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Chelsea fan Charlie Johnston was lying in bed with his girlfriend when he received a notification on his phone from Didier Drogba.
Only a few months earlier he decided to quit his job at We Buy Any Car and focus on being a a full-time artist. It's fair to say he made the right decision.
Charlie has been an artist his whole life, but only at the start of the year did the 28-year-old take the plunge and make his passion his job, without distraction. He's not looked backed since.
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A lifelong Chelsea fan, Charlie has presented his work to Thiago Silva and the widow of late Blues star Gianluca Vialli, as well as being noticed by the likes of Drogba. It's been a whirlwind 2023 for the humble and talented artist, who sat down with Daily Star Sport to chat exclusively about his work.
"I’ve always loved doing art, but when you get to a certain age you have to start work," Charlie told us. "I worked in retail and got a job with We Buy Any Car. I worked there for nearly a year, and I hated it. I knew I wanted to do art, but it’s just taking a risk, isn’t it?
Who do you want to see Charlie draw next? Let us know in the comments section
"One day I was sitting there, and I was like 'what am I doing with myself?' So, I took the plunge and I quit, and I’ve done it pretty much full time since then. I met this footballer who played for Hibernian, Elias Melkersen, and I said I’d draw him. I was working loads at the time and I never got around to doing it. I ended up quitting and starting the pictures with him. From there, things started to blow up."
Charlie, who at around the same time posted an incredible drawing of boxer Amir Khan, soon found himself in Hibernian's matchday magazine after doing a portrait of women's star Siobhan Hunter.
Things then started to snowball. Charlie posted a picture he'd drawn of Chelsea legend Drogba, expecting that people may want to buy it. What happened next was beyond his wildest dreams.
"I drew Didier Drogba," Charlie continues. "I didn’t think it’d go as crazy as it did but it pretty much went viral, and that’s where it all started.
"A lot of Chelsea fans were amazing and said they were going to share it until Drogba saw it. Me and my partner were lying in bed at 9:30pm, and we were like 'we wonder what time Drogba goes on his phone' stuff like that. Instantly after I said it, I got a notification and it was Drogba. I was like 'Oh my God.'
Then Chelsea got in touch. "The big one was being contacted by Chelsea through Twitter," Charlie says. "They said how amazing the art was and they wanted to set up a meeting. I nearly fell over with that, as you can imagine. They asked if it was cool for them to share it on their Instagram.
"They asked If I could draw Thiago Silva and they said the fans would love it. He was on my list anyway, so I was like 'yes, yes, yes yes.'"
Charlie drew the Brazilian defender before presenting him with his likeness at Stamford Bridge. It was an experience Charlie admitted he would never forget.
"I was on the pitch at Stamford Bridge and I can’t really explain how I was feeling. It was so surreal. Silva loved it. He said that it was magical and grabbed the picture and kissed it. He was such a nice guy and so grateful.
"I said to my partner that from drawing Hibs, the main dream is to do Chelsea. To do that in six months was crazy."
Charlie has continued drawing his favourite Chelsea players in the last few months, posting detailed works of Raheem Sterling, Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard. He has also worked on a piece dedicated to late Blues legend Gianluca Vialli, who tragically passed away in January at the age of just 58 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Chelsea recently held a legends game at Stamford Bridge in memory of the Italian, with members of his family present. Charlie was given the chance to present his drawing to Vialli's widow, Cathryn White-Cooper, in what was an emotional moment for both.
"I went up to the director's box and hand-gifted the picture myself, which was a massive moment for me. She loved it. It was a very emotional night, especially for her but also for me to give someone a piece of art that they’ll cherish forever."
Charlie is now taking up opportunities afforded to him by Chelsea, including potential future work with the John Terry Foundation. Charity is never far from the mind of the talented designer, who wants to use his talents to help others. "The big thing for me is to do things for charity," he explains.
"My main goal is to do something with MIND. I’m really passionate about it, and I want to do a lot of things by donating my pictures to charity. It’s great to make money, and as long as I make enough to look after my family, I’d love to donate a lot of it to charity and different football foundations.
"All of these footballers do have massive foundations where they help a lot of people. I would love the opportunity to get involved in that."
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