Chris Rathbone is a graphic artist and designer from Portsmouth who has been behind some of the most iconic and collectible posters in motorsports including work for Formula 1, Formula E, RedBull, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
TGR: Have you always been a car guy or were you drawn to the formula 1 projects for another reason?
CR: "Yes, very much. My dad was a huge motorsport fan and I would always watch the F1 with him since I was a kid. We would also frequently go to Brands and Donnington to watch the BTCC, and he was also a biker so we would go to watch the World Superbikes and MotoGP too."
TGR: What kind of car do you drive?
CR: "I have a habit of changing my car every year or so as I get bored very quickly. In the 7 years since I met my (now) wife, I have had 9 different cars. I recently sold my Focus RS and I currently drive an Audi RS3."
TGR: What would you say was your “big break?”
CR: "Definitely the Goodwood Festival of Speed Silver Jubilee project. I was commissioned to created 25 illustrations, recreating Lord March's top 25 moments from the 25 years of the festival. I simply couldn't do the project outside of my day job and that was the moment I thought I need to focus my energy on my illustration work and so I resigned from my job as Creative Team Lead. Shout out to Northstar and Phill, as it was great to work with them on the project."
TGR: Who are the artists that inspire your style?
CR: "When I first started out creating my posters, I loved the work of artists like Matt Taylor, Dan Mumford, and Matt Furguson. They predominantly work in the comic and movie industry which is another big love of mine, and I was always curious how that style of work would lend itself to the world of sport, and in particular, motorsport. I loved their use of color, and in particular, with Matt Taylor and Dan Mumford, they way they used solid, block colors and didn't use gradients, or fades in their work - it had a very distinctive style and really lent itself to the screen print process. I like to think over the years mine has evolved into something that is uniquely me, and I often get people commenting on work when clients post it asking if it's mine as they recognize my style which is really cool when it happens!"
TGR: Where can people learn more about you and buy your artwork?
CR: "I'd say my Instagram page is probably the best bet. I have my website ChrisRathbone.com where you can see a lot of my work, but I struggle to find the time to update it as often as I like with my recent projects and work. I post almost every day on my Instagram page though, and often share work in progress images, time-lapse videos and line work drawings of my work for people to see. I use to create a series of limited edition posters that I sold on my website, but again, I have struggled to find the time so far this year due to project work, but I'm hoping to create some new posters later this year - probably a new series of F1 race posters."
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