I'm Nigel Spaven - born in 1962 and raised in sunny Seaton Carew, on the N.E. coast of England. Seaton is sandwiched between Hartlepool Marina and the Tees estuary and has a glorious, rambling golden beach. Behind Seaton is the ever-expanding Hartlepool. Tis lively and interesting - and worth a visit if you get the chance.
 
We also have a grand and colourful history - click here for an official guide to Hartlepool.

CAREER
After completing a City & Guilds apprenticeship in 1982, at Newcastle College of Art & Technology, I entered the printing trade as a compositor, using ancient and traditional typesetting methods which are now sadly a dying craft. I eventually moved on into the 21st century as graphic designer, using Mac technology and Adobe software.
An enormously diverse list of clients included: Local government departments, leisure and services industries, the utilities, regional business community, national and international companies.

During that time I utilized my artistic talent - producing cartoons and illustrations for magazines, brochures, programmes, greeting cards, calendars, posters, menus, catalogues, etc, etc.

I became a freelance artist in 2000. 

CLIENTS / COMMISSIONS TO DATE:
Hartelpool B.C. 
Middlesbrough B.C.
Stockton-on-Tees B.C.
South Tyneside Metropolitan B.C.
Redcar & Cleveland B.C.
Morrison Utility Services
IBM
EDF Energy
North East Chamber of Commerce
Yorkshire Water
Scotia Gas
The Customs House (South Shields)
BLAST programme
Stride Community Network (South Shields)
Tees Valley Housing Group
Sunnyside Primary School, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough
Whitehouse Primary School, Tyne and Wear
Greenfields Special Needs School, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear
Ridgeway Primary School, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
Metro Centre, Gateshead
Hartlepool Primary Care Trust
Teesside Play and Education Resource Centre (PERCY)
NDC (New Deal for Communities)
SPARC (Supporting Parents And Reciprocal Communication)
SureStart
Freudenburg
The Wildlife Trusts

When I'm not working at my pc I'm painting murals and taking mural workshops in Schools, Colleges and Community Centres, involving pupils and groups in the design and production of a wall mural - with the emphasis on unleashing the imagination and exploring ideas, building self-confidence and teamwork skills throughout the project.

Please peruse my portfolio. As you will see, my work covers a broad spectrum - from mural work to book illustration. I use traditional methods or provide digital artwork using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. All digital artwork is supplied as high resolution images, in a format suitable for your print requirements and web use. If you like what you see, feel free to e-mail me with your comments or commissions.