“Illustrators make worlds and tell stories, and they do it to their own rules. That’s something illustrators need to remember.”

Geo Law AKA Doodle Club has been drawing since childhood. Whilst his parents were busy running a restaurant, him and his sister would draw, inspired by cartoons, comics and video games. Instead of toys he had pens and paper and inspiration came from the world around him.

“I’m sure all of us miss being kids, where you could create and make your work without anyone asking you ‘what’s the point?’”

A childhood spent drawing led to a degree in Graphic Design and whilst at university, Geo found new interests and dipped into different worlds. Avant garde hip hop, screen printing and anime joined the growing list of influences. Another influence was good grades. Keen to impress his tutors, Geo was creating work he thought they wanted to see.

“I was chasing a grade and I didn’t realise I could create something more about me than the reaction I wanted.”

After graduation Geo shunned London for returning home to Sheffield where he worked three jobs and drew whenever he could. He worked with kids, helping them design and create their own t-shirts.

He marketed his artwork on MySpace, then Instagram, and some big brands got in touch. Disney, Facebook, Google are just some of the companies which have flown Geo across the world so he can doodle on their walls.

Geo’s doodles aren’t planned, and they’re rarely in colour. He doesn’t use colour because it ruins the flow of doodling.
He takes inspiration from the people he meets and the conversations he hears in the buildings he is doodling.

“Your work is your lifestyle and then your lifestyle allows you to meet some incredible people.”

In 2018 Geo set up Doodle Club in Sheffield and more than 100 people turned up at the first event to enjoy drinking and drawing. Doodle Club soon went international when Disney asked Geo to doodle the wall of their illustration studios. Despite 900 illustrators in the building, Disney couldn’t find anyone to draw a mural on the wall. As well as seeing some incredible pieces of Disney history, Geo hosted a Doodle Club for Disney’s illustrators.

When he’s not travelling to doodle murals for some of the world’s largest companies, Geo works with students at Sheffield Hallam University, and Doodle Club runs regularly. Now nine years into his career, he has a few words of wisdom for Sheffield’s creatives.

“My final bit of advice is just be you, if you try and create work that pleases a certain crowd you’ll get found out pretty quickly.”

Words by Molly McGreevy.