Virtual gallery: Alan goes back to the drawing board

Dec 23 2011 By Antonia Jones

Alan Jones - Artist

IT WAS during a horrible bout of flu last year that led Alan Jones to pick up a pencil and start drawing again.

The 57-year-old, who has worked in the creative industry for more than 35 years, said he has always loved drawing but it wasn’t until November 2010 that he put pencil to paper again after years.

“Somebody said last year you ‘must really love design and art’ and yes I do but realised in a light-bulb moment that running my own company and working in the corporate world meant I was so busy with the day-to-day ‘stuff’ that I wasn’t doing what I really enjoyed all those years ago which was drawing,” he said.

“So during a horrible bout of flu in November 2010 I couldn’t sleep and got up in the middle of the night and just started sketching. I started using graphite and was encouraged by friends and family to do more portraits, which progressed to private commissioned work with moderate success.

“Then in January I discovered coloured pencils for the first time and they blew me away! They are such a fantastic medium to use and I am amazed at the depth of colour and detail that can be achieved. My weapons of choice are all things Derwent. Studio, Coloursoft and pastel pencils being my favourites. In the short time I have been drawing I have experimented with lots of different brands, but found Derwent to have such fantastic quality that keeps on delivering time after time.”

Now when Alan from Wrexham gets some spare time from running his own design agency Mako Creative, he turns into ‘Alan Jones Art’ and produces drawings in coloured pencil and graphite working from photographs.

He added: “I always knew I wanted to do something connected with art from an early age but didn’t know what. On leaving school my art teacher suggested I go onto art college but the only course available at the time was graphics, which I studied for three years.

“My career started in a major retail-furnishing outlet creating interior designs, shop window displays and exhibitions, then moving on to a large signage company producing designs, visuals and artwork where I became studio manager. I then joined LEGO UK Ltd as designer in the where I worked for over 17 years designing and producing all LEGO national promotions, shop in shop retail environments and themed window displays.”

Alan said: “I have worked on a number of commissions and Derwent Pencils has commissioned me for a drawing which is now featured on the front of their sketch books, and I also won their competition to design their avatar. I enjoy drawing pets, wildlife and portraits but will turn my hand to almost anything.

To see more of Alan’s work, see https://www.facebook.com/AlanJonesArt