The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen
Daredevil commission.
this northern boy
Illustrations for an imaginary age
Category: Uncategorized
March 22, 2016
Horror
A couple of recent sketches, a little different to my usual stuff. A pencil sketch of H.P. Lovecraft – with added tentacle, and a pen drawing of my version of Frankenstein’s monster.
H.P. Lovecraft
Frankenstein’s monster
February 18, 2016
A New Dimension in Space…
This is a drawing I did in my Moleskine sketchbook a while ago, it’s the hero’s spaceship from a short story I’m writing that will be part of my Asteroid Belt Blues (ABB) universe. The spaceship is inspired by the modular design of the International Space Station, and by the look of modern submersibles. I love the idea of a big old fish tank style cockpit where the pilot can sit and look out at the stars. In my ABB future, materials science has progressed to a point where these structures can be made from a diamond/glass composite. Strong enough to withstand micrometeorite impacts and the pressures of interplanetary travel.
I posted this picture on Instagram, where it was seen by Al William, and he kindly modelled the ship in Fusion 360 and Keyshot. I think it looks great, I love the decisions that Al had to make to complete the ship – based solely on the image above. Funnily Al thought it was a submersible – so that influence is obviously pretty strong.
Al also sent me a 360 fly-around – it’s the first time I’ve seen one of my spaceship drawings come to life like this. I love it.
February 12, 2016
Of Pies and Men
My friend Jon Elliman and I have recently started a podcast – North v South. Episode 2 was recorded and released last night (thank’s to Jon’s amazingly quick edit), and it’ll be a weekly schedule from now on.
Jon and I met while working at the same design agency in St Margarets and got on very well right from the start, particularly the chat that designers enjoy (sometimes endure) across the top of an iMac. As Jon and I both freelance from home now, we realised how much we missed that aspect of working in a studio, so the podcast is an attempt to replicate that feeling. The title of the podcast, North v South is an allusion to the fact that Jon comes from the southern shires of England, and I hail from the north.
The first episode finds me chatting to Jon about how I got my start in design, after a couple of false starts, and about my move in to illustration. We discuss the merits of the iPad Pro and Pencil for drawing, which sketchbooks I use for what purposes. We also talk about pies.
In episode two I turn the tables and quiz Jon about how he went from being a scholar of medieval literature, to running his own design studio. Jon also explains the story behind his epic WWI historical project – Frank Crawshaw. We touch upon Russian prison tattoos, office pets, and we, once again, talk about pies.
Future topics of conversation in the podcast are:
Fighting Fantasy Books
Tools of the designer’s trade
Einstein’s Cross
A history of pies
Pen Talk
The U.S. Ghost Army
Blitz-stricken, London-dockland, epileptic, bipolar depressive
and…
Procrastination.
You can find the North v South podcast on SoundCloud and on iTunes.
February 9, 2016
Crenellations!
I’ve been to both York (my home town) and Windsor in the last couple of weeks, both boasting more crenellations than you can shake a sword at. I always try to take plenty of photos when I’m visiting historic places, just to add to my reference folder. You never know when you might need to draw a castle.
January 10, 2016
Schwarzwald.
I’ve just come back from a few days in The Black Forest in southwest Germany. It was my fourth trip, always around New Year, as my wife’s mum is German and the family still have lots of friends over there. We stay at Gästehaus Waidelich in Enzklösterle, a lovely little B&B run by my mother-in-law’s oldest friend.
The Black Forest is a wonderful place, even in winter it’s full of beauty and character. Walking in the woods, or looking out at the forest from the car window, it’s so easy to imagine the stories of the brothers Grimm springing to life. The forest is very dense pine and spruce, dotted with birch, oak and beech. The trees are so close together that the woods get very dark, very quickly. Walking there at night would be a deeply unnerving experience. It’s a place where your imagination can run wild, and I’ve come back brimming with thoughts of ogres, trolls, giant bears and wolves, elves and fairies. I’m looking forward to getting some of these ideas down on paper, either as drawings or as stories.
Here are a few photos I took while I was there…
October 11, 2015
The Astronaut.
I always wanted to be an astronaut, recently I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably not going to happen. I’ll just have to settle for drawing them instead.
This is a 1980s NASA spacesuit, drawn with a Pentel Pocket Brush, little details added with a Copic Multiliner.
The Astronaut.
September 17, 2015
Off colour
Recently I’ve found myself in a bit of a creative rut. I’ve been short of ideas and lacking the energy to get stuff done. It happens, and it passes, but when you’re in the middle of it, it can be such a pain.
Sometimes, all it takes to get out of a creative block is to change things up a little. So this week, struggling for inspiration I picked up some really cheap coloured pencils (£1.99 at the supermarket) and started scribbling.
Almost immediately the change of medium had a really positive effect. I’ve no idea why, but my sketching seemed looser, easier, and just flowed that bit better. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Below are a few of the drawings that came out of this – I’m really happy with the feel of these, using something other than my usual pens certainly changed the results.
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- Red Astronaut.
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- Purple Astronaut.
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- Red Robot – cleaned up.
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- Red Robot (after Michelangelo).
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- Red Robot detail
After getting some decent results with my super cheap pencils, I’ve now ordered some nicer ones – Faber Castell Polychromos. Looking forward to trying them out.
August 16, 2015
Two years today…
Two years ago today, I posted my first robot drawing and started my Droid A Day project. The beginning of this year-long mission also marks the moment I made a conscious effort to get back in to drawing seriously after a gap of nearly twenty years. I’d started blogging here on WordPress a few months earlier, but my goal to draw and post regularly had fallen by the wayside pretty quickly. The Droid project, and the fact that I posted about beginning it on Facebook and Twitter, gave me a more tangible and focussed reason to draw. Very quickly after starting my daily robots and droids, I realised that even if I got bored, or tired, there was no way I would be able to give up – I didn’t want to fail, and even more I didn’t want to be seen to fail. Sometimes, telling everyone you are going to do something is the best way to make sure you do it.
My first robot of the project was a pretty basic affair, drawn in just a few minutes. As the days, weeks, and months passed by, my drawings got more detailed and involved (when time allowed), and I definitely upped my skill levels.
Since the project finished I’ve still managed to draw almost everyday, although I haven’t drawn too many robots, and my drawing is still progressing. One of my aims for the project, or at least what I wanted to get out of it was to get in to the habit of drawing daily, because if I want to be a professional illustrator I have to be able to draw when the projects demand, not just when I feel like it. While I can’t say I can draw brilliantly every time I pick up a pen or pencil, I’m definitely getting to the point where I can usually produce something that’s half-way decent, and I’m learning how to get around those artistic blocks and days when you aren’t at your best. I’m still very much a work in progress, and I suppose that’s how it should be – always learning, never satisfied with where I’m at.
Am I an illustrator now? I don’t necessarily feel like one, but I have completed the illustrations for a children’s book (out in late September), and completed some illustration commissions. If one measure of being an illustrator is “are you earning money from it?” then yes I am most definitely an illustrator.
Two years ago, as I drew that silly little robot with a laser gun, I’d never have thought I’d be at this point by now. I’m making progress. Maybe not as quickly as I’d like, but I’m making progress.
Robot with laser gun – the first of 365 robots.
Robot 365 – The final droid of my year-long project.
this northern boy 