The Story of Vintage Geek Art

A nice little plug for my Etsy store.

Jan 07, 2023

Thanks to Baby Yoda here for standing still long enough for me to draw him.

I've had a fair few compliments about my vivid, childlike art style, but I'll be honest: it's not so much deliberate as it is just the best I can do.

I do love to draw, though, and took to it in the biggest way during the pandemic. It started as a fun, weekend activity to spend time with my daughter Phoebe, but soon became a lone, lockdown obsession as I'd spend hours on my kooky, cross-hatched, patchwork creations.

Though usually my focus is madly fragmented, with a thousand different things constantly vying for my attention, drawing is one of only a few things that consumes me completely, allowing me glorious, calming focus. Pandemically-speaking, it was the perfect therapeutic pursuit.

I mainly drew robots because they're cool and, well, easier to draw than organic stuff. Also they're more segmented than living things, so lend themselves more easily to my patchwork style. Colour-wise, from the very first picture, I chose to go full disco. If I had a therapist, they could maybe explain why. And as I was in no hurry to colour my creations, I chose to cross-hatch them, which was by far my favourite part of the process, and gave my drawings a cosy, textured feel.

Of course, I couldn't keep my creations to myself, and got lots of lovely feedback on Twitter, leading to the creation of a colourful line of tees, hoodies and other bits and pieces on Hot Merch. All of which are still available to buy in various colours and sizes.

I came to realise, though, that above all else, my robot friends would look their best, and as Phoebe would say, live their best lives, as stickers and magnets, so voila! Vintage Geek Art was born, and quickly found a happy home on Etsy, where since late 2021 it has earned 75 glowing 5-star reviews. I'm very proud of that: not only the art, but also the customer service. My postage is lightning-fast to the UK and US, I always include a handwritten thank-you note, and almost always, extra surprises!

Currently you'll find one hundred happy listings there, from the aforementioned stickers and magnets, to prints and even the original art. And to celebrate the official unveiling of my Etsy store on my blog here, I've created a discount code that's good for 10% off everything until the end of January. Simply click on 'Apply Etsy coupon code' at the checkout and add the magic phrase WORDSOFNERD.

I hope you enjoy the pictures below, and please don't be shy about visiting the store and buying a bunch of stuff.