Dark Arts: Faversham Illustrator Benedict Abbit fuses manga and horror
Benedict Abbit on his illustrations that toe the line of shock and awe
Inspired by the macabre and the occult, illustrator Benedict Abbit caught our eye in Issue 13 of international arts and culture zine Pavement Licker - whose founder James-Lee Duffy is based right here in Faversham.
Little did we know, when perusing the latest issue, that the creepy illustration of a hand with chopped-off fingers and demon tentacles was also created in the ME13 postcode.
“I have this tagline that I put on all of my pieces called ‘Gothic phantasmagoria inspired by Eldritch Horror and the Macabre’,” laughs Benedict. “I spent ages working on that, if you couldn’t tell!”
Having his work selected in an extremely reputable zine posted all over the world came about through a mix of serendipity and signposting from a mutual hairdresser of Benedict and James-Lee. But the artist is not one to wait for an opportunity.
With a shop on Etsy and a job as a school art technician, as well as appearances at City Core Creatives markets and Big Cheese Co. gigs, there’s no rest for the wicked (illustrations). One fruitful path for exposure has been collaboration with musicians and artists. Benedict has designed T-shirt and flyer artwork for the likes of Canterbury band High Garden “Oh, that reminds me, I’m meant to send them over a design today,” he says. As well as work with Bromley’s pop-soul artist Eli.
“Working with Eli was a really exciting one - she’s toured with Chvrches and done really well for herself. I’ve worked with quite a few local bands over the years and even some drum and bass producers.”
While the mix of fantasy and fear elements of Benedict’s illustrations is often the most eye-catching, brief school flings with the works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein have given rise to line work and pop-art dots. But many of his influences actually start at home.
“Both of my parents are creatives,” says Benedict. “My dad’s a graphic designer for a large agency. Do you remember the Lenor patchwork people? He was on the team that came up with that.
“My mom is a fine artist and was a graphic designer as well in the past. So growing up, all around the house were the books and posters that my parents had designed. My mum put together a book for a Hammer Horror Exhibition in London and I think that’s where I got into horror.
Image by Sunny Singe (@sunnycine on Instagram)
“I spent ages looking at all the old screenshots and the trivia from all these really old horror films and how it was all done and who was in it. I also really admire Christopher Lee because of that book.”
Benedict began to combine his passion for horror with other loves, manga and anime.
“That had a huge impact on sort of how I learned to draw, actually,” he says. “That’s why I did a lot of character art because I found Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts and things like that. The illustrator is called Tetsuya Nomura, and he’s been really influential, too.”
Having moved to London two years ago in search of creative opportunities, Benedict is heading back to UCA Canterbury to study for a Masters, having already completed the illustration-animation course at the same campus. Though art school wasn’t the initial route Benedict took.
“I actually left school early because I wasn’t academic. I really didn’t get on with it at all,” he says. “I ended up falling into catering and I was a chef for about five years.”
Working his way through the ranks at different pubs and restaurants, Benedict’s thirst for creativity couldn’t be sustained through food - though a thirst for after-hours beer did get him fired.
“Yeah. But it had got to a point where it felt like I really needed to get back into drawing and making stuff for myself,” he says. “I needed to figure out what I really wanted to do. I’ve always liked comic books and manga, so illustration seemed to make sense to me.
“By the third year, I’d made a couple of really short-form comics. I made a horror story about a lost phone, which was inspired by a story I saw on Reddit.”
One of the artist’s favourite works is a graphic novella called Mindlurker. “That probably sounds really pretentious,” says Benedict. “But it’s not quite a novel, and not quite a book.”
“I wrote it during lockdown - it’s about being isolated and alone with your thoughts. It was the first proper comic with a beginning, a middle and an end. It felt like a real book compared with every other one that I’ve made. I was really proud of that.”
INFO: www.benedictabbit.co.uk
