud.’ So he should be; as well as a host of editorial projects, since graduating Gatley has produced the artwork for a pop-up book produced by Papersmyths.

Most inspired by: comic book writer/artist Daniel Clowes. I love his dark humour, and his cynical writing style sits so well next to incredibly rendered, often kitsch and grotesque, illustrations.

owengatley.blogspot.com