‘I am‘More than just a man of significance,’ says Tom Howe, now drawing about 3,500 for The Great British Back Off. “I’d love to see a show about barbecueing – but not how life treats me,” says Tom Howe. . Although I am quite foodie, and really like to cook. “

Even though he doesn’t have sweet teeth, Howir has been his favorite competitor for years. Referring to Spanish Goth from last year’s series, he said, “I really liked Helena. “She was a vampire-bat-a-home type woman who was delighted to have her backs reflect it and depict them. I also liked Kim-Joy [2018’s Belgian-British winner]. I like people who embody their worlds through their pages. For them, it’s not about stuff production – it’s about self-expression. I love that. “

Like Helena and Kim-Joy, the 37-year-old Welshman has created his own unique style. “Each image is on the screen for six seconds so I really have to make an impact. I’ve learned how to do it – develop dense outlines, use hatching, and finally use Photoshop to color images. “

Each week during filming, Howie receives a portfolio of photographs of Beck’s contestants from all angles. Among his favorite choices are Flora’s Tea Box and King Paul of Water. He works remotely from his studio in Newport and has only been to the Back Off Tent once. “I also get photos of unemployed people practicing at home, which is often better than what they do on the show, because they’re not working counterclockwise.”

This year’s Back Off Howie had a new challenge, which ended last night in the first episode, each contestant had to make the bust of their hero’s cake for the showstopper. Harmin chose Kenyan-Mexican actor Lupita Nayong, Linda created an orange and ginger Bob Marley, and Mark created the Origin-J of the species in honor of Charles Darwin. Howie said, “Pictures need to look like celebrities. “So I haven’t used food photographs for once.”

Howie wanted to be an artist since childhood. An uncle who had a pottery studio led the way. “He created it as a self-made artist and it’s an important example to me.” She left school at 16, happy to be out of it. “However, I realized that I needed training so I took a serial painting course in Sweden and then a degree in Bournemouth. That’s where I found my tribe. As a student, he drew lots of political pictures, inspired by Eserbeic masters such as Gerald Scarf and fellow Welshman Ralph Steedman.

So how did he portray Nadia’s Fiji pop cheesesex or Stacey’s tropical trifle terrain? “Ten years ago, I was out of Uni, sofa-surfing in London. I was creating a mural in Soho with a combination of street art. We’ll make them in stores opposite Sachi’s Fear and Liam Galla’s Pretty Green Shop on Carnaby Street. Obviously it doesn’t make money, so I did a lot of work – McDonald’s, pubs, record shops, everything. “

Then one day, a colleague working at TV told him about a job in an editing suite. “The next thing I knew, I was sitting in this room with the director and editor of Back Off which had just started. They said it lacked the visual element, so I suggested that as a painter I could draw the designs. “His first – a signature cake – was rejected.” It was too much work and too detailed. And it needed a thicker line to work. It was only felt through four series that I really found my style. “

As his style evolved, so did Becks. “They’ve become more skilled at design, which was more fun for me to describe.” He has singled out John Gingerbread Roman Colosseum from three series, a masterpiece of engineering like baking.

By 201 By, the workload proved to be unprecedented: she featured backs and its spin-offs with a coloring book including Celebrity Back Off, Junior Back Off, Stand Up to Cancer, a US edition, and a Christmas special. So he recruited some graduates from West England University in Bristol.

Does that mean he was kicking his assistants like Damien Hearst while drawing points? “Not really! I live in an estate in Newport, not in a huge mound in England. I’m still engaged in a really creative process, as well as consulting.” What will you teach future artists? Always find your style, draw anything and every day Don’t waste it – there are plenty of artists out there, so you have to make the most of the opportunities. “

Howie never expected any food as a painter. “I dreamed what I would do [Guardian cartoonist] Steve Bell says, “He says.” But I don’t think it works for a daily period that works with subtext that makes it interesting. Make Hovey unarmed self-deprecating, his contemporaries who were jealous of it Has created an image album.

He is planning projects not related to the back-up that he does not want to give details yet – because he knows that shows like the infamous Artic Roll of Law from the beginning of the series will one day be destroyed. “Don’t get me wrong. I love it and I never look back with regret. I’m engrossed in food, for example. I’ve seen Kazanna wonder again, and so has Dala.”

Howie’s work was shown at an exhibition of cooking paintings at the University of Leeds two years ago. It made him realize that he was part of a long tradition that predicts food photography. “I am passionate about food depiction and can develop it in new ways. But eating cakes is not for me, which is exactly the case for my waistline. At restaurants, the guy orders two starters and leaves the dessert. I don’t want to eat cakes, I just want to draw them. “

• The Great British Back of the Final tomorrow on BBC1.