My name is Matthew Brown aka Stadiafile. I make finely detailed, hand-drawn illustrations of iconic sports stadiums, celebrating the spectacle of a match and the collective spirit of matchday fans.

I use few materials – thick paper, a drawing board, some pencils and the occasional paint pen to both reconstruct the stadium structure and meditatively draw the crowd person-by-person. A shortcut may exist, but this slow, deliberate process is the best way I have found, to build up the richness of detail and information to the drawings. 

I was born and grew up in 1980s New York City, a decade rich with sports culture and one that I couldn't get enough of as a kid. If I wasn’t playing sports I was talking to my friends about them. When I wasn't watching games with my dad and brother, I was reading about them in the local paper - oh the abstract beauty of the box scores! And all the while, I was drawing them - drawing the players, the uniforms and always, drawing the stadiums. Quirky baseball stadiums in spring and summer, awe-inspiring football stadiums in autumn and cosy basketball arenas in winter.

Years later I went on to train as an architect where I learned the craft of draughtsmanship, how to draw analytically and developed an overall rigor in my work. I was also introduced to the world outside the US as I spent a year in Florence, Italy.

Presently I live in the UK where I practice as an architect. I draw at night, after work, and after the kids are asleep; radio on, free from the pressures of commercial deadlines. I adore discovering British football culture and its passion inspires my work immensely.

I am inspired by analytical drawings that also use a rigorous, detailed process to capture dynamic phenomena. From early 20th Century drawings of tropical flora and fauna, to L.S. Lowry’s iconic 'Going to the Match’, or Louisiana based Dapper Bruce Lafitte’s Marching Band Series.

It can take up to two months to create each drawing. It is a slow and wonderful process. The time and process let me include details of what is by nature, a dynamic and ephemeral subject. The thousands of marks I make create a tactile, rich drawing surface, reflecting the richness and density of stadiums worldwide. 

I genuinely love creating these drawings and hope you enjoy them too. 

Go ahead, find yourself in the crowd!