Artist: Nick Alston
Website: www.nickalston.co.uk
Who are you, where are you from?
I’m Nick Alston. I studied up in Scotland, but I currently live in London.
What do you do?
I’m an illustrator. In reality, that means that I sit at my desk drawing whilst listening to 6Music. Like all other aspiring illustrators I’ve had to do a whole host of other jobs, but this is the only thing I want to do.
Why do you do it?
I think that if I weren’t doing this I’d be doing something else that required some sort of creativity. The main reason is because it’s fun. I guess it’s a way to make sense of the things that you see or hear – whether or not the end results makes sense is another matter…
How do you create these images?
I hand draw my illustrations and then I usually use Photoshop to colour them. I undertook an internship at a print studio after finished my undergraduate degree – which got me hooked on screenprinting. This has informed my way of working – I kind of always imagine my work becoming a screenprint even if it doesn’t end up that way.
Who are your influences?
As far as artists / illustrators, there’s too many to name really, and they pretty much change all the time. I think it’s healthy to have a wide range of influences to keep your mind open to new ideas and possibilities.
What inspires your work?
Just looking and listening to everything around me, jotting ideas down, and then returning to them when I sit down and work. My sketchbooks are usually a bit of a mess of ideas that will never see the light of day.
What do you like?
Music, cooking, nature, boxing and dreaming. And drawing.
What don’t you like?
‘Baby on Board’ signs on cars do my nut in. I’m not huge on Mayonnaise either.
Find Nick Alston here:
www.nickalston.co.uk
www.flickr.com/nickalston
