'Montmarte 1895' Map progress

Almost finished the third building so I have dropped it into the map and have started playing with potential background colours.

I want it to be rooted in an old fashioned palette but with some contemporary tones so it doesn't look dull Maybe some strong typography to make it current or some nice textures to liven it up.

I think the key to the background is less is more, so it doesn't upstage the actual illustrated landmarks.

Stunning photography and packaging

Christmas come early!

Here is a tiny snippet of a commercial Christmas card I am currently working on. I can't wait to share both of the finished designs in 3 months time!

The Big Read 2016

I have been commissioned to produce the bookbench for ThinkTank Science Museum & Millennium Point, and it will be inspired by the great Ichthyosaur at ThinkTank as well as JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them.

A Nechells-based primary school were invited for a creative session and invented all kinds of fantastical beasts which I am now whittling down and distilling into a final design for the bookbench.

Inspiration

Benjamin Lacombe

Oliver Jeffers

Vintage style wedding invitation

Map illustrating Jack Kerouac's trip across America

Harley Quinn

Illustrated packaging

Pocket mirrors for sale on my etsy shop!

Click here to browse my etsy shop!

Can-Can Dancers

Foxes

Nuthatches

Wedding Invitations

I have been commissioned to produce a set of wedding invitations which is always a pleasure to do and a more personal project to work on. I have given the designs a vintage feel and used the wedding venues as inspiration for the illustrations.

I have kept a limited colour palette, including coral to stay in keeping with the bridesmaid dress colour and written my own handwritten type for the 'Directions' map on the rear of the invite.

Moulin Rouge Illustration

This is the first of 14 illustrations for my 'Montmartre 1895' Illustrated Map. I want to bring to life the whimsical buzz of Montmartre at the end of the 19th Century and celebrate the rich population of budding artists, writers and musicians around this time in Paris.

Paris Museums

I have been wanting to produce an illustration based on the most famous and iconic Paris museums and galleries celebrating Paris' great artists and writers. I will be selling this illustration as a limited and numbered run of 100 prints at my etsy shop here!

Electric Cinema Anniversary Piece Update

I have been asked to produce an illustration to celebrate The Electric Cinema's 10th anniversary under it's current ownership. I want to include some golden tones in the front facade and incorporate some of the whimsy of Electric's previous guises.

Waterstones Storybook Illustration

After some initial conversation with Waterstones, I am planning an illustration which celebrates literature. It leans slightly towards classic children's fiction, however I plan to include influential authors and characters, namely Sherlock Holmes, the Bronte Sisters and Jack Kerouac.

I came to this design by imagining what advertising campaign I would do if I was in control of advertising, and I just kept thinking along the lines of a poster stating "Lose yourself in a good book at Waterstones". I basically set my own brief and answered it with this design, which I really want to be a great piece that Waterstones may consider to raise to a higher level and see if there is any mileage in using it in their advertising.

Montmartre 1895 Illustrated Map

I am continuing my love affair with Paris by planning out a Montmartre illustrate map, circa 1895 at the tale end of Impressionism and the early stage of Modernity, when the turn of the century bred  poets, artists, musicians held as icons even today. 

Debussy plays at Le Chat Noir,  the Moulin Rouge is in it's hey-day, and the artistic greats- van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec have sought artistic inspiration in Montmartre.
From a practical point of view, I wanted to challenge myself my drawing lots of different things and incorporating some design to compose a vintage illustrated map which defines me as an Illustrator in 2016, something that I am proud of that I can send as promotional content to art directors and agencies.

Christmas Cards Love

I have had such a great reaction to this year's Christmas Card designs. I have increased my Etsy presence to get more exposure to my designs for this year, and a good relationship with The Electric Cinema has given the cards an adopted home there too- where they have been incredibly popular. 

The card designs also led to the Wild in Art Christmas Card commission which was a great way to bookend what has been a fantastic year. I have been involved in brand new, challenging projects which have pushed me and in doing so, changed my style which has now become more manageable in regards to timescales, and more applicable to a wider array of projects, whereas the traditional pencil style, whilst I love it, it is more restrictive in it's potential.

Wild in Art Official Christmas E-Card Project

On 15th December I was approached to design an official Christmas e-Card for Wild in Art. Some time had just opened up as work elsewhere was winding down for the Christmas break so it was a good chance to focus solely on a short project with a 21st December deadline.

I was given a staff photo as a reference image which required some festive embellishment. The design also needed to include the 7 upcoming projects that would span 2016. I illustrated these in the form of decorative baubles in the foreground of the design, holding 7 sculpture designs.

I started working on this piece on 17th December and finished very late on the night of the 20th December. I was happy to turn it over so quickly, assuring to include my trademark detail and depth.

I was given so much creative freedom on this design which was great, as I could make it whimsical and compose it the way I wanted to.

Star Wars Illustration

This is a project I found time to focus on immediately after designing my Christmas Card 2015 range. The Electric Cinema Birmingham are now often setting up gallery exhibitions based on upcoming film releases. I was invited to enter a piece for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

I used the brief snippets from trailers as breadcrumbs to work from, and I wanted to encompass some of the various planets and environments touched upon, including the major lightsaber duel. 

I am happy with the final piece, as it seamlessly transitions between three different scenes, demonstrating a more intriguing approach to composition- something I normally approach in a quite safe and conservative manner.

Electric Love 2

The Electric have been great in promoting my design from their side, and their official Facebook garnered over 3000 Likes which is huge exposure.

Christmas Cards available at Independent Birmingham!

My Christmas cards were available over December at Independent Birmingham, after they caused some buzz on The Electric Cinema Facebook page which turned a few local heads. Great to have my work seen on another platform.

The Great Big Rhino Project Entry

This was my entry for The Great Big Rhino Project, for Paignton Zoo. I have loved working with Wild in Art and this brief struck me as an important and creative one that could summon all sorts of creative responses. My Rhino is called Elodie and following is my accompanying artist statement:

Elodie is named after one of the guards currently protecting the last remaining northern male white Rhino. Elodie is depicted in the image of the ancient woolly rhino - cousin of the Sumatran Rhino - and celebrates the legacy of the Rhino on earth, dating back 2 million years. The centrepiece is a mural of species that inhabited earth when the woolly Rhino first emerged in the Ice Age: the woolly mammoth; the dire wolf; the red lily. The design highlights the need to conserve such a great and precious creature, so here’s to another 2 million years!

Electric Love

So, before every single film over the Christmas period at the Electric Cinema Birmingham, my specially illustrated Christmas card will be advertised on the silverscreens. A proud moment!

Christmas Cards now shipping to E.U, Russia, Australia, Canada and U.S.A!

The love of my Christmas Cards is now reaching across the globe, as they are now available to purchase online and be delivered across Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S! Click here to buy yours!