A unique gift for a friend turned into a new artistic direction for Duncan of Jordanstone graduate Sanna Dyker.
Once family and friends spotted Dundee artist Sanna Dyker’s illustration of Dens Park, they asked the talented artist turn the original into a print.
“The first drawing was for my now boyfriend,” explains Sanna. “He wasn’t actually my boyfriend at the time – he was a work colleague and it was going to be his 30th birthday.
“I was trying to think of something to give him as a gift.
“I do often gift drawings to friends and family and I knew he was a huge of Dundee Football Club.”
Safe to say the gift was well received. “I think it’s quite a meaningful gift,” explains the artist.
“He was overwhelmed by it and he obviously showed family and friends. He has a lot of family members that are Dundee FC fans and it just spread from there.”
Dundee stadium illustrations capture two teams, one city
Like many Dundee folk, Sanna counts both Dark Blues and Arabs among her friends and family.
“My brother in law’s actually a Dundee United fan,” she points out.
A stroll across Tannadice Street to Tannadice Park seemed the obvious next step with her illustrations.
The drawings are all done using tiny dots and strokes of a fine-line black pen. The meticulous style is incredibly time-consuming but is a great way of including every detail of the iconic buildings.
She has now added Pittodrie to the prints for sale via her Etsy shop and at HAYM in Carnoustie and plans to depict more of Scotland’s hallowed grounds very soon.
The Dundee artist has loved drawing ever since she was a little girl and has always wanted to include as much fine detail as possible in her work.
“It matches with the way I like to create things connected to nostalgia and memories for people,” she says.
Sanna Dyker knows the importance of detail for footie fans
“There is so much emotion tied up with football stadiums – memories of people going there with family and friends or of match day rituals.
“They’re more than just a building, they are part of someone’s story and life.
That connection means that it’s important to get every nook and cranny absolutely right.
“I do a lot of checking,” she says. “where certain things sit, the seats, certain rows, all those things have to make sense because they can mean a lot to people.”
Not just the beautiful game
Sanna’s plans to draw more football grounds were put on hold for a little while when she earned a commission to illustrate Scottish rugby’s home, Murrayfield.
She says: “So that one took quite a long time because the top of Murrayfield Stadium is just many, many girders!”
The artist also draws portraits of people, pets, wedding venues and people’s homes to order.
Recently, this aspect of her work has allowed her to bring more colour to her pen and ink sketches.
“I think colour’s just adding in another level of detail,” she says, “because at the moment I’m building up the tiny dots and dashes to create shadow and texture.”
Conversation