Scrawl Collective

About Us | Silk Screen Printing

About Us

The Scrawl Collective story begins in 1998 with the publication of Scrawl, Dirty Graphics and Strange Characters. (Booth Clibborn Editions). This was the first book that really picked up where Henry Chalfont’s seminal Spray Can Art and Subway Art left off. In Scrawl the growth of the 80’s graffiti scene, combined with the cultural influence of Star Wars, comic books and Japanese Anime was traced and the artists who grew out of that scene to become designers, illustrators, printers and film makers were documented. The book featured such luminaries  as  Futura, Doze, Mode2 and SheOne from the graffiti scene and also a piece by a very young pre Stencil Banksy. During the research of this book one of the authors Ric Blackshaw identified an as yet barely noticed development among a few young illustrators and artists centring at that time around Bristol.

They combined the DIY aesthetics of Swifty’s graphics with a doodle drawing style all their own. Ric decided to start his agency Scrawl Collective with the three prime movers in this scene Steff Plaetz, Will Barras and Mr Jago. From the very beginning the guiding principle was about favouring the hand made and “amateur” approach over the slick mac based graphics that were at that time everywhere. They took the phrase “Hand B4 Mouse” as their motto. By the time the book was published the agency was up and running and taking on it’s first commissions. By the time the second Scrawl book Scrawl too, More dirt, was published in 2001 the agency had grown to about 12 artists and was taking commissions from and doing exhibitions and events all over the world making new connections as they went.

Clients such as Swatch, Sony Music, Nike, Puma, Burton Snow Boards, Boxfresh, Levi’s, Addict, Virgin Mobile all used the Scrawl touch down the years and thanks to the support of some great commercial partners the exhibitions and events they put on helped raise the profile of all the artists and the agency itself all over the world. As a consequence of this Scrawl Collective art became highly collectable with original canvasses and mural commissions fetching higher sums year on year and the agency at times struggling to meet demand.

From these beginnings Scrawl Collective has developed and widened it’s remit as it adds new and inspiring young artists to it’s roster. Phil Ashcroft (Phlash) brought a more painterly fine art quality to proceedings, Danny Sangra’s and David Walker’s prolific output and fashion connections again took the collective into new waters. Recent additions like Sam Green and French are representative of a new generation of talent with long and illustrious careers ahead of them. By identifying and championing new talent Scrawl Collective has always stayed ahead of it’s many imitators while always being true to it’s roots.