Steve 'Squidoodle' Turner

Steve Turner, illustrator of Squidoodle's Adventures in Colouring & Doodling

Help our followers get to know you. What does a typical day in the life of Steve Turner involve?
A typical day in the life for me is working and drawing. Unless it's the weekend in the summer and then I'll be away in my campervan.

When did you first become interested in illustrating?
I've been interested in illustrating and drawing for as long as I can remember. I used to create cartoons and do graffiti words when I was a kid and then plaster the walls of my bedroom with them.

What are your favourite things to draw?
My favourite things to draw are buildings and animals. I've done a few portraits of people but I'm never entirely comfortable doing human faces. I stick to patterns, steampunk cogs and floral nature themese.

Where do you find inspiration?
I struggle to find inspiration in real life. Usually an idea for a drawing comes from trawling my imagination, looking for different things and contradictions. That's where the idea of steampunk animals came from - the idea of mechanical man made things like cogs and pipes, together with the natural beauty of animals.

If you weren't an illustrator what would you be?
If I wasn't an illustrator I'd have to do something else creative. Maybe a carpenter. I'd love to make furniture.

Why do you think adult colouring books have become so huge?
I think adult colouring books are so popular as they give people an escape. Everyone is so busy these days, and technology and social media take up most of people's hours. Colouring gives us an excuse to switch off and go back to something we did as children. It's therapeutic, relaxing and rests your brain.

What does your working environment look like?
My working environment is never the same - I do a lot of my drawings on the train to work, then finish them at the dinner table, or at the weekend I'll be sitting outside my campervan drawing on my lap.

Do you listen to music when you work? If so, who/what?
Yes I always listen to music. Either old punk, ska and reggae or modern hip hop and a bit of folk.

What are your favourite things in life?
My favourite things are my family and children first and foremost, art, my campervan, old stone walls, wooden gates, the sea, clouds, pine cones, antique keys, sun dials, squirrels, driftwood and things washed up by the sea, shells, sun flowers, and anything that makes me smile.

Finally, please give 3 words that describe your work.
Different. Ornate. Intricate.

You can find Steve's book over on Amazon.