The art of Steven Reddy

Reddy’s book memoir campaign on Kickstarter.

By Gabriel Campanario

The web is overflowing with creative talent. How can an artist stand out?

Steven Reddy has told me several times that you have to do “your own thing,” not follow what everyone else is doing. It’s a simple answer, yet so true.

After 35 years filling sketchbooks, the Seattle-based artist and fellow urban sketcher lives by his own words. He has developed an original style that makes his art instantly recognizable.

While many sketchers I know, including myself, swim in loose linework and freely-applied watercolor washes, Reddy travels against the current with tightly-rendered sketches where color fills every square inch on the page — I particularly enjoy those white ink outlines he uses to make certain elements of his sketches pop out.

He also bends the rules of perspective and proportion in favor of a playful style. And when it comes to subject matter, he defies field-sketching conventions turning his attention to phone booths, water pipes and the cluttered shelves of antique stores, among other things.

Staying true to his independent spirit, Reddy has taken an original path to publish his sketchbook memoir. He started a campaign on Kickstarter that ends in a couple of weeks.

I have backed his project and can’t wait to get the book in my hands. If you also offer your support, it will be a reality very soon.

Follow Steve’s work on his blog, flickr and Facebook page.

(This article is crossposted from my Show And Tell blog. —gabi campanario)