owen dunn

by mia hadjigeorgiou

Although working as a security guard in an abandoned asbestos factory with his friend Steven may pay the bills for 31-year-old Owen Dunn from Castleton, the intricate and unique art pieces he produces prove that innate talent will always shine through, regardless of circumstance…
Despite having a passion for art from an early age inspired by his grandfather’s drawing skills, Owen was never encouraged to pursue his talent seriously at school, only receiving at highest a B grade for his work, from teachers who didn’t quite understand his artistic vision.

At college, he studied Video Games Development, hoping that he could use his artwork to create complex and nuanced game characters, but unfortunately found that the course was far more suited to computer coders compared to artists.

Nevertheless, Owen continued to hone his art skills, comprising a portfolio of his work to show to local tattoo shops, which landed him an apprenticeship in tattooing at age 18.Again though, it wasn’t to be, and Owen left his apprenticeship after only a year, feeling like his boss didn’t quite like him on a personal level, and “making [art] into a full-time profession kind of sucked the joy out of it”.
He said, “I tried to carry on after that for a bit but it just never really worked out… you know I never really enjoyed [tattooing] as much as doing art as a hobby, but I think maybe that’s just the tattooing aspect I didn’t enjoy”.

Now, Owen dreams of one day having the time and freedom to draw his own graphic novel / comic book, and if money and qualifications were no barrier, he would love to work for a company like Marvel, designing different characters and being paid to draw graphic novels full-time.
His current favourite comic book artists include Alex Ross and Esad Ribić, both of whom have produced work for Marvel Comics in the past.
Owen also has a keen interest in animal conservation following a 2017 trip to Africa, where he volunteered at an animal conservation site.
He said that, again, if money were no object, and he could make enough through his artwork to support himself and his future family, he’d love to open his own nature reserve / animal conservation site.

Finally, Owen began to discuss his support network, and couldn’t help but admit how his girlfriend is his “number one fan”, before also thanking his grandparents and mother for their ongoing belief in his ability.
All in all, though Owen may be in some ways a blank canvas in the professional art world, his artistic potential is blatant in his breathtaking sketches, and to address Marvel Comics directly now- if you see this- you know exactly where to find your next great comic artist!