Our latest poster is by the very talented Craig Watkins, AKA Wotto, who graduated from De Montfort University in 1999 and has been freelance illustrating ever since. He has had several clients including Threadless, Nottingham Trent University, Platform Magazine, The Big Issue, StudentNet, Craptrumps, Look Fly T-shirts and, of course, Don't Panic.

His deliciously creepy piece (see above) for our Trust competition can be picked up for free in our packs right now at all of these locations in London, and many more throughout the UK and rest of the world. If you aren't lucky enough to pick it up, you will be able to order it from here shortly.

The judge, James Unsworth, said of Craig's winning poster:

"I like the darkness of this image literally and thematically. It is interesting to see how much easier it is to illustrate and identify with the betrayal (or potential betrayal) of trust, than to portray loyalty. Treachery and deceitfulness are a part of daily life so we are programmed to be suspicious. We are reminded that all actions have their consequences."



Tooth Fairy

We asked Craig a few questions about his art:

Right before I did this interview I was... working on one of fifty-two illustrations for a deck of cards. I was also trying to complete two large paintings but I realised I needed another set of arms to do both at the same time.


Bug Girl

I think that my poster relates to the theme of Trust because... it uses a seemingly innocent set of characters to convey the current lack of trust in the UK. By lack of trust I refer to the current culture of fear within our communities. Everyone seems scared to leave their homes or let their kids do anything. I try to see the good in everyone and hope people in general are good. Society seems a little paranoid and scared at the moment and that bothers me. I hope people will look at my design and see a message that isn't instantly apparent. I also tried to show the current issue of obesity in children and the overprotective attitudes of parents these days. Crikey that's a bit deep!


Sax Man


The person i trust the most is... my grandfather. He has always offered me sound advice and he constantly makes me smile.

If I was the generous patron of an arts funding trust, I would donate my money to... any charity that encourages children to be creative. I believe in investing time, money and energy into children's art. I am often amazed at the creativity that is produced by children all over the world.


Fox

Lately my art has been inspired by... the work of a pile of different artists but also by the people I see and meet everyday. Scotland has some pretty flamboyant characters and I was recently in L.A. which gave me a fresh perspective on the art I want to produce. Music also plays a huge role in my creative process.


Doodle Overload

My favourite piece of my own work is... different from day to day, and I'm very self-critical. Today it is my most recent submission to Threadless (Doodle Overload), which is a very detailed piece with a boat load of characters (see above). Character design is my real passion so getting to draw lots of characters together was a lot of fun for me. I like how simple the colours are but how complicated the image is. I hope it will be selected for printing and people will buy it. It is a proud moment when you bump into someone wearing your artwork all over their chest. Thanks Don't Panic.

See more of his work at www.wotto.co.uk