Interview With A Pixel Artist Part 6: The Crafty Phantom

Who are you? Where are you based?

My name is Jamie Davies and I am 40 years old. I live in the UK, East of England.

When and why did you first start making your art?

I have always liked making things and so I like to try all different crafts. I started doing 3d origami a few years ago. I found it a bit limited so I then started doing 3d origami painting, which is basically pixel art. Because there aren't enough colours in paper I also then found this quite limited as well. That’s when I decided to look for other alternatives. My partner does diamond painting but I didn’t fancy that. I remembered Hama beads from when my children were younger and it just ticked all the boxes.

---

What inspires your artwork?

Anything and everything.

Do you remember the first piece you made?

The first piece I made with beads was a small collection of super heroes.

---

What's the biggest piece you've ever made?

The biggest thing I've done is a portrait of my friend’s son. It was 171x228 (pegs) and it used 38,988 beads.

What is your art workspace like?

I don’t actually have one. i just use a board and sit it on my lap usually.

What are the tools of your trade?

Just my boards, beads and tweezers.

---

What's the most time you've spent on a project?

The portrait I did took around 100 hours

Can you talk us through your creative process? How do you go about planning and creating a piece?

If it’s a portrait style piece I usually spend hours trying different apps/websites converting until I find a result I’m happy with. If it’s more simple and cartoony then I draw it out on a paint program. As I don’t have an actual workplace I do one board at a time.

What are the most common questions you get asked about your art?

How do I convert a picture?
How have I got the patience?

Have you had any art-related disasters?

Quite frequently. I have a cat so she likes to ruin my life. Oh, and I knock the board when I’m moving it to the cupboard (safe place to store). I tend to somehow flick the tray of beads when I take it out too which sends all the beads everywhere.

Do you have a dream project you'd love to make, but just can't justify yet?

I saw a lady do a massive floor piece of all the pokemon. Something on that scale would be awesome.

What was your most recent project?

The portrait for my friend

What are your favourite experiences you've had as a result of your art?

Just the comments I get from people that enjoy what I do

Do you have any projects in progress or in the pipeline right now?

I’m now doing a couple of small cartoon designs that I’ve found (not my designs) and then I’m wanting to do a few more pinsplash style ones.

Do you sell your art? If so, how can people find it?

I don’t. I don’t think there is much want for it in the UK so I take it apart once I’ve took my photo.

How can people find you online? Drop your social media handles, websites etc...

My Instagram is @thecraftyphantom

Anything else to share? Shoutouts, words of wisdom etc?

I see a lot of people saying online that they can only make small pieces. They daren’t make big pieces. I think, if you can make a small one, you can make a big one. There’s no difference. Just have fun. If it goes wrong, do it again.