An artist is using suggestions from fans to tell the illustrated history of Newcastle United in a single image.
Alex Bennett has previously created illustrated histories of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, but since moving to the North East last year he has turned his focus to Newcastle United .
The illustration, which he describes as a ‘Mishmash’, comprises some of the most memorable moments in the club’s history as well as a lot of forgotten moments, many of which were suggested by fans via social media.
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Bennett said: “I started with the moments that are familiar to not only Newcastle United fans, but football fans in general. For example, Alan Shearer 's iconic celebration, Philippe Albert's chip versus Man. United, and Temur Ketsbaia’s celebration where he kicked an advertising hoarding were all among the first things that I added.
“As things progress, I started moving towards less familiar moments such as Laurent Robert smashing the ball into Olivier Bernard's face, which must have been requested over 50 times. I still haven't added it but will do this week, I promise.”
Bennett has been creating his Mishmash illustrations since 2013, drawing inspiration from Martin Handford’s Where’s Wally books, and, just like Where's Wally, the amount of tiny details he puts in each picture means a lot of work. By the time he finishes the Newcastle United illustration he estimates he will have spent over 1,000 hours working on it.
Bennett said: “I have been working on Newcastle United Mishmash since November. I tend to work on it into the early hours of the night when the kids are in bed.
“I do question what I'm doing on occasion, usually when I'm drawing something like Vinnie Jones’s infamous man-marking of Gazza and I see it's three in the morning.”
Despite the amount of work Bennett is putting into the illustration, he is also eager to point out the contribution from fans to the final product.
“I would just like to thank everyone that has given me an idea or suggestion on what to include,” he said. “It sounds corny but it really is a team effort to create something like this. That's what makes the process so enjoyable for myself and hopefully for the people that follow its progress.”
You can pre-order the Newcastle United Mishmash at www.roundheadillustration.com .
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