Sheffield United artist spotlight: Ryan Vaughan

In the first of our artist spotlights, we talk to United fan and Hanoi resident Ryan Vaughan about his love for the Blades, his creative process, and watching the Premier League in Kazakhstan

Words: David Taylor & Ryan Vaughan

I first saw Ryan Vaughan’s work at the beginning of 2021, when his account popped up on my Instagram feed. The ominous Instagram algorithm had done its job with aplomb, as I laid eyes on the clean, bright pop of a Brian Deane-era home shirt that formed part of Ryan's ‘Legends of a Generation' collection.

More shirts featuring Billy Sharp, Chris Wilder and Mark Duffy were interspersed with shirts from other clubs and commissioned portraits of beaming families, creating the sort of cheerful account you're drawn to follow within moments.

that_ryan_draws

A post shared by That Ryan Draws (@that_ryan_draws)

Ryan's artwork has morphed and developed since then, with a wide range of styles and subjects, but the connecting link through it all is Sheffield United. In the first of our artist spotlights, we talk to Ryan about his United-supporting past, how his passion for art fuelled a career, and the time he sneaked his way into the Chinese FA Cup final.

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How long have you been supporting United?

I’ve been a Blade all my life - 32 years to be exact. I come from Woodhouse Mill (technically Rotherham, where the border is the bottom of my parent’s garden) and lived there for the majority of my life, before moving over to S2 for a few years in my twenties, then heading off to China, Kazakhstan and Hanoi to live life as a trailing spouse to my teacher wife.

When was your first match?

The first match I can remember is from the ’94/’95 season. I think it was Grimsby at home. I remember us winning - I’m not sure what the score was, but there was definitely a pitch invasion for some reason. Wasn’t that just what happened on the last day of the season in the ‘90s?

What made you want to become an artist? Has it always been a passion?

I’ve always had a creative mind, from playing the guitar since the age of 11 to attending Drama School to study for my degree (it was in Blackpool, so please don’t think I’m some posh lar-di-dar - I’m from Woodhouse Mill, remember?).

Drawing was always something just to relax my mind and pass the time. I often think if I was a teenager today, then maybe I would go further down that route as I always hated having to use paints, colouring pencils etc. If it wasn’t for the Procreate App on the iPad, there’s no chance I’d have the patience to be able to do what I do now.

When did you start to draw United-related pieces? 

From the first time I picked up a red crayon at school… it’s always my go-to and I love when I have commissions come through that ask ‘can they be wearing a Blades shirt?!’.

Talk us through your creative process. Is it computer-based? Where do you start with one of your shirt drawings, for instance?

Any creative process for me starts with plenty of research into the things I want to draw. There’s no point in not being precise - after all, they do always say that ‘general is the enemy of art’. After that, for me, drawing starts off with basic shapes - triangles, squares and circles - connected with some lines, squiggles and frustration until something clicks that brings the piece together and it all makes sense in this messed-up head of mine, looking something like the original image on my laptop screen.

What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio, and why?

My current favourite piece is the ‘United Colours of Bramall Lane’ image I finished at the end of last week. It’s so simple and clean but so effective, and each shirt holds such a great, fond memory of a significant player, which I’m sure is the same for many other Blades. I also have some favourite commissions I’ve done which took me a while to complete but hold so much detail. From drawing 14 different people in one piece to drawing different landmarks around Vietnam, they’re all very special to me as well as my customers.

When did you move to Hanoi, and what inspired that decision?

I lived in Nanjing, China for two years from 2016, missing the League One promotion season and the ‘Bouncing Day Massacre’, but witnessing a Chinese FA Cup Final, after being snuck into the sold-out ‘locals only’ game by the police. I then moved to Almaty, Kazakhstan for two years, a land of ridiculous riches: G-Wagons on every street corner; old Soviet architecture; Lenin and Beatles statues; corrupt football and even more corrupt governments that make our Tory party look like a game of ‘Mums & Dads’. After some of the coldest winters I’ve ever witnessed, we decided it was time to move somewhere where the summers last from April to late October, the beer and scran are cheap, and we could travel around Asia relatively easy.

Then Covid hit. Having escaped Kazakhstan in mid-March of 2020 to go back home, we moved out to Hanoi in August of 2020, when anyone entering the country had to have special permission from the government and had to spend two weeks in a hotel room upon arrival. Luckily I had my iPad and Apple Pencil to keep me occupied (as well as a few northerners to drink cheap Vietnamese Lagers with, who became great friends - one of them is also a Blade).

After all the restrictions were lifted, we were able to go back to see our families and friends in England after a long two years away. Life is much better now, and we are able to live freely around Vietnam - we even have some adventures booked around South East Asia in the coming months.

How difficult has it been following United games over the last seven years and three countries?

China was impossible and was just mostly waking up to results on the Sky Score Centre app. Kazakhstan was more of the same for the first year, but life in the Premier League meant I could finally watch my team on local TV! This carried on for the first year in Hanoi where I could pay for a Sky-Sports-like package. It was about a fiver a month, which would have been great if it wasn’t the relegation season. Now in the Championship, I manage to catch as many streams as I can online.

Who's your favourite ever player?

That’s a tough one. As a kid it was Brian Deane, then my teenage years would have been Paddy Kenny and Chris Morgan. The League One years would be Jamie Murphy, and now would be Billy Sharp. I think King Billy has to take the all-time title.

Who's your favourite player in our current squad, and how do you fancy our chances over the rest of the season?

Right now, if I was going to have a ‘player season’ with anyone on FIFA, it would definitely be Sander Berge (or Sam the Burger, as my wife refers to him). I think with him in the squad along with Ndiaye and Anel, it could definitely be our year…but am I optimistic?

I’m a Blade and England Fan - if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to go into everything with as few expectations as possible, then everything else is a bonus… so make of that what you will!

Where can we find your work? 

My work is available to view on my Instagram @that_ryan_draws and the occasional Sheffield United post on my Twitter @HanoiBlade.

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David Taylor is a writer, editor and former captain of Whiston Parish Church Cricket Club U17s. His writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire and National Geographic Traveller, with broadcast work for BBC Radio 4 and Premier League Productions. A South Stand aficionado (or so he likes to think), David has been a DEM Blades editor since 2018 and is Contributing Editor of The Pinch.