The Artist

Steve whyman has a reputation for producing the kind of art that commands respect. On first sight of this work it is easy to see that his eye for detail and stunning technique suitably refelcts the talent of his subject matter. So much so, that he is widely known as The Pencil King.

Read Steve's own description of his journey, or some answers to questions from fans.

Steve Whyman

on Steve Whyman

I was born in Nottingham in 1955 and I think from a very early age my parents realised I was somewhat artistic - I used to shade and blend colours together even in children’s colouring books!   I don’t know where it comes from, none of my relatives, past or present have a similar gift.   I went through school in the normal way with no extra tuition in art, everybody just thought of me as being “a bit good at it”.   On leaving school, I wanted to get a career with some kind of artistic input, but my careers teacher said “no, you’d be better off getting into the electronics industry” – which I must admit, was one of my other interests.   So at 17 I started working for BT in telecoms, and that’s where I stayed for the next 23 years, so it probably wasn’t such a bad move after all!   Whilst in full time employment with BT, I tried to make use of my artistic talent. At work, because I was in the planning and design department, it gave me certain opportunities to use my skills.   At home, because of my other interest of dog training and dog shows, this gave me a constant source of work, drawing people’s pets! – This still continues today, when time allows.

My interest in bikes started in the early sixties when my cousin and I were taken by my uncle to places like Mallory and Cadwell in the back of an old A30 van to watch the racing.   When I was in my early teens, me and a friend used to cycle from Nottingham to Mallory Park in Leicester to watch the more “important” meetings
like “The Race Of The Year”.   I remember my excitement when I saw the first of the “Transatlantic Trophy” races!   Americans like Gary Nixon and Dave Aldana riding like I’d never seen before, with full face helmets and coloured leathers!   Wow!
I suppose my hero then became Barry Sheene, one of the first to bring a touch of glamour and personality to the sport.   I was also interested in Formula 1 from a very early age, although this has somewhat waned over recent years, as it has for a lot of people of my generation.   Let’s hope bike racing doesn’t get that political!   All forms of motorsport interest me.   Other than bikes, I still like to watch rallying, motorcross etc and I try to get to Santa Pod a few times a year to watch the drag racing (if you’ve never been, give yourself a treat).

During the late eighties, like most big companies, BT was privatised and the inevitable redundancies started to happen.   So in 1996 I decided it was time to take my redundancy package and try the “art thing” full time. The plan was to draw dogs and pets, and as I had plenty of contacts in that area, getting the work would be no problem.   However, as a bit of a change, I decided to draw a few motorbikes.   Because my friends and relatives thought they were so good, I asked the manager at Clay Cross Powersports - which is about 15 miles up the road from me – if they’d like to put them up on display in their new bike showroom.   A few weeks later, John Winthrope from Crossbow Calendars was there at an open day, he saw my work, asked if I’d like to work with him and that was it really.   John became my publisher and retailer from 1997 right up until the spring of 2008.   I don’t think John will mind me saying, that in the last few years – as John nears his retirement it made sense to hand the Art side of things over to someone else.   I think this is a good opportunity to thank John and his wife Cathy at Crossbow for all their help over those years.   In that time, we have become close friends, and we still keep in regular contact.

Ian Holmes, a good friend of us both is now the man in the driving seat. Engineering was his background years ago but he has been selling motorbike consumables for many years.   He knows his bikes and he knows his racing……..and is passionate about what we do.    He is the man you see at the shows or speak to on the end of the phone!

In those early years, all I had to do was draw and paint, hand the original over to the printers, and they would produce all the prints in one hit as “lithographs”.   However, as the “digital” age has taken over. Since about 2003, I now control the whole scanning and printing process myself.   I then bring in the third member of the team, “Kap” of “KNK Gallery” in Nottingham who ensures an excellent job of framing the prints and stretching the canvasses.

I spend as much time as I can in Austria these days, visiting the country as often as I can. I often go there in the summer on the bike - a Blackbird at the moment.   But yes I have been there two up on a Fireblade – it can be done!    If you’ve never taken the bike on the continent, DO IT!   It’s easy.

I’m very lucky in the work that I do, and I basically get paid for doing my hobby!   I don’t earn a fortune, but then you can’t put a price on being happy in your work.   I work from home so I don’t have to endure the rush hour every morning and night, and generally work at my own pace, although things often get a bit rushed with deadlines to meet.   I regularly work long hours and weekends, but then again, sometimes I do “sod all”!   I get to go to all the big races, all the big shows, and meet most of the top riders and big names in the bike world.   Some of my friends see it as being a bit glamorous but I can assure you, it’s work – it’s good fun – but it’s work.

Steve Whyman

F.A.Q's

I’ll try and answer some of the more commonly asked questions that people ask me.

“How long does it take to complete a picture”?

This is the most common question that I’m asked, and really it all depends on the picture. A pencil drawing usually takes between 2 and 4 weeks. An airbrushed picture takes somewhere in the region of 4 to 8 weeks. A pencil drawing is easy to pick up and put down. You can do ten minutes work, stop, take the dog for a walk, come back to it and carry on, nothing spoils, and nothing changes. With airbrushing you need to allocate hours of concentration and careful planning or things can go horribly wrong. How much you enjoy doing the particular picture you happen to be working on has a big influence on how quickly you crack on with it. Some pieces are just “hard work” if you don’t feel inspired. Whereas others are like a drug and you just can’t leave them alone! Some days I’ve worked for 18 hours if things are going well. The time of year also plays a part. If it’s a dull cold day, staying in and working is easy. But when the sun comes out, you’ve just got to get out on the bike or take the dogs out – living in England, you just have to make the most of the small amount of good weather that we get!

air brush

“Which do you like doing best, black and white or colour”?

Well, the medium I’m most at home with is the pencil.   All my life I’ve done pencil drawings, so there’s about 40 years of experimenting behind me.   I’ve never read any books on how to draw or been taught by anyone so my style and techniques are unique to me.   In each drawing I will use about 30 different types of pencil, dozens of different types of erasers (for effect, not mistakes) scalpels, knives, brushes, cloths, sand paper, wet n dry, a drawer full of different bits and pieces etc etc.   But I’m very confident with my methods, although I still learn new tricks, even today.

The airbrush by comparison is a relatively new medium for me, (since the early 90’s).    Again, I’m completely self-taught, I don’t want to be influenced by anyone else, so I make mistakes, but hey, that’s how we all learn!   Airbrushing has so many variables; the type of airbrush, compressor, air pressure, paint type and thickness, how you control the brush, the type of masking, the support you’re spraying on, the list is endless! (More information about this in the “product” section). Again, it takes many years to get good at it and the learning process is continuous but the results can be staggering.   This is where I get to be a bit of a snob and say that you often see bikes and helmets “airbrushed”.   Well there’s a world of a difference between a paint sprayer airbrushing and an artist airbrushing – know what I mean?
      So the answer is, both, for different reasons.   The best picture is usually the one you’ve just finished!

“Do you use photographs to work from”?

Yes, although unless it’s a particularly good shot, I change things around. Very often I’ll have an idea of a particular angle but no actual photograph exists.   In a case like that I’ll just have dozens of photos on the drawing board and basically invent something.   I also make great use of Photoshop on the computer to manipulate things.

working

“Do you draw other things other than bikes”?

Yes, but when the bike racing season starts, until late November, nearly all my work is bikes. During the few short months in between, I’ll try and do a few dog pictures that I’ve promised people, and any other projects – maybe a couple of helmets or so.

“What happens to the originals”?

Well they go up for sale. Years ago it used to upset me somewhat if I had to part with all that hard work. But there comes a point where, rather than them sitting in a folder in the dark, they should be on a wall somewhere, where hopefully people get to see them and enjoy them. Often people are a bit scared to ask the price, but quite honestly most of the ones I have sold have gone for a well below what they are worth, just to get them out of the way! Lets put it this way………..how much do you earn in 6 weeks? When the website is bang up to date, there is a section showing which originals are up for sale. You can always give us a ring or email us if you have any queries……….if you don’t ask………you don’t get.

Steve Whyman

join our mailing list to hear about new works and exhibitions

terms and conditions - privacy policy - site map - links