The Essential Art of Sport - No3
Welcome to the Essential Art of Sport - A place where we interview a selection of talented Sports Artists across the globe.
We are so pleased to welcome our third Artist to the Essential Art of Sport, Tomos John Watkin.
Thank you very much Tomos for taking part, hope you all enjoy.
Personal Information
Q. Your Name?
A. Tomos John Watkin
Q. Are there any other Artist names you go by?
A. Tomos Watkin Illustrations
Q. Website?
A. Instagram=tomoswatkin_illustrations
Twitter=Tomos Watkin Illustrations
Q. Favourite Sports Team or Athlete?
A. Manchester United
Q. How many years have you been an Artist / how long in Sports Art?
A. I have always been a passionate artist from a young age, starting from Primary School to Graduating University with a 1st Honours in Digital Illustrations from The Carmarthen School of Art. I’ve always been a big sports fan, but didn’t draw many things involved with sport. As I specialise in portraits, I started drawing famous sportsmen during the pandemic and my passion grew, making me realise this is something I would love to carry on with in my working life in the future.
You as an Artist
Q. What type of Sports art do you specialize in creating?
A. I specialise in drawing portraits using Fabre Castell pencils. Whether that is portraits or full body drawings.
Q. How would you describe your painting style and what are the types of techniques you use as an Artist?
A. My style is detailed pencil drawings. I enjoy capturing as much detail as I can.
Q. Are there any techniques you want to incorporate into your future work or would like to learn?
A. As I studied digital Illustration at university, I would like to incorporate digital painting with my traditional pencil style.
Q. What is the biggest (in dimensions) piece of art you have created and what was it for?
A. The biggest drawings I do for commissions are traditionally A3.
Q. Which piece of art are you most proud of creating and why?
A. When it comes to drawing sportsmen, I mainly do it for fun and to improve my style. My best drawing was of Manchester United and Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani. I posted it on my social media accounts hoping to get a sale, and I was very surprised with the response I received. I had many offers from all over the globe, making me want to draw more and turning my hobby into a profession.
Pick your favourite and comment below 👇 pic.twitter.com/sLfBTyckSY
— Tomos Watkin Illustrations (COMMISSIONS OPEN) (@WatkinTomos) August 21, 2021
Q. Your favorite materials for creating art? What’s in your armory? (canvas, paper, types of paint, pencil, charcoal etc)?
A. My favourite materials I use when drawing on paper are Fabre Castell pencils.
Q. What is the one art-related object/tool that you could not do without?
A. I couldn't live without my pencils. It is a tool I have used from such a young age and a tool I will continue to use for as long as I’m able to draw.
Influence and Vision
Q. Do you remember your first sale? What was the item and how did it make you feel?
A. My very first sale was a commission for my Auntie’s dog using biro. I was pleased with the outcome. Since then, I’ve gained more commission work and hope to continue working in this profession for the rest of my life.
Q. Which Artist/s inspires you and why (Sport or non-sport related)?
A. Since graduating from University and wondering with myself which direction I would like to take my art, I discovered great artists like Marc Loboda and Shanmukh Sripada who specialise in drawing footballers. This inspired me to draw some of my favourite footballers and try to become as good as those 2 artists.
Q. Could you describe what your dream commission would be?
A. My dream commission would be to get asked by someone related to Manchester United to draw them and hand deliver that commission to them. Seeing their reaction and hoping to bring joy to their faces.
Q. What advice would you give to an existing artist if they were looking at creating pieces in Sports Art for the first time?
A. One piece of advice I would give to anyone learning to draw and hoping to make it into a profession, is to learn from mistakes and don’t get rid of their drawings. I used to make mistakes and instead of chucking my work in the bin or using a rubber, I would get myself a new piece of paper and start that same drawing again and learn from my mistakes. I felt this has benefited with my work.
We would like to thank Tomos for his time and being part of the Essential Art of Sport. Want to be featured? Drop us a line or follow us on Twiiter.
Pdi Sports Art Admin