Jolyon Tetley’s illustrations and 2D animations sit somewhere between the scraggly forms of a Quentin Blake drawing and the restless movement of classic cartoons. Yet those comparisons have been remoulded for the present day, thanks to his contemporary animation soundtracks (which he produces himself) and bitesized stories that seem primed for the GIF age.

“I think I have developed a style, although not in a particularly deliberate way at first, it has more so revealed itself over time,” the graduate tells CR. “For instance, there are ways I go about making marks that have stayed consistent; I have always drawn ears as a squiggle. My instinct is to get my ideas down as quickly as possible and have come to favour a loose approach. The biggest impact on my style has been learning to stop myself from overworking pieces, as I came to find that it would often lose some of its energy and an appearance of naivety that I find appealing.

“There are certain key themes I have noticed in my work,” Tetley continues. “I am drawn to people watching and often create pieces that are from an observer’s perspective, incorporating many different visual elements and narratives within one composition. I try to find new impressions – I go for walks and take notes on my phone of any interesting, funny and peculiar sights which then feed into the work I make.”

His approach to perspective has been shaped by one film in particular. “I was very inspired by Hitchcock’s Rear Window – the narrator as an observer. I made a load of images looking into windows, with different visual narratives going on inside each one. This led to an interest in different framing devices, and the idea of including the observer within the image; for instance, I made an animation that used a microscope’s viewfinder as the frame.”

Other influences on his practice stem from the illustrated books he read as a child – among them Blake, as well as Edward Lear, HM Bateman, Ronald Searle and Spike Milligan. “I really appreciate how they can convey so much with a very limited use of line.”

Yet he’s just as open to different material, even if it’s not to his tastes – a valuable lesson he got from his time on the UWE Bristol Illustration course. “Importantly, I think being in an environment where you are exposed to many different creative outlooks and responses, some of which you may not agree with, forces you outside your comfort zone and therefore I learnt what I liked and did not… Even if I did not enjoy a module, it felt as though it had a purpose in my growth as an illustrator.”

One of his final year lecturers imparted a bit of wisdom about making the most of loose piles of unfinished work. “I had masses of work that I did not think much of, when in fact it was very usable. She suggested I scan each drawing in. I was able to repurpose them to make animations and a short film, all from work that I would otherwise have never shown to anybody. I now try and keep everything I would normally throw away and I think it’s made me a fairer judge of my own work. I try and come back to drawings that did not work out and approach them differently.”

This idea of taking the path less trodden is one that informs his overall approach. “I have the feeling that art needs to come from a place of not knowing, of ignorance, and perhaps of boredom too – when I get bored, that’s when I want to create things,” he says. When he makes art, he tries to “think of what the obvious route would be, and then I avoid that”. While he’s not against them per se, tools like AI can fall short in this regard, he believes. “AI doesn’t have that capability – it’s never in a place of not knowing, it’s always drawing on this immense amount of information that it’s been fed.”

Looking ahead, Tetley hopes to make a career out of his creativity, which he’s preparing for by looking for an agent and refining his portfolio. “It’s early days, but I’m encouraged by the interest I’ve received so far,” he says. Outside of his studies, he has already been commissioned to make a short animation for the St Mawes Harbour Conservation Trust and a cover for a forthcoming album by the Echelon Effect.

“My ambition is to create work that feels genuine and true to how I see the world. For me, my work gives me a way to express myself that I can’t express in any other way, so if people can get something from that, it’s hugely fulfilling. The fact is, I’d want to be creating things regardless, so if it resonates with an audience and if I can get paid to do what I love, that’s success as far as I’m concerned.”

@jolyontetleyart