Dep - Graffiti Artist Interview

October 2009

Interview with Dep, an extremely talented graffiti artist from South London who specialises in characters and whose work is always a pleasure to see! Dep also runs a business called "Paintshop Studio" which has produced work for the likes of Nike, Adidas, MTV and Playstation.

How old are you?

35.

Where are you based?

Currently in South London.

When did you begin painting graffiti?

I was sketching graffiti from about 11, but it was a few years after that before I picked up any paint.

When I was 11 I saw a copy of "Spraycan Art" for the first time and that was it, I was hooked… it blew my tiny mind, I had never seen anything like before!

Dep

How did you get into graffiti and what made you start painting?

In the 80's when I was really young, everyone was breaking and drawing bubble letters on their school books it was the fashion then and I was just doing the same as everyone else and doing it equally as badly. When I was 11 I saw a copy of "Spraycan Art" for the first time and that was it, I was hooked… it blew my tiny mind, I had never seen anything like before! After that my sketching quickly became a lot more detailed and I got serious about letter forms, colour schemes and started tagging anything in sight. I also started to draw characters in black and white and sell photocopies of them for people to colour in. I don't think I made much money, but that wasn't really the point, I loved the fact that my drawings were all over school.

How would you describe your style?

I do mostly characters now and am really influenced by traditional styles but with my own twist on it. I like graf that doesn't take itself too seriously and have been going down that route more and more. I guess my characters are like extreme reflections of me, the nose, the bags under the eyes, the beer gut! ha-ha! I don't really try and analyse it all too much, but they quite often reflect the things I don't like about myself or the world around me, things like materialism, branding and marketing, some of these things I am totally guilty of so I guess maybe it's my way to repent or just try and keep myself in check! ha-ha!

How did you choose the name Dep?

I used to write Depth as a kid, it's just become shortened. The letters are rubbish to write which is really annoying, but seems stupid to change it now after so many years.

Do you write with any other crews and if so which ones?

At the moment I don't paint with a crew, I used to paint with Turning Tricks (with Bonzai, Blam and Probs etc) but we ended up all pulling in different directions and we killed it off a few years back. At the moment I really like to paint with the ID Crew boys as they have a really positive approach to graf as well as being dope writers and a good laugh to hangout with. I just enjoy painting with different people when I can otherwise am happy doing my own thing.

Have you done many collaborations with artists overseas or travelled abroad for your art and if so then where is the most exciting or interesting place you have painted?

I've done a little bit of travelling and painting, but really want to do more, you can learn so much from some of the other scenes around the world, it's so easy to become to inward facing living in London.

In 2007 I blagged my way onto the Eating Frogs Tour of China with a load of French DJ's, breakers and artists which was a cool experience. I got to hangout with Toast (who is a real inspirational guy), Ceet, Kongo and Myre from the MAC Crew as well as some of the local writers too, which was dope.

My favourite trip so far has got to be this years Meeting Of Styles in Germany, it was good fun and I got to meet so many cool and amazingly talented writers it was unreal. Big up Manuel and his crew for putting on MOS each year.

What are you feelings on the graffiti and street art scenes in UK at present?

I'm not really into the street art scene too much, it's not really my thing, but I think the graf scene is getting really strong now… there are so many dope writers in this country. I think websites like Canned Goods and Flickr has meant the world has got a lot smaller and the community much stronger, we can see what everyone is doing UK and worldwide and it keeps people connected and pushing their work. I think people will look back on these years as really important years and it's good to be part of it.

I believe you run a business called "Paintshop Studio", how did that all get started and are any other artists involved?

When I was younger I got into graphic design as it was the nearest thing to graf that I could do for work. I've grown to love design for many of the same reasons I love graf… it's creative and expressive with the use of illustration and letterforms so I get a similar buzz out of seeing my work up as a poster on the underground as I did with tracksides.

Basically Paintshop is a creative studio I set up to allow me to work as graphic designer and graffiti artist at the same time and bring together my two loves. We are still finding our way and are still only a very small company so not as grand as it might seem, but it works, and this allows me to bring in freelance designers, techies and artists depending on what the project needs.

What is the biggest commercial job or most well known commision you would say you have done to date?

I have done loads of commercial work for brands that include:

• Nike
• Adidas
• MTV
• Playstation
• Virgin
• Crooked Tongues
• Ian Brown
• DJ Format
• Dr. Octagon
• Age Concern

…the list goes on and on!

I guess one of my favourite commissions I worked on last year was for an album cover artwork for Justin Hawkin's (from The Darkness) and his new band Hot Leg. This was really funny as it's quite a weird match for me to do his work but we got on pretty well. We decided on a classic 70's style rock'n'roll cover featuring a biker chick on a Harley Farthing, his idea of a cross between a Harley Davidson and a penny farthing, but to give it a twist we thought it would be cool to spraypaint it instead of have it airbrushed. This was a great project as allowed me bring together both graf and graphic design… oh and painting a life-like biker chicks ass was interesting as well! :)

I think graf has helped me to keep my feet on the ground and to keep my work a little more raw with a little more funk than most. I really don't design for other designers and then fall into their fashions, which I think is a trap many get caught up in.

Dep

How much of a graffiti influence do you incorporate into your commercial work?

A lot I think, although it might seem more subtle to others. I think graphic design can be very wanky and that a lot of designers have their heads up their own arses. Design can be so polished and so perfect that is looses its soul. I think graf has helped me to keep my feet on the ground and to keep my work a little more raw with a little more funk than most. I really don't design for other designers and then fall into their fashions, which I think is a trap many get caught up in.

have you ever placed any hidden messages in any commercial work you have done?

Ha-ha yeah, I can't really help myself! I always put a lot of myself into anything I do.

Is there any one point in your career you would class as 'your big break'?

Not so much a 'big' break, but definately a turning point for me was when I was around 17 and Son Of Noise, a hardcore UK hip-hop group, asked me to design a logo for their new record label 'Little Rascal'. This was the first time I had really designed anything and apart from being totally stoked about being asked by them to do it, it was also the first time when I realised that maybe I could make a living out of my graffiti skills.

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken for your art?

Ha! I'm not really sure. Apart from the usual wobbling around up ladders trying to paint, or sneaking into rough estates to get flicks as a kid, I guess I've not really taken that many. I did paint a few tracksides when I was young and go bombing, but I grew up in the sticks so it really wasn't all that much of a risk and not really all that exciting. I think the only people who ever saw some of my early illegal pieces were cows… ha-ha!

What are your thoughts on graffiti being just a likely to be found in a gallery as on the streets these days?

I'm not a big fan of graffiti in a gallery, it just doesn't work in the same way, but I am all for people giving it ago or for long standing graf artists to develop a new take on their style to make it work in the gallery space. It's something I'd like to try and do sometime in the future as it's just another part of the culture now and another way of getting your work seen but I do think that grafs home is on the streets and thats where I'll always love to see it the most.

Have you vere displayed your work in any galleries and if so are there any exhibitions that stand out from all the rest?

I've not really gone down this road much yet, I have released a few prints, but nothing major. I have been involved with a the MuTate Britain show for the last two years which I really like as it's not really an exhibition vibe and feels much more raw and 'homemade' but for these I just paint on the walls really just to be there and be seen, it's really not about selling anything for me.

There seems to have been a sudden surge of interest in graffiti and street art recently, why do you think this is?

I think things just go in cycles, it was the same before in the 80's to a point, the media spotlight will move on and so will the trendies and try-hards and the graf scene will carry on as before, maybe just without so many free-beer gallery openings!

There is a very fine line between those who see graffiti as art and those who see it as vandalism, what are your views on this?

It's both, I love seeing graf on trains, tracks, toilet walls, halls of fame's and even galleries… it's all the same to me. I love the style and the energy behind it whatever form it takes, it's all about getting your name out.

Do you prefer doing legal or illegal pieces?

Legal, always have really, for me its about creating the best work I can and getting my name out that way. I'm never going to pretend that I'm a big time illegal writer, I never was. I've done illegal hits, a few track sides, but thats never really been whats got me excited. I really love the whole illegal scene, and respect the writers who keep that side of it alive, but it's just not me.

Have you ever 'felt the long arm of the law' because of your art and if so can you tell us about it?

No, never been caught I'm happy to say.

Do you see yourself as an artist, graphic designer or a graffiti writer?

I guess I'm a graffiti artist and a graphic designer, but I think graf will always come first.

Which other artists work do you admire?

Loads of people at the moment.

• Roid
• Gary
• Bonzai
• Tizer
• Shucks
• LovePusher
• SoloOne
• Wisher
• Toast
• Dare
• Askew
• Blef
• Twesh
• Skag
• Nychos
• Wany
• Does
• SeanTwo
• Zeus40
• Sune
• Towns
• Vibes

…the list is endless.

What is your preferred medium for making marks with?

Spraypaint.

What is your colour of choice?

Belton's 046 Aubergine for outlines.

What is your favourite surface to paint on?

Rendered wall.

Do you have a favourite piece of all time?

Do you mean of mine? If so I guess the last one for the MuTate Britain show with the aliens.

What kind of music are you into?

I've always been into hip-hop, but I have kinda got stuck in the late 80's early 90's with that! Otherwise mostly soul, funk, ska with a bit of rock thrown in.

What is the last album you bought?

I brought Paris - "The Devil Made Me Do It", but it wasn't as good as I remembered. :)

Anything else you would like to add?

Great site, thanks for inviting me.

For further information about Dep please visit:

Dep Profile

Dep Blog

Dep Flickr Photostream

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