Digital Portrait Artist Based In Cheshire

Hey, I’m Matthew Cook. A digital portrait artist based in Cheshire.

I didn’t enter the world of portraiture in a traditional way. I wasn’t born an artistic prodigy. I did study art at school but hated every second of it. I didn’t get into digital art until around 2017. Even though I had done portraiture previously, it took a lot of practice and self-criticism to get to the level I am at now.

Many ‘traditional artists’ have said my work is unauthentic as it is simply done using an iPad and stylus. In response, my love for my work has come from hard work and dedicating 40+ hours to a single piece. I have seen many artists try and fail when it comes to creating work digitally. It’s not as simple as many think. A lot of my inspiration comes from painters such as Zinsky and Christian Hook and still use traditional methods in my work.

My subject matter has been heavily influenced by my Mum. She has a great taste in film and sheer love for music. I remember growing up, there would always be either rock or soul music playing or a film or two being played at weekends. Thanks Mum. I grew up sharing the same love for music and film and want to celebrate the people who have heavily influenced my life.

My other influence in my life is my amazing partner Brogan. She has a uniquely creative mind herself and is incredibly supportive. She understands that digital art it’s an important part of my life. She inspires me to create my best work but isn’t afraid to criticise so I can improve every time. She definitely keeps me on my toes and I am very grateful to have her in my life. ~ Matthew Cook