The Nostalgic Lines of Nick Bridson Baker

Cartoonist and humorous illustrator Nick Bridson Baker produces drawings, paintings and monotype prints. His cartoons have been published in The Evening Standard, Punch, Private Eye, The Spectator, Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph, and more. He has also published and illustrated numerous books.

Bridson Baker creates on-the-spot drawings of places, people and events, in addition to drawings from memory or his imagination, both of which have a cartoonish, sketchy style about them. His line drawings juxtapose detail with minimalism. His figurative drawings, particularly nudes very much focus on the subject in the foreground, there is often not much going on beyond them.

Baker plays with white space, leaving areas blank. His on-the-spot drawings frequently depict busy city scenes, conveying well the hustle and bustle through fluid black lines, however again a minimalism is employed, creating vacant spaces which contrast with the sections of dense, interweaving lines. Predominantly working in monochrome, when colour is added, it’s through quite a muted palette, and often just suggestions and hints here and there, rather than solid blocks of colour. I find his work to have a rather nostalgic feel about it, reminiscent of illustrations often found in children’s books.

About the writer

Tara is an Art Foundation and History of Art graduate born and bred in London. She has travelled the globe extensively, immersing herself in the vibrant arts and cultures the world has to offer, and hopes her next adventure will take her to India! She is currently teaching English as a foreign language whilst enjoying volunteering at Art on a Postcard, and she hopes to break into the art world!