{"id":7078051,"date":"2026-10-06T11:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T11:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051"},"modified":"2026-10-06T11:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T11:29:15","slug":"sam-nicklin-turns-ebay-finds-into-small-funny-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051","title":{"rendered":"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Sam Nicklin grew up in a creative family in Nottingham, and he always thought he’d be a musician. “We were always encouraged to explore the things we loved,” he says. After studying sound engineering and drumming at university, he drifted into graphic design and photography. He spent several years shooting the football scene, and when work went quiet, he turned to still life. “It was a shift that opened up a whole new creative direction for me, and now I’m here!” He has since worked with brands such as Nike and Salomon and has photographed the Premier League.<\/p>\n

In his portfolio, you’ll see vibrant colour palettes and plenty of clever compositions. So much so that many have gone on to describe his work as “graphic”, which Sam admits “makes sense” considering his graphic design background. But a lot of it comes from what he watched as a kid in the 90s. “I grew up surrounded by colour and bold graphic design, which has definitely shaped the way I see the world today,” he explains. Saturday morning telly and cartoons such as Samurai Jack \u2013 with their “strong focus on colour, composition and visual experimentation” \u2013 have stuck with him ever since, and have “naturally found their way into my work”.<\/p>\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n
\"Stack<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Black<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

So how does one of his little worlds begin? With a pairing. “I like to start by combining an object with colour, and then build a narrative around the two,” Sam says. If the object is blue, he’ll gather up more blue things to build a universe around it, or throw in a red one so it really pops. His flat is stuffed with finds from markets and eBay, so he never runs short. “From there, I’ll source objects that help create a sense of narrative, not necessarily a fully formed story, but enough to spark curiosity and make the viewer think. I also love incorporating subtle humour into my work. It’s something I enjoy playing with, and I think those small, unexpected details can add another layer to an image.”<\/p>\n

Flick through the rest of the artworks in this article, and you’ll notice that it’s a bit like walking into a toy shop that’s been art directed by someone with a sharp eye and a silly streak. A green plastic crocodile snaps open its jaws as a ringed finger creeps towards its teeth, while a matching green clog sits below, stamped with a ‘Do Not Touch’ starburst. A black Chanel handbag hovers above a tiny scissor jack against a wall of red, as if it’s being raised for its MOT. A watch wraps around a tower of fried onion rings with ‘Don’t miss lunch!’ shouted across the top, and a Timex ad shows a hand mid-chess move on a board where a doughnut has slipped in among the pieces. Elsewhere, buttons in everyday shades swarm around a fragrance bottle; a pale blue watch floats among a toothbrush, a calculator, a bottle opener, a Lego figure and a troll doll; a nine-square grid gathers a Nintendo 64 controller, a Disney World pin, a disposable camera and a football, each in its own block of colour. In Sam’s world, luxury and junk get exactly the same treatment \u2013 lovingly lit and never quite serious.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Grid<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Four<\/figure>\n
\"White<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Alessi series is the one that “definitely stands out” for Sam, “mostly because it’s so bold yet so simple”. The Italian brand is famed for its homeware, and four of its metal designs are positioned against green, blue, yellow and red panels. “I wanted to emphasise the silhouettes of their design, but present them in a new way,” he says.<\/p>\n

The reflections pull colour into the metal, so the objects gleam like a “vintage sci-fi poster, which I think I got pretty close to!” We’d say he got there, too. Elsewhere, his Colours series holds a “special place” in his heart, because it brings together two things he loves: “colour and collecting”. Each picture gathers second-hand objects that share a palette, shot separately and stitched into one frame. “There’s something about the process that scratches an itch in my brain that I don’t think I’ll ever get over.”<\/p>\n

\n
\"Flat<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"White,<\/figure>\n
\"Stacked<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Next, Sam has plenty of projects in the works, and he’s photographing people again after a long break, which has been “really exciting”. A few personal projects are in the planning and editing stages, which he’s buzzing to share “when the time is right”. For now, he can only hope his audience revels in the joy of his work.<\/p>\n

“I make things that I love, inspired by the way I see the world and the things around me. I’ve always been drawn to the weird and wonderful, and if someone looks at my work and feels even a little nostalgic or playful, then I feel like I’ve not only done my job, but done it well.” He adds, “I take my work seriously, but I try not to take myself too seriously, and I hope that comes through in what I create.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sam Nicklin grew up in a creative family in Nottingham, and he always thought he’d be a musician. “We were always encouraged to explore the things we loved,” he says. After studying sound engineering and drumming at university, he drifted into graphic design and photography. He spent several years shooting the football scene, and when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7078052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[11444,16649,382,238610,12818,709,3816,3555],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7078051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-ebay","tag-finds","tag-funny","tag-nicklin","tag-sam","tag-small","tag-turns","tag-worlds"],"yoast_head":"\nSam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Nottingham photographer builds still lifes from a colour, an object and a good joke, from a watch in a stack of onion rings to a finger-snapping crocodile.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Nottingham photographer builds still lifes from a colour, an object and a good joke, from a watch in a stack of onion rings to a finger-snapping crocodile.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-06T11:29:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-06T11:29:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\"},\"wordCount\":862,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"eBay\",\"Finds\",\"FUNNY\",\"Nicklin\",\"Sam\",\"Small\",\"Turns\",\"Worlds\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\",\"name\":\"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-06T11:29:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Nottingham photographer builds still lifes from a colour, an object and a good joke, from a watch in a stack of onion rings to a finger-snapping crocodile.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds - Som2ny Network","description":"The Nottingham photographer builds still lifes from a colour, an object and a good joke, from a watch in a stack of onion rings to a finger-snapping crocodile.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds - Som2ny Network","og_description":"The Nottingham photographer builds still lifes from a colour, an object and a good joke, from a watch in a stack of onion rings to a finger-snapping crocodile.","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2026-10-06T11:29:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds","datePublished":"2026-10-06T11:29:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051"},"wordCount":862,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp","keywords":["eBay","Finds","FUNNY","Nicklin","Sam","Small","Turns","Worlds"],"articleSection":["Art"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051","name":"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp","datePublished":"2026-10-06T11:29:15+00:00","description":"The Nottingham photographer builds still lifes from a colour, an object and a good joke, from a watch in a stack of onion rings to a finger-snapping crocodile.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/be65bdbd5d8e0eb86215b27ed724d3b9eacb6cb8-medium.webp.webp","width":1280,"height":1600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7078051#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sam Nicklin turns eBay finds into small, funny worlds"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7078051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7078051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7078051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7078052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7078051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7078051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7078051"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=7078051"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=7078051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}