"I'm an Illustrator, Designer & Art Director originally from Romania but now based in New York City. I come from a diverse creative background originating with art history, media and film studies that eventually transformed into a professional career in graphic design & illustration. I would best describe my illustration approach as trying to capture the precise aesthetic of logo/web design and the various comic book artists and cartoons I grew up loving. I have a passion for football that goes back to as early as 5 years old. When I wasn't watching it on TV or playing it, I was drawing my favourite players from posters, magazines and panini stickers. When I'm not working or investing my time in football, I also have a deep passion for art history and philosophy.

What immediately struck me about Graham Paddon’s look was how perfect he embodied the 70's aesthetic from the long flowing blonde hair to the moustache he wore later in his career. He had beautiful blue eyes but in many photos he pulled off the cool, squinty eyes look that has always been commonly applied to heroes of the Western and comic book genres. Moreover, he has this big masculine chin that gives his face a verticality that contrasts quite strikingly with the dynamism and general looseness of his hair. His face has the precision of a chiselled Greek sculpture while his hair is flowing and bubbly like a long garment. Overall he has one of the most unique faces I've ever seen and I really wanted to capture it all and give it a gloss and pop that was also characteristic of his playing days, as he was known to be quite the dynamic player with a fierce left foot."

Words by Cover Artist, Daniel Nyari

To further celebrate this seasons Portrait of an Icon cover artwork, we've released print editions of every piece which are available to buy now from our online shop.