Ben Newman

About Ben Newman

Ben Newman's childhood was heavily influenced by American superheroes, the Beano, giant monsters, atomic robots and rope swings. Ben currently lives and works as a freelance illustrator in Bristol. He has exhibited in the UK, France and Germany. Ben owns one desk, two pens, three pencils, four stamps and a letter opener.

We asked Ben a few questions....

BB: When did you first realise you were pretty good at this illustration stuff?
BN: When I could cut my hours at my job in a bookshop so that I could illustrate more. It makes you realize that you can't be terrible at illustrating if numerous people are asking you to draw for money.

BB: Where did you study and did you enjoy your time at Uni?
BN: I studied at the University of the West of England, Bristol and had a very happy three years there. I had such a good time that I moved back to Bristol a couple of years after finishing Uni.

BB: Is there any particular artist or designer that you admire?

BN: Jean-Michel Basquiat changed the way I perceived art when I was 18 so I admire him greatly. He was like the starting pistol for me when I started college and I still find that he influences my work now.

BB: Where do you get your inspiration?

BN: From cats, dogs, birds, films, funny conversations with friends and books. I have stacks of old comic books with faded covers and tanned pages that I use for inspiring colour pallets. I love looking at cultural symbols and old design books from other countries. Bauhaus, Russian design and Art Deco have had big impacts on my work as have North American totem poles, South American patterns and Japanese monsters.

BB: Has there been a defining moment in your career?

BN: Getting signed by Pocko was a big moment for me because a lot of my work to that point had been mainly Bristol based jobs so I was amazed that interest in my work had spread to London. Also, being asked to contribute to a book called ‘Beasts Vol 2' for a publisher in the states called Fantagraphics, was a real ‘punch the sky' moment. I have loads of Fantagraphics books in my flat so to be contacted by a publisher that I respect and admire and then to be asked to draw for them, was pretty friggin' awesome.

BB: If you could live and work anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

BN: I will happily live anywhere that isn't heavily populated and has a decent bookshop.

BB: Are there any mediums that you would like to try out and haven't yet had the opportunity to?

BN: I would love to see my characters animated. That is a medium that I think my work would lend itself to very well. I just don't seem to have the time to learn animation packages so hopefully one day I'll find someone who does.

BB: When was the last time you felt truly excited about a piece of artwork by someone else?

BN: I get very excited when I see any new work by my good friend Nick White. He is one of the most inventive people I know and can tackle any medium and make it his own. You just need to check out his website to see what I'm talking about. http://www.thisisnickwhite.com/

BB: What would your best piece of advice be to a recent graduate who is about to jump into the illustration and printmaking world?
BN: Be relentless. Tenacity is the only way to get anywhere in the commercial market.

BB: If you had to give up working as an Illustrator and could do any other job in the world what would it be?

BN: I would probably end up working in a call centre or on a checkout in a supermarket. Ideally, I'd love to present a TV programme about a local vet surgery, just like Rolf Harris. Then I could breast feed cats and get paid for it.

BB: What is your favorite website at the moment?

BN: Jeez... I look at way too many websites to pick one favourite but fecalface.com is always full of great interviews with amazing designers and illustrators. I regularly check grainedit.com and I'm always blown away by the stuff they put on that site.

Check out more of Ben's work here....