Peter Hutton Biography
I have as far back as my memory can take me always been drawing despite wanting to be an engine driver (we had steam locomotives back then) life dictated otherwise for fortunately while at secondary school a young art teacher decided my future should lay in the arts.
Exams were passed and my formal art education began at age thirteen at Twickenham School of Art, a distinction was gained in illustration and graphics, and work commenced at a small studio off Tottenham Court Road.
It was here that a life long friendship started with another ex Twickenham student 'Ken Dallison', we influenced each other greatly in our early years, it is true that neither of us would be where we are today without the other. We both did the graphic designer thing in London agencies, before going freelance and working together with work for Ford on the105E Anglia and the MkII Zephyr convertibles, I did the cars Ken did the backgrounds, as well as Ford we were doing work with Massey Fergusson agricultural machines. Eventually a break was needed, Ken went back to New York and I started a 2 year pan european ad campaign for Ford Europe, working through ad agency JWT (J. Walter Thompson) in Antwerp and Amsterdam, work followed from Aston Martin, Vauxhall, Honda, International Harvester and Shell Aviation, the Shell drawings went on a world exhibition staged by I.A.T.A while the Honda illustrations led to a commission to do perspective drawings for the fledgling Milton Keynes, with this came a change of direction from advertising illustration to architectural illustration, that was 30 years ago and much work followed with BDP, Conran Roche, Leslie Jones and Reid Associates etc this was a very rewarding period for me architects generally are sympathetic people to work with and appreciative of the contributions an artist can bring to the table, I am still being asked to help on projects having just finished five illustrations for BDP on St. James Edinburgh, the historic towns and cities still like a hand rendered illustration over a computer generated one.
In 2001 I ventured back to car art producing an ongoing series of collectors cards and prints featuring just a race car with emphasis on the engine, with part of the illustration left in line only giving a very graphic presentation of the subject.
Although I take some photos I do sit and draw the car, to draw is to understand how components fit together you see things you cannot see in a photograph, drawing requires total concentration and an image is ingrained in the memory for when pen is put to paper for the final drawing.