Long-time readers might remember the striking image on the front of issue 4 back in July 2020, a painting of a brooding Steven Gerrard peering out from beneath furrowed brows as rain lashed his back. It was the work of Louise Cobbold, an artist from Suffolk who had been working as a high-school teacher until a portrait of Rúben Neves for her Wolves-supporting husband set her on a remarkable trajectory.
In May, she masterminded the cover for the FA Cup final programme and, with US artist Mike O’Brien, she currently produces portraits for the Topps UEFA Club Competitions Living Set, a series of collectible cards capturing the stars of the men’s and women’s Champions League and the Europa League. First off the easel this year was Erling Haaland, still one of Cobbold’s personal favourite portraits – not that she has time to stop and look back.
“I love seeing fans in a Stadium with a programme with my artwork on the front”
“I do three paintings per fortnight,” she explains. “Topps decide the players and sends over a few photographs. I’ll have a look at the selection and sometimes I’ll go with it; other times, my husband Chris helps me find alternatives. It’s sometimes quite a drawn-out process because I’m aware that players are going to want me to produce something that does them justice.
“Then I begin working on it. Mine and Mike’s work is similar in some ways and different in others. He uses a combination of drawing and digital, whereas mine is all paint – acrylic on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes. Some take two days, some take three; some are harder than others. I just work to a place where I’m happy with them.”
Long-time readers might remember the striking image on the front of issue 4 back in July 2020, a painting of a brooding Steven Gerrard peering out from beneath furrowed brows as rain lashed his back. It was the work of Louise Cobbold, an artist from Suffolk who had been working as a high-school teacher until a portrait of Rúben Neves for her Wolves-supporting husband set her on a remarkable trajectory.
In May, she masterminded the cover for the FA Cup final programme and, with US artist Mike O’Brien, she currently produces portraits for the Topps UEFA Club Competitions Living Set, a series of collectible cards capturing the stars of the men’s and women’s Champions League and the Europa League. First off the easel this year was Erling Haaland, still one of Cobbold’s personal favourite portraits – not that she has time to stop and look back.
“I love seeing fans in a Stadium with a programme with my artwork on the front”
“I do three paintings per fortnight,” she explains. “Topps decide the players and sends over a few photographs. I’ll have a look at the selection and sometimes I’ll go with it; other times, my husband Chris helps me find alternatives. It’s sometimes quite a drawn-out process because I’m aware that players are going to want me to produce something that does them justice.
“Then I begin working on it. Mine and Mike’s work is similar in some ways and different in others. He uses a combination of drawing and digital, whereas mine is all paint – acrylic on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes. Some take two days, some take three; some are harder than others. I just work to a place where I’m happy with them.”
Topps collectibles are legendary in American sport, the company having produced baseball cards since 1951 before expanding into other major leagues. Last year, a mint-edition Mickey Mantle card sold for a record $12.6m, and the company remains faithful to the classic design format of that era.
“I really like the design,” says Cobbold. “It’s almost square because of the top part being more of a banner. There's consistency to every card, but ultimately I just love portraiture. I love seeing fans in a stadium walking around with a programme with my artwork on the front. Thousands of Wolves fans across the world have my prints in their home, which is amazing, and now people are collecting trading cards with my artwork.”
One of her biggest supporters is her original muse. Cobbold’s career in football art began when her husband posted a portrait of Rúben Neves on social media to widespread acclaim, and the former Wolves midfielder soon became an early patron. “Rúben Neves commissioned me quite a few times, including a 1.2m² painting of him scoring against Manchester United,” she says. “My husband and I met him after a game with the painting and, as we walked over, we’re thinking, ‘This is never going in your car.’
“He was optimistic, but it wasn’t going in. Rúben Vinagre and his girlfriend stopped, but it wouldn’t go in theirs either. All these fans were gathered, finding it quite amusing. In the end, we said, ‘We’ll take it round your house.’” Luckily for her – and the rest of us – Cobbold’s card-sized latest artworks are a lot easier to transport home.
Long-time readers might remember the striking image on the front of issue 4 back in July 2020, a painting of a brooding Steven Gerrard peering out from beneath furrowed brows as rain lashed his back. It was the work of Louise Cobbold, an artist from Suffolk who had been working as a high-school teacher until a portrait of Rúben Neves for her Wolves-supporting husband set her on a remarkable trajectory.
In May, she masterminded the cover for the FA Cup final programme and, with US artist Mike O’Brien, she currently produces portraits for the Topps UEFA Club Competitions Living Set, a series of collectible cards capturing the stars of the men’s and women’s Champions League and the Europa League. First off the easel this year was Erling Haaland, still one of Cobbold’s personal favourite portraits – not that she has time to stop and look back.
“I love seeing fans in a Stadium with a programme with my artwork on the front”
“I do three paintings per fortnight,” she explains. “Topps decide the players and sends over a few photographs. I’ll have a look at the selection and sometimes I’ll go with it; other times, my husband Chris helps me find alternatives. It’s sometimes quite a drawn-out process because I’m aware that players are going to want me to produce something that does them justice.
“Then I begin working on it. Mine and Mike’s work is similar in some ways and different in others. He uses a combination of drawing and digital, whereas mine is all paint – acrylic on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes. Some take two days, some take three; some are harder than others. I just work to a place where I’m happy with them.”
Long-time readers might remember the striking image on the front of issue 4 back in July 2020, a painting of a brooding Steven Gerrard peering out from beneath furrowed brows as rain lashed his back. It was the work of Louise Cobbold, an artist from Suffolk who had been working as a high-school teacher until a portrait of Rúben Neves for her Wolves-supporting husband set her on a remarkable trajectory.
In May, she masterminded the cover for the FA Cup final programme and, with US artist Mike O’Brien, she currently produces portraits for the Topps UEFA Club Competitions Living Set, a series of collectible cards capturing the stars of the men’s and women’s Champions League and the Europa League. First off the easel this year was Erling Haaland, still one of Cobbold’s personal favourite portraits – not that she has time to stop and look back.
“I love seeing fans in a Stadium with a programme with my artwork on the front”
“I do three paintings per fortnight,” she explains. “Topps decide the players and sends over a few photographs. I’ll have a look at the selection and sometimes I’ll go with it; other times, my husband Chris helps me find alternatives. It’s sometimes quite a drawn-out process because I’m aware that players are going to want me to produce something that does them justice.
“Then I begin working on it. Mine and Mike’s work is similar in some ways and different in others. He uses a combination of drawing and digital, whereas mine is all paint – acrylic on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes. Some take two days, some take three; some are harder than others. I just work to a place where I’m happy with them.”
Long-time readers might remember the striking image on the front of issue 4 back in July 2020, a painting of a brooding Steven Gerrard peering out from beneath furrowed brows as rain lashed his back. It was the work of Louise Cobbold, an artist from Suffolk who had been working as a high-school teacher until a portrait of Rúben Neves for her Wolves-supporting husband set her on a remarkable trajectory.
In May, she masterminded the cover for the FA Cup final programme and, with US artist Mike O’Brien, she currently produces portraits for the Topps UEFA Club Competitions Living Set, a series of collectible cards capturing the stars of the men’s and women’s Champions League and the Europa League. First off the easel this year was Erling Haaland, still one of Cobbold’s personal favourite portraits – not that she has time to stop and look back.
“I love seeing fans in a Stadium with a programme with my artwork on the front”
“I do three paintings per fortnight,” she explains. “Topps decide the players and sends over a few photographs. I’ll have a look at the selection and sometimes I’ll go with it; other times, my husband Chris helps me find alternatives. It’s sometimes quite a drawn-out process because I’m aware that players are going to want me to produce something that does them justice.
“Then I begin working on it. Mine and Mike’s work is similar in some ways and different in others. He uses a combination of drawing and digital, whereas mine is all paint – acrylic on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes. Some take two days, some take three; some are harder than others. I just work to a place where I’m happy with them.”
Topps collectibles are legendary in American sport, the company having produced baseball cards since 1951 before expanding into other major leagues. Last year, a mint-edition Mickey Mantle card sold for a record $12.6m, and the company remains faithful to the classic design format of that era.
“I really like the design,” says Cobbold. “It’s almost square because of the top part being more of a banner. There's consistency to every card, but ultimately I just love portraiture. I love seeing fans in a stadium walking around with a programme with my artwork on the front. Thousands of Wolves fans across the world have my prints in their home, which is amazing, and now people are collecting trading cards with my artwork.”
One of her biggest supporters is her original muse. Cobbold’s career in football art began when her husband posted a portrait of Rúben Neves on social media to widespread acclaim, and the former Wolves midfielder soon became an early patron. “Rúben Neves commissioned me quite a few times, including a 1.2m² painting of him scoring against Manchester United,” she says. “My husband and I met him after a game with the painting and, as we walked over, we’re thinking, ‘This is never going in your car.’
“He was optimistic, but it wasn’t going in. Rúben Vinagre and his girlfriend stopped, but it wouldn’t go in theirs either. All these fans were gathered, finding it quite amusing. In the end, we said, ‘We’ll take it round your house.’” Luckily for her – and the rest of us – Cobbold’s card-sized latest artworks are a lot easier to transport home.
Long-time readers might remember the striking image on the front of issue 4 back in July 2020, a painting of a brooding Steven Gerrard peering out from beneath furrowed brows as rain lashed his back. It was the work of Louise Cobbold, an artist from Suffolk who had been working as a high-school teacher until a portrait of Rúben Neves for her Wolves-supporting husband set her on a remarkable trajectory.
In May, she masterminded the cover for the FA Cup final programme and, with US artist Mike O’Brien, she currently produces portraits for the Topps UEFA Club Competitions Living Set, a series of collectible cards capturing the stars of the men’s and women’s Champions League and the Europa League. First off the easel this year was Erling Haaland, still one of Cobbold’s personal favourite portraits – not that she has time to stop and look back.
“I love seeing fans in a Stadium with a programme with my artwork on the front”
“I do three paintings per fortnight,” she explains. “Topps decide the players and sends over a few photographs. I’ll have a look at the selection and sometimes I’ll go with it; other times, my husband Chris helps me find alternatives. It’s sometimes quite a drawn-out process because I’m aware that players are going to want me to produce something that does them justice.
“Then I begin working on it. Mine and Mike’s work is similar in some ways and different in others. He uses a combination of drawing and digital, whereas mine is all paint – acrylic on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes. Some take two days, some take three; some are harder than others. I just work to a place where I’m happy with them.”
