Joseph Melhuish explains why “having fun” is the key to making work that resonates

Since his days of studying illustration at Kingston University, London-based artist Joseph Melhuish has continued to nurture his love of sketching: “I keep lots of sketchbooks and for me that’s the most organic way of creating work.” But in recent years, his once entirely 2D-based practice has entered the third dimension, with Joseph discovering the endless possibilities of VR. Though a far cry from his early work on paper – technically speaking – these new digital tools allow for a similar process to traditional sketching, and it’s for this reason that Joseph has so eagerly adopted them. “When I discovered you could make 3D models like you would a sketch in a sketchbook, it was a revelation for me,” he recalls.

Flash forward to the present day, and Joseph has made a name for himself through his clever use of VR and his ability to craft weird and wonderful 3D characters. He tells the audience that one of the main applications for this new style is club posters, of which he has now created a fair few. Showing the audience various examples, he reveals the intuitive yet intricate processes involved in creating each poster, as well as the challenge of finding new, interesting ways of incorporating the line-up for each club night into the designs. Complicated though it may be, Joseph has clearly developed a knack for this approach, and he puts his success down to “finding a way of working that is most enjoyable”. He goes on: “When people can see that you had a fun time making the work, that really resonates with them.”