Tom Hardwidge is a UK-based digital designer and artist. He has studied Animation and been awarded as 'Best of New Blood' in 2002 for his work. He has a great love for 'Flash' and 'Insects'. Yes-you read that right, he loves insects! He creates arresting steampunk insect sculptures called 'Arthrobots'. They look extremely unique and creative.
His creations have become my personal favorite. My curiosity led me to reach him for a small interview with us. He has been very kind to spare some time for that. Catch it below:
Tom, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.
Well...hello, I'm Tom Hardwidge and I am a digital designer by trade. I live near Manchester in the UK with my wife, my hamster and my pet hedgehog called "Chestnut". Last year I started becoming interested in steampunk. I have always loved insects and, inspired by the work of people like Mike Libby and Christopher Conte, I decided to start making my own sculptures.
Your artwork is spectacular! Enlighten our readers with your wonderful artwork.
Thank you, it's still a work in progress in that I am still learning every time I create a new sculpture. I have got a lot quicker at making spiders' legs and I don't superglue my fingers together nearly as often as I used to. I have some plans for some more different sculptures in the future too so watch this space. I started creating these sculptures as a hobby in evenings and weekends, but recently I have sold them all over the world and it has become a bit of an obsession for me.
What and when was your first creation?
My first insect creation was this guy, 'Cleopteroid Cruris'. I created him in December last year out of any bits and pieces I could find. His wing cases are copper, but almost all of the rest of him is from a bead shop in Manchester (http://www.the-bead-shop.co.
Is there any specific process that your sculptures go through?
Most of my sculptures start their lives in my sketchbook as scribbles. This saves a lot of time later on as I can see if a particular joint of shape is going to work before I put hacksaw to metal. Then I have a look through my box of bits which has all of my metal beads and other bits and pieces I've collected and see if I can find all of the bits I need to assemble the piece. If not, I have to go and scour local shops and the internet to try and find something the right shape for the sculpture.
How did you come up with this unique idea? What is the inspiration behind it?
I do love insects and all creepy crawly things but really I was inspired by the work of other artists in the field. I have no delusions that my creations are anywhere near as good as some of the other artists out there but I enjoy creating them and if people want to own one, I'm happy to make them one.
Which creation by you is closest to your heart and why?
I love this one: 'Mechanisoptera Fumo'. He was my first dragonfly and is far and away my favourite. I'm not sure why, he's slightly smaller than the others and I just love his little face (do insects have faces?)
It looks incredibly creative...and one of my favorites too :) So tell us about 'Considered Creative' project. How did it happen to you?
Considered Creative is a digital advertising and design business which is run by myself and my wife. We started it last year and it's completely changed our lives. We work from home a lot of the time and this has given us a bit more free time in evenings and weekends which is how I'm able to create these little fellas in my spare time.
What's your take on E-commerce? Is it playing a significant role in encouraging artists?
Yes definitely, just look at the variety of crafts available on the likes of Etsy and eBay. It's a great way for artists and clients to find each other, especially for less traditional forms of art where galleries may not be a practical option.
What are the other things that interests you? What are you passionate for?
Food. It's awesome and it tastes great too.
What message do you have for our readers and other aspiring artists?
I don't know how good this is for advice but when I first set up the site for my sculptures I asked one site to publish a link on their blog. (http://botropolis.com/2011/
Thanks Tom for a wonderfully inspiring interview. We wish you the very best in the future and will look forward to many more creations by you.
Thanks Tom for a wonderfully inspiring interview. We wish you the very best in the future and will look forward to many more creations by you.
You can visit his blog at tomhardwidge.blogspot.com.
You can visit his website at tomhardwidge.co.uk.
To see 'Arthrobots', you can visit arthrobots.com.
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