New Artist: Alex Copeman

21 May 2024

Alex's passion for story telling as well as drawing inspiration from his own experiences, really shines through in his portfolio.

Let's find out a little more about Alex's illustration journey to date.

Where are you from?

I am from Burnley, Lancashire.

What inspired you to be an illustrator?

It's actually a funny story, even though I had a passion for drawing, my original dream was to become a chef. However, it all changed in high school when a 'friend' criticised my drawing abilities. I held a vendetta and set on my path to prove her wrong, I started teaching myself and ended up falling in love with the process. A once shallow grudge, grew into a deep passion, this led me to explore comics, and as someone with ADHD, the visual nature resonated with me. From this point on, I wanted to bring characters to life myself.

How long have you been working as an illustrator?

I have been selling prints and doing commissions since the age of 16, although it remained as a hobby. Throughout uni, I juggled two part-time jobs alongside the intense workload, causing me to put my personal art journey on hold. However, during COVID, alongside my coursework, I used the opportunity to build a portfolio and dabble in art part-time again. It wasn't until March '22 that I finally made the exciting, albeit bold decision to quit my job and fully commit to the rocky world of art.

How would you describe your illustration style?

I was initially drawn to realism with the traditional mediums, however I was captivated by Western Animation, particularly shows like Avatar, Batman: The Animated Series and Teen Titans. This eventually led me to Anime, where I could really appreciate the differences between the genres. I feel like I was able to find a nice mix of the three, rooting my work in reality, yet incorporating the simplified and energetic elements of both animation genres. Since the beginning, I have always had a deep love and appreciation for colour, always trying my best to incorporate it into my pieces.

Who/what have been your key influences as an illustrator?

I feel like I have two avenues of inspiration, the first being an almost 'environmental' type. I think the tv shows that I watched during my developmental years were really important to developing my today, shows like Winx club and Teen Titans, transitioning to FMA:B and then discovering Studio Ghibli films, all gave me a solid foundation.

However then I have the art I seek, from some of the incredible artists that I have met through the various social media platforms, to the incredibly dynamic designs of Shiyoon Kim and Ami Thompson, who never cease to amaze me. Additionally the art direction of the game "Hades" and thus, the artwork of Jen Zee have deeply influenced me, opening my eyes to the storytelling capabilities through character design.

What types of projects, clients or illustration markets would you like to work in?

Storytelling has always been the main source of passion for me. One of my earliest projects close to my heart was a short comic aimed at urging parents to accept queer youth. Developing from that, I realised that I could explore stories and artwork from my own experiences, working as a tool for closure for myself and potential help, guidance, or just company for others.

However, as I developed within, so did my art and my goals. I started to explore collaboration, where I was able to work alongside a domestic violence victim to create key artwork to go alongside her empowering story, going on to create the book cover and character designs for a great non-binary character (My Name is Magic by Xan Van Rooyen) and then joining a graphic novel featuring 65 voices from different backgrounds ([Re]Start: It's Never Too Late).

While I really enjoy having the opportunity to tell my own stories, with my unique voice, I am equally passionate about using my skills to help others share their voices. I found that throughout these projects, even though there is a lot to make each person unique, there is still a thread that binds everything together.

Comics and graphic novels are a great way to be able to tell these stories, however, I have come to realise that other mediums and even single images can be great places to tell stories, making them equally great areas for me.

What do you like doing when you are not illustrating?

As I previously said, my original dream of becoming a chef took a backseat to my art, but it is still a hobby that I cherish, luckily for those in my life. It can be as simple for it to be a means to an end, to satisfy my favourite hobby, eating, or it can be so much more, I think it can be a unique way to connect to others and explore different cultures. Though I can't fully speak the language yet, I have managed to learn and immerse myself in my partner's heritage, by cooking traditional Polish meals with his mother.

I have a busy mind, so when I am not drawing, I am still usually trying to do something else creative or practical to maintain balance. I find the history and spirituality of Tarot to be really fascinating, especially when looking into the nuances of each deck and how each artist chose to convey the messages in different ways.

If you would like to work with Alex, click HERE to get in contact.