The older you get, the harder it is to find thoughtful, affordable gifts for family and friends. But even the people who ‘have it all’ are sure to love a Family Scribble. These personalised portraits by Mike Young can be tailored to include pets, homes and favourite places… anything you like!
I commissioned a Scribble, pictured above, as an early birthday present to myself and I love the result. As we spend so much time with Ernie and Stan on our local beach, or visiting others around the UK, I asked for a generic beach background – and it was no problem at all.
So how did Mike get into personalised portraits? The Essex-based artist said: “Ever since I was a kid, I have been scribbling the world around me. I loved just putting marks on paper but for one reason and another, I didn’t go to uni or art college and fell into a boring insurance job.
“A few years back, I started scribbling again and one Easter, I did a family portrait illustration for my family as a gift. They loved it and showed a few people, who then also wanted one. Then my friends started asking for them and it kind of snowballed from there.
“When Covid happened and we got locked down, I really had a chance to devote more time to drawing. When the world opened up again, I decided to quit the day job and go for it full-time, which is scary and exciting all at once, but I love it.”
Mike, who also hosts art workshops and illustrates children’s books, added: “I love creating scribbles that hopefully make people smile. Families come in all shapes and sizes and it’s a privilege that people enjoy my art and allow me to help capture those special moments.”
It normally takes around two weeks for a standard family portrait to be drawn, plus a further week to sort print and delivery. We paid £45 for our high-resolution digital artwork file but Mike can also print, frame and deliver pictures for an additional cost.
For more information about Mike’s Family Scribbles or to see more examples of his work, check out his Facebook page.