Meet Wild Sussex magazine cover artist Ollie Panton

As members receive the Spring/Summer issue of Wild Sussex magazine, they get to see this lovely illustrated cover by Ollie Panton. The issue has a theme of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.  

His dip pen and ink/watercolour is an impression of the view across the saltmarsh to the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House. It was inspired by a visit to the reserve. Barry Yates kindly offered wildlife advice as to what species to include. Ollie has featured Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Cormorant, Marsh Samphire, Sea Purslane and Sea Aster. 

We spoke to Ollie about his work. 

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am an illustrator, living in Sussex, working with traditional mediums, such as dip pen and ink, watercolour and lino printing, as well as digital mediums, such as Procreate and the Affinity Serif suite.

A lot of my inspiration comes from history and nature. A notable inspiration is the Arts and Crafts Movement. I also take a marked interest in tattoo artistry and its unique stylings. I look to black and grey work and Japanese neo/ traditional to learn exaggerated natural forms and the incorporation of dramatic motifs and symbolism.

I have always enjoyed the fluidity of looks in nature, which is why a lot of my work focuses on natural motifs and subjects in some way. Originally, I was quite creative when I was younger, but I stopped drawing for a long time in pursuit of more “useful” subjects. It was only after my A-Levels that I took a gap year after realising a traditional Uni course would not work for me. I taught myself to draw from scratch again before applying to do a BA in Illustration. This gave me an opportunity to study the works of artists and illustrators that I hadn’t considered before and allowed me to evoke imagery in ways that was fluid, dynamic and exiting. To do this, I spent a lot of time practicing drawing natural forms to get used to drawing in a less wooden and constrained way. Over my gap year, I started cultivating an allotment which gave me a chance to further study nature as well as get outdoors and involved in its processes.

Are there any species you like drawing most?

I like to draw birds. Particularly Swallows or other agile or flamboyant birds with distinct features. I also greatly enjoy drawing blousy and characterful flowers such as Chrysanthemums, Roses and Peonies. Generally, I enjoy drawing any form of natural imagery.

What did you make of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve when you visited?

I was unaware of how vast the site was and how many birds I would see. It was a peaceful yet atmospherically volatile day, which made for some incredible cloud formations . The more I looked, the more diversity I could see in the surroundings; from the expansive array of grasses and shrubs that lived around the marshes, to the broad amassing of bird species I spotted as I ventured further. It will require further visits to truly take in its expanse, and you must look at for a while, and quite keenly, to be able to see all the variety it has to offer.

Where is your favourite wild space in Sussex?

I have a soft spot for the coastlines, however, as I grew up along there. There is such an unpredictable vivacity about the beaches that takes your focus away from everything else when you walk along a shoreline. It’s also enjoyable to comb the beaches to see what interesting items the sea may have decided to share on that particular day.

What do you most enjoy about being creative?

It’s the fact that virtually anything can become a source of inspiration for your next piece. A conversation with a friend, a walk along a high street, an advert on the side of a bus, a piece of news, a meal out. It also provides you with a way to convey something that maybe cannot be communicated through words, like a snapshot of how someone perceived something in the moment that is accessible to a wide audience no matter the background. The creative process is hard to pin down and explain, but it is a great way to fully involve all the senses and completely take you away from everything else in that moment.

More of Ollie's work here or follow him on Insta

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