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A short while ago I did a short introduction on Ed Clews, an artist based up in Yorkshire and an old friend of mine from my Uni days in Surrey, and he kindly did us some illustrations on the theme of ‘Squidge’. Now Ed has agreed to become a regular contributor, so I caught up with him as we talked about sly dick jokes, his love of pies and Brian May flavoured pot noodles…
Squidge Magazine: Hi Ed, can you tell the readers a little about yourself, what makes you tick?
Ed Clews: I’ve always drawn things and I like doing it, although I’m very conscious of artists being interviewed always saying “I’ve always been drawing since I was very small” as it comes across as the equivalent of bands being interviewed saying “I’ve always listened to Can/Nick Drake/Joy Division/whatever my parents supposedly listened to”. Then again, I suppose you’ve got to start somewhere.
I did the usual art subjects at school and college, then went on to do a Packaging Design course at what was then the Surrey Institute of Art, which was the only place that would let me in. It involved loads of drawing and drafting, so I would crowbar illustrations into all the technical analysis bits and hide dick jokes in the actual labelling – I made a pot noodle knockoff where one of the main ingredients was Brian May.
During all that time, I ended up drawing event posters for the Students’ Union, then worked on the gigs then more bits and ended up there on and off for about 5 ½ years. I quit a few years ago then moved back to Yorkshire and have worked in all sorts of places since, until I got laid off in November and haven’t worked since.
SM: Can you tell us a little about your work?
EC: Most of my work usually starts out with a once sentence idea that I’ve scribbled down or noted on my mobile. I carry a notebook around with me and just scribble down anything that comes to mind; 90% of it is utter bollocks and never gets used. What I’m left with is usually some sort of joke or situation that I can draw out either in pen or direct into Photoshop, it doesn’t really matter which.
SM: Cool. Would you say you gave a certain ‘style’? Is it possible to label it in that way?
EC: I suppose the way I’m currently drawing has developed over the last two years or so, it’s quite textured and cartoony although if I see an aspect of another style I like I’ll give that a try as well – it usually merges into something nice and tangential. Some of the stuff can be quite quick and flippant, others I can spend a day or so on just dicking around with the background.
SM: Do you have any major inspirations from the art world?
EC: I liked Great Pop Things when it was in the back of the NME. I read bucket loads of stuff; newspapers, books, anything online and usually see if they spark ideas off.
I also tend to read lots of artists blogs. There’s been a massive explosion of them in the past few years and some of them have really gone at it with gusto. There’s a whole range as well, from people who work on feature films like matte painters, fashion designers and the like to someone who makes pottery mice and sticks it online. B3ta is always worth a look as its people just doing it for a laugh, never mind whether it looks cack handed or not. Plus they always appreciate a dick joke on there.
SM: Pie or Cake? Discuss…
EC: Pie will always win over cake for me, although I do like a nice Eccles cake. I’m spoilt for choice here as you still get proper butchers making their own pies around here – a meat and tater from the Crag goes down a treat. I started a pie blog with some friends after a meeting of minds in the pub but its sort of ground to a halt. I think we’re too busy stuffing our faces to actually write about it.
Awesome. Hopefully you all now know a little bit more about how Ed ticks, which is good, as his first contribution will be up shortly. Until then, you can check out his portfolio here.
