Here we take a closer look at one of the finalists, Oliver Sutton.
“My work balances a digitised cartoon style whilst being able to convey elements of a whimsical nature.
“I often communicate the themes of nostalgia and experimentation paired with the effects of differentiating genres visualised together through the stylisation through my usage of digital media.
“The moment I realised I wanted to pursue art seriously was during the moment of noticing I had a passion for a wide variety of art-related media and using the internet to explore how others have used different materials and media to their advantage by building art studios and demonstrating their extensive skills to large companies.
“I usually use a lot of digital media and lino cutting in my day-to-day life.
“However, as of recently I have been enjoying experimenting with a multitude of mediums such as polymer clay, airbrushing, 3D printing, screen printing, and watercolour.
“Seeing as my work started feeling repetitive, I believed I wanted a change, as I have relied heavily on it since first using it when I was 12.
“Since I have started BA illustration, it has pushed me to want to work in so many different ways; it almost feels like I am being stretched in all directions, in a good way, as it lets me discover skills I wouldn’t have previously known I had if I kept to the media I was most comfortable with.
“Working in this new way makes me feel as though I have much more of a connection with my work, as I have a much greater sense of freedom in this regard.
“I am excited for the potential opportunity to be able to showcase a personal project of mine called ‘Lost Worlds’, as I have created a series of 9 collectable keychains and vinyl stickers alongside all of the packaging, as this connects me with my younger self, who was obsessive with collectable toys, and now I am in the position where I have the abilities to put a project through authenticity of this calibre by myself.
“I believe this is a very constructive and authentic way of working, as with the rise of generative AI it is getting harder to know what is real, and children nowadays are at the most risk of being sold ‘work’ with no thought behind it, as within the creative sector of all industries people are able to pump out multitudes of products with no thought behind them.
“My project has also been pieced together on the borders of nostalgia in 2 aspects; for all my designs I have returned to digital media; however, I have explored and experimented with different ways of working by using different shapes, colour palettes, and general themes to fragment the project as one whole piece, and the project, along with the rest of my work, stems from the reflection of who I am through past experiences.
“As previously mentioned, I noticed a lot of my work is inspired by my upbringing and my on-and-off obsessions with a variety of different collectable toys.
“I believe this greatly influences my work, as it begins to communicate a greater value of perspective of what makes the target audience themselves, and by experimenting around with a mass of media, I am able to capture a very wide variety of feelings and emotions that might be able to be communicated on a higher level.
“By far, my biggest challenge in developing the way I work to this day is accepting change and going with the direction the medium takes me.
“I have noticed that a majority of occurrences I would have initially deemed as mistakes are actually the medium’s way of telling me how it wants to work, and instead of forcing it to work the way I want it to, I should rather go with the general flow and see where I end up, as small risks like these help me see the perspectives and hidden messages that media chooses to direct me to.
“Up until this day, my influence in what keeps me working in the direction, I am progressing in is without a doubt my experience with my past, nostalgia, and upbringing.
“Directly influencing my work, there are 2 particular artists and directors who have greatly influenced my workflow: Michael Acton Smith, the creator of Moshi Monsters and concept designer, and the first person to notice how the early internet can merge quite well with children’s experience online and through art within this media.
“My second influence is Donald Mustard, a chief creative officer and concept and character designer who is well known for his complicated and cryptic stories.
“I came across his work when I was younger and fell in love with some of his most recent projects, as he has built a reputation for building up stories and characters in a way that contains hidden elements, making you have to think hard about everything he reveals.
“Being selected for this opportunity would mean I am able to make an impact in the work at my current stage of working, as I strongly believe everything happens for a reason, and each step that has crossed paths with my ideal career and future dreams will line up for me to influence the current generation and also the next, as I believe my work through storytelling and product design is able to captivate many people who have yet to find out about it.
“I am most looking forward to being able to communicate with the local public and informing them about all of the different things I make and hopefully triggering the beginning of creating a community/following of my own that I can regularly put work out to and hopefully products one day.
“I hope people will respond to my work in a generally positive way, understanding the points my work is coming from and the ideas put across, and possibly even be reminded of the very things that inspired me to create the work I do to this day.
“I believe this organisation is an important stepping stone for emerging artists, as it provides the opportunity to be seen and noticed, as for most this may be the very first time an artist could be advertised and may even trigger a knock-on effect to building their own community/platform for their work going forwards.
“Within the next year, I hope I start becoming more comfortable with a multitude of new media I am yet to use and have the potential to mix some of the ones I am most comfortable with together.
“I use this as a way to improve and further my style, as in the last year alone I have drastically excelled in the way my work appears, and it is still possible to work out that all the work has been created by myself, as it has a unique sense of the same personality I tend to give my creations.
“I believe no matter the work I produce, no matter the media, there will always be a sense of recognition that it is my work, as I tend to have a uniquely seen style and use repetitive aspects of the way I work and put things together.
“I often see my work as the iconic Dr Seuss style, as anyone can look at a piece of his work and understand it is something he has made, and I have had many people, including peers, teachers, students, and tutors, tell me the same about my own work, mostly since starting university.
“I would like to keep my artistic skills up and look for as many other opportunities to showcase my work and get involved with as I can, as I believe this is a crucial part of my goals for 2026: to build a community around my own work and see where I can be taken next.”
