Nicholas Hughes

Diddletron

Wallpaper maker

©Neil Watson

Where drawing meets craftsmanship

Nicholas is a wallpaper designer and maker
He carves the repeating pattern into print blocks
His inspiration is the continuity of the handmade

Nicholas Hughes is first and foremost an illustrator. Having studied at the Chelsea school of art in 2005, he turned his talent for drawing towards applied arts. His craft of choice for the last decade has been block printed wallpaper, because it calls upon his patience and creativity. Nicholas is inspired by the legacy of the handmade. The shelves of his workshop are lined with object that spark inspiration, such as a two-millennia old ceramic pot and holiday souvenirs. For Nicholas, the creation process of wallpaper begins with lots of sketches – his sketchbooks are filled with characters and drawings of objects, imagined from different perspectives. Once he has developed a pattern, it has to be hand carved into a lino block, which will later be covered with paint, so as to print by block printing or screen printing and make the wallpaper.

Interview

©Neil Watson

©Neil Watson

How did you learn to design and make wallpaper?: I am self-taught. Once some interior designers saw my ink drawings and suggested that I try making wallpapers. Everyone is familiar with wallpaper, it is all around us. And lino is quite an informal material. I was drawn to the free process.
What is the process of your craft?: I always keep sketchbooks. There is a joy in drawing that informs all of my work. The next step is to arrange shapes within a block so that it repeats. And then I transfer the design onto blocks and carve it. Finally, I use the blocks or screen print to make the pattern on the wallpaper.
Do you feel you master your technique?: I did my first designs 2012, and yet I definitely do not feel I master my craft. I am very much against the idea of hierarchy, and of what is good and bad, because so much is to do with taste. I think there are always new things to explore. I don’t think I want to be a master if to be a master is seen as an endpoint.
What are the challenges of your craft?: It is very time consuming. If you are designing through a manual process, then you reflect while you are drawing or carving, and you find your solutions through the materials during the process.

Nicholas Hughes is a rising star: he began his career in 2016 and he started teaching in 2019