Art for Activism: Owen Davey
On World Wildlife Day, it’s fitting that we feature an artist who has not only illustrated sharks, but also other fascinating species including octopuses, crocodiles, beetles, and more. Owen Davey is the award-winning illustrator behind Flying Eye Books’ “About Animals” series, including Smart About Sharks (now available at The Shark Cafe).
SC: Tell us a bit about your career journey. Did you always want to be an illustrator?
OD: Yep. I have a really boring story really. I was asked as a kid what I wanted to do when I was older and I said that I wanted to write and draw for children's books. I have never really deviated from that path. I studied a variety of Fine Art and Graphics things at school and college (because Illustration wasn't given it's own subject), then eventually ended up completing a BA(Hons) Degree in Illustration at Falmouth University in the UK. Then I started trying to get work and got lucky with a few projects and here I am, 13 years after graduating, doing the job I love.
SC: Who gave you your first break and what was it?
OD: My first commission was for The Guardian newspaper in the UK. The Art Director, Bruno Haward, is an alumni of Falmouth University, and keeps track of graduating students, so he commissioned me to create an editorial illustration for one of the articles. I got the job a week before graduating and it was an amazing confidence boost. It also meant I could name-drop the publication when I started contacting other potential clients. I couldn't have asked for a better start.
SC: You've worked with a wide range of clients, from Google and Vogue to NatGeo and WWF. Are there any projects that you're particularly proud of?
OD: There are two projects that have spanned the last 7 or 8 years of my life and I'm very proud to be a part of. One of them is the app TwoDots. They're an amazing game developer based in New York and they're such a great bunch to work with - we've created so much fun work together. And the other project is my About Animals project with Flying Eye Books. These are another bunch of lovely people and they've helped me publish 7 (soon to be 8) non-fiction books about different types of animals - Mad About Monkeys, Smart About Sharks, Crazy About Cats, Bonkers About Beetles, Fanatical About Frogs, Obsessive About Octopuses, Curious About Crocodiles, and soon to be Passionate About Penguins.
SC: You have a very unique style. What is your process and technique for illustrating?
OD: I work digitally and use programmes like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator because they give me loads of control in creating geometry in my work. I love looking for patterns in things, or simplifying complex creatures into simple shapes. I love how human brains can fill in the gaps and we can recognise something as simple as a rectangle with a triangle on top, to symbolise a house, even though this icon looks nothing like most houses. That's where a lot of my inspiration comes when designing how I draw stuff.
SC: Do you have any advice for aspiring illustrators?
OD: Meet Deadlines. Make good work. Be Proactive. Look after yourself.
SC: Smart About Sharks is full of fascinating information. Did you learn anything that surprised or intrigued you while working on the book?
OD: I learn so much doing each of these books. Half the stuff that I learn actually doesn't make it into the books because it's overly complex for kids, or would take about 3 pages to explain properly. I love the research part. With the shark book, there were loads of facts and details that were totally new to me and blew my mind - we worked really hard to get as many of them into the book as we could. Ampullae of Lorenzini were a particularly cool discovery for me; being able to detect a creature even when it's totally hidden - that's an actual full-on superpower!
SC: What's your favorite page or illustration in Smart About Sharks, and why?
OD: There's a page called “To Scale” which I'm really proud of because I thought it was a really elegant way to show the sizes of different sharks compared to people, but in an interesting way. I've essentially copied this page in nearly every About Animals book I've done since, because I think it worked so well. And people love it - I've sold a lot of prints of it.
SC: You've worked with Flying Eye Books on several animal books. Do you have a favorite? What sparked this fascination with these animals and the natural world?
OD: I'm not sure I have a favourite. Smart About Sharks is definitely up there, but also the more recent ones of Obsessive About Octopuses and Curious About Crocodiles, partly because of how challenging they were to get right. They're not really the easiest animals to illustrate.
SC: Are there any environmental or social issues you're passionate about? How do you think that artists can help such issues?
OD: Oh, hundreds! I'm an intersectional feminist and I also think the natural world should be pushed considerably higher up the priority list of most governments. Sadly, profit is often prioritised over caring for the Earth and the people within it, which I find tragic and shortsighted. If we can produce better, less wasteful and damaging systems, we can protect wild animals and ensure a lasting connection with a thriving world around us. As an artist, I've had several opportunities to use my work to help educate people about issues and highlight ways in which we can make a difference.
SC: What is your biggest takeaway or hope for someone after reading Smart About Sharks?
OD: Passion. Intrigue. Fascination. I want people to want to find out more. I want them to go on to root out documentaries, or other books, or find out about conservation projects around sharks. I want people to enjoy learning about these amazing creatures, care about sharks, and care about what happens to them in the future.
Shop Owen Davey’s book, Smart About Sharks, at the Shark Cafe! Did you know that sharks can detect electrical currents from other creatures? Or that some can walk out of the water? Learn about the crazy world of sharks in this beautiful and informative book.
Bring Owen Davey’s artwork into your home with our reusable Swedish dishcloths, featuring two illustrations from Smart About Sharks — only available at Shark Cafe.
