Animation Cel Emporium

My name is Chris Hartley and I have always had a passion for drawing ever since I was a child. 

As I was growing up, I was like any normal child that loved watching cartoons, and found that I loved drawing cartoon style artwork.  This passion did not please one of my art teachers at High school, as I would love to turn still life objects into cartoon characters!  The final result was that I actually failed my GCSE Art qualification, and was told my future was not suited to art.

I was diagnosed with Epilepsy at 16 years of age, but seemed to be under control with medication.  So, I was employed by a firm of stock brokers, and all seemed well, but was selling drawings to colleagues, and then started selling my drawings on local market stalls and demand kept growing.

My Epilepsy seemed to be getting worse whilst I was employed in office work, but I always felt much better whilst I was drawing.  For the sake of my health, I left my ‘normal’ employment nearly 8 years ago, and decided to make my living from my art.   My Epilepsy is now totally under control, and find that trade is getting busier and busier.

My style is very similar to the way that animators used to make the old fashioned cartoons.  Each piece is totally hand drawn and then hand painted on acetate.  Meticulous care is taken on every piece, and to give an extra dimension to each piece, I add a print of a comic background to most designs, to compliment the art.

I do not find that I need to specially market my work.  I currently sell regularly with Artsmix and sell online and find that people recommend them to their friends & family. 

At present, I have been approached by galleries across the world, animation studios and I have been asked by several University students, interested in learning how I do this style of illustration.  Pretty impressive to say I was told I would never make it in the art world!

Thanks for reading, and hope you like the art as much as I enjoyed drawing and painting them.

…by Chris Hartley