Owl Aboard voted #1 favourite owl of the Big Hoot 2015!

 it was lovely to win Birmingham Mail's public poll of 5,000+ people, who voted Owl Aboard as their favourite design, which CrossCountry Trains have tweeted too.

Lady Sonnnnnnnnsa, watercolour and pencil, (March 2015)

This is my completed Game of Thrones Compendium entry. I just need to reformat the piece and submit it in the next week or so. I feel I have captured her well, with a confrontational and piercing expression. I wanted to blend some gingerliness with darker tones in her hair to show the transition she has gone through and wash out her skin and eyes so she appears more like a cold, ruthless cow bag.

All Aboard! Big Hoot Competition Submission!

My design is titled Owl Aboard! I wanted to create a piece promoting Birmingham’s forward- thinking and development of the new Metro service which will travel from Snowhill to New Street. Focusing on this theme was when the idea took flight.

I created a whimsical world in the trees above Birmingham where owls flock to catch the Metro to Snowhill. The little owlets departing the train are on a school trip is an ode to Birmingham recently being named for best UK city to visit. 

I have given the owl’s individual looks and personalities to represent the mixed cultural population in Birmingham and it is safe to say they are having a right hoot. 

Yorks Bakery Cafe completed Christmas card!

Yorks Christmas card complete! I added a vintage 1930s feel through the choice of typography and gave the impression of night time through the vibrant lighting inside and the purple hazed snow reflecting the winter night sky.

Yorks Bakery Cafe Christmas card progress

Some good progress on the Yorks design, including a coloured wreath, lamposts and the boy with the sled.

I wanted to capture the essence of Yorks homely feel, and the golden tones set by the low-hanging bulbs have been echoed in the illustration.

Winter Dogs Christmas card

I have completed this pair of scheming pooches, plotting to break their stoic stances in favour of building a snowman. Recreating the aesthetic of the fabric required some translation to look convincing in pencil form and this was a nice challenge

No Sleeps Left Christmas Card

Here is the completed Christmas Sleigh piece. I have gone with a traditional red and gold palette on the wooden sleigh to further the vintage feel introduced in the 1920s car designs.

Yule Ball Harry Potter-inspired Christmas Card

Here is the completed Harry Potter Christmas Card. I have added the pillars and gargoyles to replicate the Grand Hall to set the scene for the Yule Ball, and gives more of a magical, typically Harry Potter feel to the design.

Santa is Coming Game of Thrones-inspired Christmas Card

Bad News Barrett illustration

I've been dabbling with Live Trace a little more to get a sharper finish to my illustrations, as I was getting annoyed by the jagged lines caused by the paper grain when scanning a pen-drawn piece at high resolution. I'm obsessed with WWE so thought this would be a good way to go and experiment with a completely different feel to my usual pencil-laden work.