Turning Drawings into Reality: Catching up with the ‘Things I Have Drawn’ Instagram phenomenon

Earlier this year, Tom and Dom Curtis took the world by storm by turning six-year-old Dom’s drawings into reality with the magic of Photoshop. After their ‘Things I have Drawn’ Instagram account went viral, we caught up with the father and son duo to see what’s next for their creative project.

Adobe: Tell us a bit about yourself, what do you do and how did you get into drawing / using Photoshop?

Tom: I work for a media agency in London called MediaCom. I run the creative and production team although I used to be Creative Director so occasionally did a bit of Photoshop as part of my job. But I’ve actually been dabbling with Photoshop for over 20 years. I first started at Lancaster University while doing my Visual Arts degree. I really should be better at it than I am.

A: Has your son always been an avid drawing fan?

T: Before we started Things I Have Drawn I’m not sure if his output was any more prolific than his friends at school. Drawing is just something kids do – and they should be encouraged. Some of our recent Instagram posts have been by his younger brother Alistair – who’s drawing even more than Dom at the moment. I’ve got a big stash of pictures they’ve produced that I’ve not managed to do anything with just yet. I tend to stick to their quick doodles. The really detailed drawings would take me ages to recreate. Perhaps I’ll get to those one day.****

A: How did the project come about?

T: I always loved Dom’s drawings and thought it would be a cool thing to do. (It’s since become a nice alternative to Minecraft and Wii). The original idea was to make all the drawings really creepy, but Dom kept drawing animals that were more happy than creepy. I think what we’ve achieved is a bit of both. We live near a zoo which provides a lot of inspiration.

A: At what point did the project go viral? How did it feel knowing your work was being shared all over the world?

T: Towards the end of October, one Sunday night, I posted one of our early creations on Reddit. Within a few hours it made it to the very top of the homepage. Next day it began to get picked up by the media. From there we had 5 days of extraordinary coverage with websites across the globe featuring it. I even did an interview for Japanese TV and Dom and I were on ITV News on Friday. It was quite a surreal week.

A: What’s been your favourite drawing to reimagine?

T: I think my favourite has to be the cat, our first ever Instagram post. It’s a bit rough and ready but still makes me smile.

A: Christmas is around the corner, have you got any more festive creations up your sleeve?

T: I have indeed. Although I can’t tell you what they are yet. It’s a secret.

A: What’s next for you and your son?

T: Well – we’ll keep up with the Instagram posts. We’ve got lots more to do, especially with Alistair now contributing.

Check out Tom and Dom Curtis’ Instagram page here. As ever, do leave us a comment with your thoughts below!