Toby Neilan

Toby Neilan is known for his unique signature style, combining tech-y photo-realism with a very original take on pointillism to create a surprisingly painterly yet graphic result. Toby regularly works behind the scenes at major fashion shows in London, Paris, and Milan, and his diverse range of commercial clients includes Nike, The Jay Z Tour, Waterworks and American Express.  He spoke to us from his studio outside of London in Hither Green…

1. How did you get into illustrating?

I come from a creative family where drawing was always encouraged, so going to Art College was a natural progression.

2. How did you develop your unique style?

My style has actually changed quite a bit over the years. I studied screen printing at Art College and chose to emulate this style when Photoshop was in its infancy – I would scan in mark making and hand-drawn elements to essentially build a digital screen print. I moved away from this when Photoshop introduced its own digital filters that replicated these hand gestures. In doing so, they blurred the lines between the digital and the hand, in turn requiring me to re-evaluate my working method. In 2010 while playing on Photoshop with my two year old niece, I pared everything back so it was easier for her to use, and it was during these sessions that I started to explore drawing with a dot.

3. When did you start incorporating animation in your work?

Drawing fashion looks from the catwalk, I think  it was only a matter of time before I wanted to turn these into animated walking figures. Based on the stop motion method, I like to produce looping gifs.

4. You create a lot of fashion based projects. What compels you when it comes to illustrating fashion?

I was introduced to make-up artist Sharon Dowsett and I began documenting her work at the shows during the London, Paris and Milan Fashion weeks, capturing not only her make-up looks but also the production and fashion from each show. This gave me a huge catalogue of material and experience from which I could draw upon and develop further. Fashion and figure drawing have continued to influence my work, be it with colour, shape or abstraction.

5. What other subjects do you love to illustrate?

Architecture and Interiors also excite me and I often come back to these subjects again and again. 

At the end of last year I completed a personal project called Studio XX where I contacted 20 leading design studios in London, New York and Paris and asked if I could capture their working environments. They included SEA, NB Studio and Farrow in London; MP Creative, Buero and Pentagram in New York; and M/M, Aldente and The Style Council in Paris, to name a few - I’m now in the process of looking for a publisher for this body of work.

6. Where is your studio?

I’m lucky to have a studio just 10 minutes from my flat, in Hither Green.

7. Do you find the proximity to London inspires your work?

Being so close to London does have its advantages, like being able to just hop on a train and see a show or exhibition

8. What does a typical workday look like for you?

I very often have several projects on the go at the same time and can swap from working on the computer in the morning to painting in the afternoon. I also dog sit for my brother so a walk in Greenwich Park is always part of my daily routine.

9. What are the must-haves in your workspace? 

I’m happy with a note book / sketch book, my glasses and a cup of tea – oh and my 3D printed figures lined up on my desk.

10. What are your favorite mediums and why?

Using the right medium can be important when creating my artwork and sometimes I have to adapt to the medium to get the best results. With my paintings I use a fluid acrylic to produce flat, graphic, clean images but if I’m doing a monotype I’ll use a heavy acrylic as it helps emphasize the unknown outcome.

I learned very quickly that when drawing with pigment sticks I had to succumb to the way these large crayons want to apply themselves to the page and, in doing so, it forced me to produce something new. I’ve also recently revisited charcoal, which I hadn’t used since my days at College.

13. Any dream jobs?

I would love to collaborate with one of the top luxury fashion brands to incorporate my colourful work into a collection, and then see it walking down the runway!

14. Thank you for your thoughtful answers! Any parting words?

Keep going with your practice. One job can be all it takes to change your week – or your year!