Nicholas Stafford-Deitsch has spent a lot of time and effort creating The Toucan Feather, a book he describes as “an allegorical, inspirational novel that reveals a new symbol for people who care about the future of mankind – a sort of timely alternative to the Peace Sign”. I asked him to share the ideas behind the book and his illustrations.

[Show as slideshow]

Dolphin

Encounter

Vulture Pass

Heliconia

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I am not a trained artist but am self-taught. When the first draft of my novel was completed, my agent said it could change the world or sink without trace!

Tell us more about your latest artwork.
My agent suggested I get my book illustrated. I wasn’t happy with the work of the illustrators we looked at as they just depicted scenes in the book, giving the plot away, so I undertook the task myself.

I found it incredibly difficult but rewarding too. Many of my illustrations are trompe l’oeil / contain hidden messages. I think this adds an additional dimension. Four of these hidden messages are explained on my website. I leave people to work out the others!

What materials do you use and why did you choose them?
I wanted to keep it simple and have always found black/white interesting and dramatic. It also offers advantages from a printing perspective. I use pencil (4B-2H), a fine black ink pen (“Pilot 0.4”), white gel pen & occasionally paste; mainly for the background.

What materials would you like to learn to use and why?
I’d like to move on to all sorts of other things. This is just a start. I’d love to learn to do watercolours.

How do you promote your work? Any tips?
I’ve built up quite a following on Facebook and am talking to a gallery about an exhibition. The response to my art has been incredible but I can see it’s a long, hard slog to achieve recognition. Unless you get lucky!

Do you have any tips for other artists (any mistakes, experiences you’ve had good or bad)?
I am hyper-critical of my work and never really know when it’s finished. I suspect every illustration was “finished” 50 times, then I’d wake up and see something I didn’t like about it.

I suppose the bottom line is keep going until you are satisfied, and don’t be too concerned about what others say, because you’ll never satisfy everyone. And leave a picture for a few days or weeks. Sometimes ideas have come years after I’d considered something finished!

What inspires you?
I was inspired by the challenge of lifting my novel to another level. Scores of people have said amazing things about the manuscript and that kept me going. It is also very satisfying.

Do you have any favourite artists?
I must confess to being very disappointed indeed by where the contemporary art market has gone. I will make few friends saying this but I see a tremendous amount of rubbish encouraged and fuelled by enormous egos and pretentious idiots with too much money.

A lot of people will now lose money because this market is collapsing and it won’t stand the test of time. Call me old fashioned, but I like to see technique, composition, meaning, contribution, relevance, and message. But what would I know? I haven’t been to art school and I’m not part of the process.

When did you last go to an art exhibition? What was it and why did you go?
I live near Hyde Park and always visit the Serpentine Gallery. I haven’t missed an exhibition in several years. That said, I’ve seen very little there I like and, judging by the expressions of the bemused tourists walking around, nor have they. Maybe I’m missing something …

Anything else to add?
I think gallery owners, dealers and critics need to take a step back and go back to basics and identify quality. We have a situation now in which the majority of the public doesn’t understand or appreciate what’s being put in front of them, and if it hasn’t already done so, it will end in tears.

I am thrilled by the response to my art (I have many thousands of followers on Facebook) but despite this, I have so far failed to attract a single gallery (though I am talking to one). But I am quietly satisfied that my art – that has a function to perform (adding an extra dimension to my novel) – seems to have done that. You can’t ask for much more than that!

About the artist
Nicholas Stafford-Deitsch attended Oxford university (2 degrees), has worked in banking, venture capital and as a consultant but has concentrated for the past decade on learning to write, illustrate and develop the tocamu concept. The concept is revealed in his illustrated novel The Toucan Feather and explained on his website tocamu.com from where you can order the novel and prints of the illustrations.

All images of Nicholas Stafford-Deitsch and his illustrations are copyright Nicholas Stafford-Deitsch and have been included here with his permission.

Wanted: Fine Artists
Calling all artists. Want to showcase and promote your art and share your experiences with the world? It is totally free to do so. Drop me a line at talk[at]dianeashmore[dot]com or leave a comment below.