Simon Lewis

I’m a Leeds based illustrator and printmaker. Over the years my work and style has varied and evolved, from very detailed, fine line black and white drawings, to experimenting with different forms of printmaking such as screenprints and etchings printed onto mixed media.

Recently my drawings have focused on the industrial heritage of North England, capturing buildings such as mills, factories, silos, collieries and other examples of impressive but often fading industrial buildings.

When printmaking, particularly screenprint, my style involves the buildup of line and brushstrokes, doing a different drawing for each layer, that has to work on top of each other and also line up perfectly. More recently I’ve been doing etchings, experimenting with printing different layers on top of each other, sometimes onto other mixed media such as spraypaint.

Common subject themes tend to be streetlife, industrial heritage, brutalism, faded grandeur, historical buildings, ghost signs, music venues, brightly coloured signage and shop fronts. I like to consider my work as a sort of archive, appreciating and bringing focus to aspects that you see everyday, but go under the radar, until they’re gradually gone and then people become nostalgic about them.

My work has been exhibited across the country including at the New English Art Club (shortlisted for the Haworth Art Prize 2015 & 2016), Flourish Award (shortlisted 2015) and selected for Society of Graphic Fine Art (2025) among others.

Website: www.simonlewisillustration.co.uk
Instagram: www.instagram.com/simonlewisillustration/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/simonlewisillustration/
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/SimonLewisIllustr