Tom Radclyffe is a freelance illustrator based in London who creates dark, intricate hand-drawn images of architecture and urban landscapes. Each piece is extremely detailed and reveals something new to the viewer every time they look. I asked Tom a few questions about his inspirations and what he hopes viewers get from his work, and have paired his answers with some examples from his sketchbooks as well as images from a number of series he has produced. Enjoy!
Your drawings are very detailed and intricate. How did this style develop?
I think I have always worked in that way. However, originally this intricacy was only in my sketchbooks and mainly text based. What was really important to me was being able to bring the same level of detail and apply it to my image-making. I think I have an obsessive nature, especially with my work, and the intricacy of my drawings reflect that.
What do you hope your pieces convey to the viewer? Does the style reflect this?
When I present work to people I like to draw them in. I think the detail in my images perhaps reflects this. I try to create images that can be looked at multiple times, where new elements can be seen in each viewing. I also hope the preciousness of the work is conveyed, especially when viewing an original. Illustration can be very tactile and it’s a shame that the element of touch is lost through digital presentation.
What inspires your work?
Buildings… I always find this question the most difficult! I take a lot of inspiration from artists such as Piranesi, Escher, Hugh Ferriss, I love the intricacy of artists such as Adolf Wolfli. But also writing, both fiction and non fiction; Calvino, Borges, Marquez, Philip K. Dick. Reading the story behind a building or a city can give me so much more interest in drawing it and often offer an interesting way to form that drawing. I once read an interview with Lebbeus Woods where he states “the act of rendering is the making of a version of reality”, it is something I often consider with my drawings.
Let’s talk about process. What are the steps you go through to create each piece?
I don’t really have much of a process. I don’t produce roughs, or sketch out ideas, my drawings take a long time so I just start drawing. I tend to use a few lines in pencil but then leave the detail to pen. All of my drawings are drawn freehand using a sharpie marker. The marker just bleeds enough that I can’t leave it on the page for more than a second, this way I can’t be too much of a perfectionist or too hesitant. With the cities I am making at the moment I really want to produce this world that evolves organically. So part of the process is that evolution, details of each drawing can be spontaneous rather than planned and forced. Like I am constructing the city myself, one image at a time. While a majority of the buildings come from my imagination, I also use games, pictures and life – sometimes using the forms from a still image and then adding my own details to the building.
Finally, if you could draw anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
What always appealed to me about becoming an illustrator was this idea that I could work from anywhere. I would love to go and draw in New York, however, despite the focus on Metropoles within my work I would rather be somewhere more relaxed – like a café somewhere in the south of France. Though I’m not sure how much work I would get done!
To see more of Tom’s work, take a look at his site.
What do you like about Tom’s work? Can you guess which city each image represents?
