MY NAME IS DARREN BEADMAN. I’M AN ILLUSTRATOR AND HERE’S A BIOGRAPHY OF THE EVOLUTION OF MY SKILL.

BORN JUNE 6TH 1973 IN COCHRANE ONTARIO CANADA. AGE 36.

THE EARLIST DRAWINGS THAT I CAN REMEMBER DOING WERE OF GARFIELD THE CAT. THIS WOULD BE AROUND THE AGE OF 7. 

IN 86 I WAS INTRODUCED TO SKATEBOARDING AND ITS ICONIC ARTWORK, NOTABLY POWELL PERALTA. SKATEBOARD GRAPHICS (COURTLAND JOHNSON ILLUSTRATIONS) BECAME MY MAIN INTEREST. THESE GRAPHICS WERE MAINLY TECHNICAL DRAWINGS AND THIS "TECHNICAL STYLE" ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS PRAISE FROM THE COMMUNITY LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR A STANDARD OF QUALITY AND ACCURACY THAT I’VE UNCONSCIOUSLY THEN CONSCIOUSLY AS AN ADULT TRIED TO INCORPORATE INTO MY ILLUSTRATIONS EVER SINCE.

UNTIL 1990, I CAN REMEMBER DRAWING ALMOST EVERY DAY AND I CREATED HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF DRAWINGS BUT UNFORTUNATELY,IN 96 COMPLICATIONS WITH SOME FORMER ROOMATES LEFT MY ENTIRE PORTFOLIO (STORED IN A BOX)  EITHER TOSSED TO THE CURB OR THEY'RE ROTTING AWAY IN A BASEMENT SOMEWHERE IN LONDON ONTARIO....... EITHER WAY, I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM SINCE!

IN 1990 I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE AIRBRUSH, AND FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS, THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR, THIS EVOLVING SKILL PROVIDED ME WITH MORE COMMISSION WORK THAN I COULD HANDLE PAINTING CUSTOM JOBS ON GUITARS, HELMETS, T-SHIRTS, ETC...ALL WORK FROM THIS PERIOD WAS CONSCIOUSLY LEFT UNSIGNED BECAUSE OF ITS UNORIGINAL CONTENT AND DEGRADABLE CANVAS TYPES.

IN 1993 I ATTENDED HUMBER COLLEGE WHERE I TOOK A YEAR OF PACKAGE DESIGN. HOWEVER, LACK OF MATURITY GOT THE BEST OF ME AND I BLEW THAT OPPORTUNITY.

IN 1994, LIFE TOOK ME IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. I GAVE UP DRAWING ALMOST COMPLETELY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW PHASES HERE AND THERE. I REPLACED MY EFFORTS WITH OTHER INTERESTS (NAMELY SKATEBOARDING AND SINGING IN BANDS)......BARELY ANY CONTENT FROM THIS PERIOD WAS SAVED.

IN  2008,  AFTER A FAILED MUSIC CAREER AND 22 YEARS OF SKATEBOARDING, MY BODY COULDN’T TAKE ANYMORE ABUSE AND I WAS FORCED TO RE-EVALUATE MY LIFE AND WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO WITH THE REST OF IT......  I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE COMPUTER, THE INTERNET AND A THING CALLED YOUTUBE. 

IN MAY 2008 I RANDOMLY STUMBLED ONTO A YOUTUBE CLIP ENTITLED, "MATT BUSCH-YOU CAN DRAW STAR WARS". THIS WAS AN ILLUSTRATION TUTORIAL AND IT INSPIRED ME TO START DRAWING AGAIN AFTER A 14 YEAR BREAK.

WITHIN A MONTH, I BECAME COMPLETELY OBSESSED. SO, FROM ABOUT JUNE 2008 THROUGH THE SPRING OF 2009, LIVING OFF MY SAVINGS AND BECOMING A HERMIT, ALL I DID WAS DRAW......IN THIS PERIOD I DREW ABOUT 200 PORTRAITS. A REFINED SUMMARY OF MY YEAR WILL BE ON EXHIBITION FROM JULY 29TH - AUG 3 AT GALERIE OUEST IN SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE.