A Bristol illustrator has learned to draw with his left hand after a rare cancer meant his right forearm had to be amputated. Dylan Shelton, 25, described learning to draw with his other hand as “incredibly freeing” and becoming “less judgemental” about his own work.
Having grown up in Hampshire, Dylan moved to Bristol seven years ago to study illustration and regards the city as his home. In 2021 when he was 23, he was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer, synovial sarcoma.
He went through a number of treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, lung surgery and amputation of his right forearm, but was determined to continue drawing as his chosen career. He said: “It took me about a year until I was confidently drawing again, but it really didn't take too much practise as it’s the only thing I have done my whole life.
