Artist Interview: Illustrator Dave Bain on Staying Inspired and Creating Memorable Murals

For illustrator and muralist Dave Bain, every wall has the potential to be a work of art.

After graduating from Falmouth University’s renowned illustration course, Dave became a freelance illustrator specialising in editorial, promotional, and publishing illustration, alongside creating a range of wonderfully distinct and vibrant murals. Dave prides himself on his idiosyncratic and expressive style of illustration, which aims to brighten viewers' days and celebrate the unique cultures of wherever he illustrates.

While Dave works primarily from Bristol’s Jamaica Street Studios, he also takes commissions from across the UK, working on murals of all shapes and sizes from Camden to Cornwall. Dave has taken commissions from many well-known institutions, including Aardman Animations, Starbucks, and Oxfam. When working on a mural, Dave often engages with the local community and collaborates with them to create quirky, characterful artwork.

To learn more about his work, we recently had the pleasure of chatting with Dave to talk about his illustrative inspirations, his artistic process, and to dive into the exciting world of mural painting.

Pictured above: Our Community, Wrap-Around Mural, 95sqm, Commissioned as a part of the Look Again Supergraphics Festival on The Jolly Boatman Pub, Newhaven

Tell us about your background; did you always know you wanted to be an illustrator?

I grew up on the bright colours of Asterix comics and the more muted colours of Tintin adventures. One of my favourite animations still is Fantasia 2000 with all it’s riotous movement and colour set to music. But I didn’t realise I was experiencing “illustration” until I got to art college and my tutor pointed out that the way I was working and thinking was like an illustrator. The problem-solving nature of tackling a brief and creating a visual solution was the hook that’s kept me interested in this area of the creative industry.

Who are your biggest artistic influences and how have they inspired you throughout your creative journey?

Drawing has remained a constant way of not only figuring out how to create an image, but also has kept me sane and positive. If I’ve not done some drawing in a few days, then I generally start to feel gloomy!

Discovering mid-century illustration like Jim Flora and Gene Deitch was eye-opening. Their way of depicting characters and musical sounds was and still is incredibly inspiriting and has definitely influenced my playful approach to drawing people and use of limited colour.

I also love the world of print-making, especially screen-printing and Risograph, and notably what can be achieved with overlays of colour. I’ve also been introducing aspects of stamp-making into some of my work, including my mural painting.

Pictured above: Coffee Shop Exterior, Mural, Commissioned by Starbucks, Camden High Street, London

Could you talk us through your process of interpreting a creative brief?

I always try and get as much information from the client as possible. Some clients are more involved than others, or come to the brief with a wealth of knowledge, reference materials and ideas. I’ll work my way through whatever they provide and use that as a jump-off point into my own research. I always build in research time, writing and sketchbook work before starting any sketching out of an artwork. I find filling several sketchbook pages with reference drawings and mini-thumbnail sketches of characters, objects or compositions works really well as my own visual library to refer to as I build my artwork.

I’ll then draw out on paper one, two or three ideas - depending on how many Is appropriate for the commission. I’ll then tighten up these sketches in Procreate before sending to the client for feedback. After we’ve resolved any feedback I’ll move onto colour. I typically take inspiration for the colour from the subject matter - either the setting, message, atmosphere or items in the scene.

What are the advantages of working in a studio over working at home? Are there any disadvantages?

I’ve been fortunate to have both options and tend to work on the admin side of running a creative business from my home desk. That way I can save my studio space for creative work. The community of a studio is inspiring as well as motivating to be around other creatives. I’m lucky to share my space with illustrators Jess Knights and Sarah Dowling.

Pictured above: A Cracking Day Out In Bristol, Mural, 11.5m x 16m, Commissioned by Aardman Animations & Cabot Circus, Bristol

What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on?

That’s a tough question, so I’m going to answer with two projects. One is the largest single-wall mural I’ve done to date, which was for Aardman in the centre of Bristol, where I got to paint my interpretation of their iconic characters. The other is a recent double-page spread for The Observer, for their puzzle section, where I illustrated my take on the inside of a space shuttle. As you can tell, I love a busy scenes and figuring out how to balance the colour and composition across an artwork.

Pictured above: Observer Space Week Puzzle, Double Page Spread Illustration, Commissioned by the Observer

When working on murals, do you take any extra considerations into the process that you wouldn’t when working on a standard illustration project?

My top three extra considerations would be:

1. What wall furniture (e.g. windows, doors) could interfere or be integrated into the artwork?
   
2. How does the viewer encounter the mural? Sometimes a mural is along a corridor, stairway, or wraps around a building - so it can only be partially viewed in sequence and therefore calls for a sequence of imagery, as the viewer will never be able to stand back and see the whole artwork.
   
3. Its relationship to the audience who will encounter the mural the most. I try and understand as much as possible who will be “living” with the mural and the impact it will have on them and the immediate surrounding environment. I’ll consult local community groups and often run community engagement workshops with them so they are involved with the development of the mural.
   

Which art materials would you recommend for mural artwork?

Here’s five essentials in my kit:

1. Foam garden knee pads.
   
2. Angle-brush for versatility.
   
3. Dense-foam rollers. On smooth surfaces you can get a great edge line. You can also modify these by cutting into them to create textured rollers.
   
4. Chalk - for marking out your design. Easy to correct and absorbed by the paint.
   
5. Long spirit level for gridding out and straight lines.
   

Pictured above: Coffee Shop Interior, Illustration Installation, Commissioned by Starbucks, London Bridge, London

Do you have any advice for aspiring illustrators?

Draw. Set mini-goals. Write your own self-initiated projects based on real-world projects you’d like to do. Connect with other illustrators via meet-ups or creative studios and events. Get a mentor. Join the AOI. Listen carefully to feedback from people in the industry and be humble enough to take it on board.

Could you tell us any fun facts people may not know about you?

Here’s a few from my religious childhood:

1. Before Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield were famous, they performed at Christian music festivals with their younger sister. I was at one of these festivals and ended up between the two of them holding their hands in a prayer circle just before they went on stage.
2. I won a Christmas Card design competition on the theme of recycling when I was 12 with an artwork that showed the Three Wise Men delivering three recycling bottle banks to baby Jesus, back when the local council wanted people to separate clear, green and brown glass.
   

Pictured above: Everybody Loves The Sunshine, Exhibition Art Print, Part of the Sussex Contemporary Illustrators & Printmakers Exhibition and as covers for Squarely & Bristol 24/7 Magazine

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to our interview! We’d love to know what you’re currently working on, and whether you have any exciting plans for the near future that you can tell us about.

I’m working on a few projects I can’t talk about yet, prepping for a community mural, and also helping oversee the AOI’s network of illustrator meet-ups. I’ve also recently joined a new platform for illustrators called Illustrators.com and I'm excited to be part of this growing community.

For more from Dave, check out his website and social media accounts.

Website: davebain.com
Instagram: instagram.com/davebainuk
Illustrators.com Profile: illustrators.com/portfolios/dave-bain

Pictured above: How the Food World Fell In Love with Queueing, Excerpt from a Multi-Page Spread Illustration, Commissioned by the Observer

All artwork © Dave Bain, used with permission.