"My drawings of Leeds' Hyde Park Picture House led to a books deal," illustrator Adam Allsuch Boardman
Yorkshire illustrator Adam Allsuch Boardman has spent the last decade creating imaginative illustrations. Known for creating 'clean, geometrical imagery using limited palettes and exacting lines', Adam, 32, a keen viewer of cinema, directs much of his film enthusiasm into his beguiling illustrations.
With his illustrations being characterised as 'clean, direct and playful' keen sci-fi lover Boardman uses his own signature use of composition, colour and light - which can be seen in his charming illustrations of Leeds much loved historical building and picture house - the Hyde Park Cinema.
Boardman, who lives in Otley, started his journey into the world of illustrations as an art student and it was here that his fledgling talents led him to the door of the Edwardian picture house on Brudenell Road.
While being a student at Leeds Art University, Adam took on a job working at a museum agency, making illustrative panels and it was this that led him to his work with the stunning 112-year-old listed building cinema.
"In my final year, my final major project was that I went to the Hyde Park Picture House. I had been going there for years. And on this occasion I said, can I draw the whole building inside and out? And they said yes,” he says.
"I was shown around the backstage areas, the basement and I did lots of exhaustive drawings. When I finished that work it was shown at the end of year's show in London, which is for lots of graduates. It was because of that illustration, a publisher saw it and that's how I got my first book deal.
"They saw this picture of the Hyde Park Picture House and a year after university I worked on my first book, which was an illustrated history of filmmaking.
"Ever since then I've been working on editorial things for magazines and newspapers. I've been working on things for websites and merchandise. But probably what most people associate with me is my books. I make non-fiction books for a younger audience."
Much of Adam's work has appeared in the areas of publishing, editorial and corporate contexts.
Working with subject matters he is fascinated by is a huge pull for Boardman. He has illustrated a number of books including an illustrated history of UFOs, ghosts, urban legends and a book about lost Leeds cinemas.
Collaborating with the Hyde Park Cinema, Boadman illustrated "Hiding In Plain Sight" - a book documenting the lost cinemas of Leeds.
With at least 80 cinemas once existing in Leeds and now only a handful remaining, the book, featuring Boardman's beautiful illustrations reveals and documents all of the lost cinemas - some gone forever, some now re-purposed, strangely familiar, and hiding in plain sight.
As well as indulging his love of drawing, he says his work as an illustrator has given him the opportunity to truly explore the historic building of The Hyde Park Picture House - a building he is truly fascinated by.
"The Hyde Park Picture House I just loved, I lived in that area of Hyde Park and I would go there all the time. I was just fascinated with the building. I wanted to know more about it and I thought doing an illustration project on it would be a good opportunity to see the guts of the building."
Boardman says he was pleased his work became etched on the minds of many who saw it.
"Perhaps the passion I put into that project was recognised by my future clients because people have brought it up years later. "And over the years I've done more work with the Hyde Park Picture House. They're just really nice people to work with, I guess it's not just the building and the fact that it's a cinema. I love cinemas and I love cinema history, but they're just lovely people as well."
Adam creates his artwork from his home office in Otley but also hot desks in Hope Foundry in Mabgate - a setting he finds helps to keep him inspired and the creative juices flowing.
"They're a charity in Leeds, and they very recently opened up one of their floors for co-working.
"I was working from home for a while. After the fallout of Covid, I think a lot of people ended up working from home, and it was recently that I've got back into working in town because it's nice to be around other creatives.
"I think it's ideal. I know it costs money but I feel good about it because it's a charity and in particular they're a nice local charity so I know my rent is being put to good use. It's well worth it."
Boardman says his career as an illustrator means he does extensive research, which allows him to learn about many interesting and diverse subjects.
"Being an illustrator in my particular context, I get to learn lots of new things. I've worked on books about astronauts, doctors, old cinemas, and the history of filmmaking. I've done a number of paranormal books, which are really good fun, books about UFOs and ghosts.
"It's an opportunity to spend a lot of time reading through a big stack of books and converting that information for a broad audience, but mostly school children. And trying to again convey that passion and interest. Then there's the normal stuff like drawing pictures. I've always enjoyed drawing pictures. It's the joy of looking at the world around you and putting it to paper to make it into a book, make it into something that'd be seen on a website or in a magazine."
Growing up, Boardman, who also has a creative sister, a Yorkshire florist with her own business, who he spent his teenage years helping out, says his favourite subject was art. He credits his teachers for encouraging and nurturing his talent and passion.
"At school I was very fortunate. We had a well stocked art department, so we could try our hand with pretty much everything and our teachers were pretty forward thinking.
Today, he creates his images digitally and finds it is the perfect, contemporary way to showcase his illustrations.
Looking back to his school days, he says: “At the time, we had computers, so we could play around with image editing software, and all my work now is digital. I work on a laptop and a tablet. At university, I tried my hands at all sorts of materials, but in the end I went with digital. It's just another tool in the end."