You might have seen the familiar figure of Valencia-based artist Alex Z. Nicholson crouched outside the cathedral or one of the beautiful market buildings in and around the centre of Valencia. Alex has settled in Valencia after training as an illustrator in the UK. He specialises in drawing live on the spot, documenting daily life and the amazing buildings and people he sees in meticulous detail. Alex says: “Sometimes I get a small crowd of people watching me draw. I love that people are interested and it doesn’t put me off at all! Over the years I’ve drawn events from carnivals, to protests, to weddings, and you have to work quickly to capture the moments  – that’s really enjoyable, but so is being able to spend more time making sure I’ve got all the details of buildings like La Lonja.”

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW REPORT WITH BRITISH CARTOONIST IN VALENCIA

24/7 Valencia: How did you get started drawing cartoons in Valencia?

 Alex Nicholson: I’ve been drawing for a long time, pretty much since I was a kid. I studied illustration at a university in England, in a place called Norwich. I moved to Valencia 5 years ago, so I’ve been trying to get more into the illustration side of things while working other jobs, but trying to make this my career a bit more. During Fallas, I worked for a place called La Postalera, and other places, but in terms of Fallas, those drawings are more on the spot and not as good to sell as other works.

So, you’ve been drawing since you were around 2 years old, does that mean drawing cartoons isn’t a new thing for you?

Yeah, I used to do comics but not so much anymore. I’ve always loved art, I went to school, got a degree and then I’ve just taken it from there. There was a residency after Uni, called Topolski, named after Felix Topolski the artist, who lived in the UK for a long time and ran an illustrated newspaper by himself. I am very inspired by him. My friend, Laur Fitton, who came to Valencia to visit and do some drawings with me this year, was in the same residency as me. We are both very inspired by him, to witness events through drawing.

How did you and Laur get to the point where you started doing drawings together in Valencia?

Laur is currently in London while I’m here, but we’ve been trying to meet up in Valencia to do more work together. We have been drawing buddies forever and we have a lot in common in terms of the way we draw and how we like to witness things on sight and act as an alternative to photography. Illustrative news used to be a big thing, especially in the UK, so we did a lot of projects together at Uni, and afterwards. We did a Topolski reunion drawing trip during the Coronation of the King. So, that was the last thing we did together before Laur came back to Valencia for Fallas, which is a really cool thing for us to witness.

Where could people look for you around Valencia?

Do I have a set schedule? No, not really…I go with the ‘Urban Sketches’ group here in Valencia quite often, but I don’t really have a set place. If there’s a demonstration or protest I’ll probably be there. Where there are people, action, and energy, that’s much more fun to draw, so that’s where I can be found. Sometimes it’s fun to just look around and draw what’s in front of you. For example, my sketch book has a lot of drawings from the bar, kind of just from me sitting around and deciding to draw someone. So, I draw a mix of that and find specific events. I have also drawn medieval festivals, and wherever people are in costumes and parades.

What else do you want people to know about you and what you do?

 I like the idea of drawing as an alternative to photographs, as I mentioned. Drawing is more of a sense of the place and the location, rather than a single still image. With drawings, you make them over a longer period of time, at least half an hour or a couple of hours, so it’s more of an impression of a place. I hope everyone enjoys my cartoons, and follows my Instagram! (linked below)

More info about the artist Alex Z. Nicholson: https://www.instagram.com/alexznicholson

Laur Fitton: https://www.instagram.com/atomicfitton

Interview by Anna Willerer

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