22 Artists & Illustrators
different way. It was more impulsive
and intuitive. “I still think about it in
my work a lot, the different ways you
can make marks on a piece of paper,”
he adds. “Like very delicately, in a
meaningful, controlled way, and then
in an impulsive way that comes from
somewhere else.”
The interaction between these
more controlled marks and the looser,
free-flowing expressions is a constant
throughout the illustrator’s work, as
are the floral motives which he first
began to develop at the embroidery
firm, Hand & Lock, where he worked
for 12 years. The role involved
producing elaborate designs for the
military, theatres, and the fashion andfilm industries. His handiwork can be
seen in uniforms worn in blockbuster
films such as The Last King of
Scotland and the Tom Cruise-starring
Valkyrie, as well as the “red death”
coat in the movie adaptation of
The Phantom of the Opera.
Although Carne loved the work, he
had a burning desire to create things
outside of a structured remit. He set
up his own studio in 2010, but the
time spent in his old position plays
a major part in his art today. “All the
floral flows come from my embroidery
background, it’s like handwriting”
he says. “It’s also informed a lot of
the surface patterns and little
annotations that creep into my work.”RIGHT Frida Kahlo,
acrylic, ink and tea
on linen, 76x96cm
ABOVE Anna Lee
Fisher, acrylic, ink
and tea on linen,
76x96cm
Portraiture is something Carne has
always been fascinated in, as “there’s
something spiritual and unseen about
it”. Nature and portraiture are
inseparable for the illustrator. “I see
the relationship as so intertwined,”
he explains. “The two are intrinsically
linked, and if I do a piece that is just
floral, I want to give it some kind of
personality, so it has an essence of
portrait in it, an idea of the self.”
Throughout his creative process
Carne seeks to bring balance to a
piece, and his efforts to offset the
control required to gain a likeness in
portraits led him to explore painting
loosely elsewhere with different
fluids, including tea and alcohol.
As the illustrator explains about
alcohol dispersal and evaporation
times, it all sounds rather scientific.
“It is,” he says, laughing, “but only
in retrospect. I didn’t set out to think
about these things. I just know what
happens now – and why – after lots
of experimenting.”
As well as using teas and alcohols,
he opts for calligraphy inks. Being
oil-based, they are relatively unstable
and elastic – ideal for lifting out and
creating smoother blends.
Working with a restricted palette
of two or three colours, the artist
uses tea to create the variations.
For example, mixing a sepia and a
turquoise ink with tea gives Carne a
“red”, a “blue” and a “yellow” to use
as his primaries. The result is a
natural-looking palette, perfect for
florals and nature.
With so many elements involved
in each artwork, it’s hard to imagine
how and where a piece started, yet
one thing Carne doesn’t do is plan.
Instead he begins by freehand
drawing a portrait onto a blank sheet
of paper – a heavyweight watercolour
paper like Bockingford as it “takes a
lot of punishment”.For Carne’s
illustrations,
a good cup
of tea is as
vital as the
ink itself