In the meantime, for something a bit more affordable and much more whimsical, reach out to the 36-year-old London-based artist known as Mr. Slowboy. You can email him photos to work from, which certainly beats trying to sit still for a hundred hours. Gentleman’s Journal recently reached out to the mysterious artist to find out more about his work.
MS: I’ve done projects for Lock & Co Hatters, Alfred Dunhill, London Undercover, and Fox Brothers in London, The Armoury in New York, Pelikamo/Tailor’s Coffee in Zürich, as well as Esquire in Beijing.
MS: At the moment you can only purchase some limited edition prints from London Undercover, both online and in-store.
MS: I do take private commissions, but selectively of course. The cost could vary depending on the brief, but starts at £800.
MS: I used to be a creative director in an advertising agency, who had to spend most of the time and energy on creating “big ideas.” But I always spared some time for drawing, because I had wanted to be an illustrator since my teenage years and my interest in men’s fashion also started around the same time. After working at the agency for 12 years, I thought I had achieved enough. In late 2015 I moved from Beijing to London and started pursuing my illustrator dream.
MS: I love both the Ivy League Look as well as classic sartorial style, and I like menswear from ’30s to the ’50s, when gentlemen wore suits and jackets. I really admire Yves Saint Laurent for the way he dressed: always appropriate and always elegant.
MS: I draw a lot of influence from the British portrait artist Sir Leslie Ward, who did more than a thousand portraits for Vanity Fair. I also integrate some Indian miniature painting techniques, and on top of that, the Japanese master Hozumi Kazuo inspired me a great deal, especially the touch of quirkiness.
MS: I’m very slow it’s as simple as that.
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