I’m Pete - a Graphic Designer, Illustrator and & professional dabbler.
By ‘professional dabbler’, I mean to say that I love to try new things and find solutions to problems outside of my comfort zone. I love to give new techniques & software a try in pursuit of a new result. I’m always learning and love to speak to people.
I was always into art when I was younger, growing up with an artist for a Grandad. I spent the days painting and sketching with him, and without that early connection with creativity I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Others may disagree but I would say that I’ve never developed what I'd call my own ‘style’, and I’ve grown to love that about myself. Instead I've gotten used to emulating and developing styles and techniques from what I find out in the world. If I like the look of something, I immediately want to drill down into what it is I like so much, and then use that in a project. The skills I’ve picked up as a result of this keep me both continuously inspired and connected to the learning process.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Canada snowboarding, particularly in my younger years. I'm a qualified CASI level 2 snowboard instructor (Canadian certification) and the year I took the exams they introduced a level 1 Park instructor too, so I'm qualified to teach Park also.
I spent 3 years working and seeing the country before meeting Steph, a kind-hearted Canadian who agreed to marry me on January 8th 2023. We've been together for 10+ years and we both currently live in Bristol in the UK.
I like to volunteer for projects close to my heart. Currently I’m a volunteer at skatepark-come-community arts centre in Bristol, Campus Pool.
It’s so much more than a skatepark - through Campus I’ve met and photographed mural painters at work, worked on a videography project teaching 14-18 year olds how to plan, shoot and edit short documentaries through the lens of skateboarding with Clockwise Films (more on that below), made reels showing off what we’re up to & videos of event nights, and met professionals across the video, photography, art and skate spectrum in the process.
I love to edit video. I think it's a love of music in truth - once I have a song in mind it's just a blast, matching the rhythm to the pace and beat of the video, matching lyrics to what's happening on-screen, and creating a mood with the music and footage working together. It's a joy.
As mentioned above Skate to Screen was a 3-day workshop teaching 14-18 year olds to create thought-provoking short documentaries through the lens of skateboarding. The participants were put into teams and assigned a pro skater to film over day 2 at well known spots in Bristol, and they spent day 3 editing their footage and choosing the tone of their film based on their footage by adding music. Day 1 was spent covering filming techniques & writing interview questions to put to their pro skater the following day so they could plan their films before beginning them.
I loved working with younger people enthusiastic about film making, and to do this hand-in-hand with Clockwise Films, Get Your Bearings, VANS, Vanguard & Shextreme was a real opportunity. I skated with the team on day 1 for practice material and filming techniques, listened to the teams ideas and chaperoned on day 2 and offered editing advice to the teams in the suite on day 3. We also conducted interviews with the participants on day 3 to help crystallise their thoughts on where film might play a part in their careers, as well as to record the impact of the workshop overall.
The films made by the teams are on YouTube and are all excellent! You can view them here.
Skate to Screen unfortunately couldn't happen in the years after it took place in 2021, but I'm ever hopeful there will be a repeat in 2024. There is also talk of a still photography workshop in the pipeline called 'Focus' which would be another excellent opportunity for young people interested in utilising Photography in sport.
I always try to find time to illustrate projects of my own, and in 2022 I joined a collective called the Art of Compassion Project. 100% of the proceeds of items sold raise money for charities and charitable organisations. I submitted my first submission to an Oracle Deck project they were running, where each card is a different animal. I was offered to complete the crow card, and the decks went into print in late 2022.
If you haven't seen it yet, my Digital Art page is here.
I'm very keen to continue developing my animation skills, as it's something I've always found fascinating. I have played with frame-by-frame animation, as well as the occasional project using Adobe After Effects.
I've dabbled with 3D but want to make sure I increase it's use in my projects in future, as it's incredibly versatile.
If you think I might be able to help you with a project, get in touch. I'd love to hear from you and would be keen to talk to you about your needs & goals!
