I approached the question ‘shall I refer to you as a graphic designer?’ A little cautiously, Tom though, was quick to answer: “I don’t really know what a graphic designer is. I can’t hem myself down, I hate people who go around calling themselves artists, they get caught up in trying to become a certain thing.”
Tom Andrews is a person who tries to communicate creative ideas; any assignment or deadline is just another vehicle for his unique, personal style and unbridled method of working..
“The work for Tona (based in Antigua) began as a logo and stemmed out.”
The imagery is interlinked with the local mangroves, a playground for kite boarders. The work is an organic response to the nature of the place and the spirit of surf-culture (and all that overlaps with it) – which, in the end, is what makes work so elegantly.
There is a dynamism and a strong emphasis on mark making, even in the specifically commissioned work the fundamental stylistic elements of Tom’s illustration comes through boldly.
This is something that can only be attributed to the dexterity and ease with which the lines flow, forming and guiding themselves into illustrated imagery and type. The work shares some, perhaps, unintentional tendencies with 60’s poster art but with a more minimal and subtle application.
Lots of obvious associations come to mind when looking at Tom’s work; surf culture, skate parks, graffiti and general, youthful, reckless abandon; only refined and older, with a day job. Controlled rebellion, focused, commissioned and working, not just scrawled over walls, trains and disused textbooks.
Tom’s early influences come from long days
spent BMXing, during which he developed a reckless addiction to graffiti bombing. To see someone working in a way that is true to themselves and void of artificiality, or forcedness, is certainly refreshing.
“I get so much enjoyment [from his art] and I associate creativity with having fun, then the work tends to flow and the process isn’t arduous.”
The abilities are a deep resource, something he’s gradually learned to tap into constructively. He tells me about how he used do graff anywhere he could, hoping “someone would get something from it for a moment in time.”
A spurt of arrests changed things; it was a large factor in what eventually encouraged him to become more entrepreneurial with his work.
Tom must get a buzz from side projects; if it’s not a one-off bit of screen-printed apparel for a mate, it’s work done in collaboration with FADING, which at the moment encompasses both commissioned illustration work and web design, for the LOSTINLABELS website. Lots of things are happening, he’s making sure of that.
The only thing left to ask is ‘where is it all going?’
“Wherever it goes, simple as, I want it to grow”.
Watch this space.
Visit Tom’s Profile Page for contact details, website links and a summary of featured articles on Fallyrag.
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