John Paul Thurlow

On the 16th February blog post I have introduced the artist, John Paul Thurlow in my blog and talked about his work. Since then I have emailed him some questions on his work, inspirations and influences. Here is the interview:


1. Which artist's inspire you?

I've learned a lot from studying the drawings of Singer Sargent, Ingres and Holbein... I suppose I believe inspiration can and should come from anywhere.

2. Where did the idea for the cover illustration project come from and what was it that interested you?

I first had the idea of remaking record covers in college. The idea came back to me in 2008 when I went on a Buddhist retreat in Japan. Basically I was sitting in a temple cell meditating loads. I started to draw the contents of my room. I had a couple of mags with me that I'd been reading on the flight. One was Elle. I drew it, drew it again, couldn't get past it.

The idea started as an hommage to the people who make magazines but who's work is often just thrown away every month. I realised it was about subverting perfect mass consumerism and making it fucked up and handmade. I liked that twist. The more Covers I made the more I realised it was really a kind of autobiography as the selection of the mags and how I was interpreting them said more about me than the originals.

What techniques do you use in your drawings and how long does it usually take to draw one magazine cover?

I follow a drawing technique anyone trained in the basics would recognise: composition - outlines - tone blocks - detail. I use computers at the beginning and the end of the process too.

I use a 0.7 HB propelling pencil and a propelling eraser for tone. I draw on layout paper, the best quality I can afford. The transparency is useful for tracing typography.

I draw from photographs, or to be more accurate photomontages I assemble in photoshop. I sometimes layer drawings digitally in photoshop to create the final piece, and sometimes retouch the levels rather than errors in the drawings. There are no errors, in that I prefer things to look wonky and not too perfect.

Takes me between one and three days per drawing. Depending on complexity.

Where did you train as an artist and how did your training influence you?

I went to Goldsmiths college in the 1990s. Drawing was not encouraged. It was a nightmare for me. Previously to that I had done years of life drawing I grew up in a house with my grandfather who was a painter. The walls were covered in his work - I'd say that was more influence on my drawing than college. College taught me how to craft ideas, how to have a meaningful critical response and an artistic direction.

5. If any, what challenges have you come across in your work?

Finding a scanner big enough that I can afford? Learning to draw properly? Technique is a journey. Seriously though I've been ripped off a fair few times. That's annoying when people try to make money out of your work. Because Covers began as an hommage I took the decision not to monetise the project, out of respect really. I made the Covers book as a limited edition of 100 as many of the final pieces don't actually exist as one drawing because they're digital and I wanted to send some key people a copy as a thanks for helping me.

Staging an exhibition is much harder work than most people think. Framing 130 pictures, transporting them, hanging them is exhausting.

Appart from that Covers has brought me nothing but joy. I've met loads of cool people because of it, I've never had bad feedback from the original photographers etc because I've always been fastidious and always credited them.