I finally have a new outlet for prints. It’s been over half a year since Ellipress closed down as an artists’ print store (mainly due to Brexit tanking sales from Europe), and I’ve finally replaced it.
I now sell prints over at INPRNT. I’ve heard great things about the quality of the products there, and lots of artists I admire have their print stores with INPRNT. I only have a handful of prints available right now, but I’ll be adding more every week for the next couple of months.
Currently I have the following prints available (which can be bought in a variety of sizes)…
If there’s any of my work you’d like to see available as a print, or as another type of product, do let me know. There are also options on INPRNT for things like cards, phone cases, stickers etc.
The Rackham.The Black HenThe Knucker Hole DragonThe Alp LuachraInitial sketchbook doodles.The Water House.Mining Droid II.Creature Under The Rock.Day 29 of Inktober. 4112 likes on Instagram.Day 28.Hillside Cityscape II.Sketched out and the inking started.Finished.Spaceships.
I’m now happily accepting a new round of illustration commissions for 2023. If you’ve ever wanted to own some original art – and you like my work – now’s your chance.
Commissions
If you would like to buy an original drawing, email me at rob [at] thisnorthernboy [dot] co [dot] uk , and let me know what kind of thing you are looking for. While you can ask me to draw absolutely anything, it’s probably best to stick to subjects and themes that you’ve seen me produce already. I’m not saying I’d never draw a portrait of your cats, for instance, but it’s unlikely. Some subjects I love to draw are:
Ships and Lighthouses Isometric buildings Robots Astronauts Spaceships Imaginary places
What you’ll receive will be a black and white pen drawing, on good quality, 220gsm cartridge paper. If you would prefer a colour illustration – let me know and we can have a chat.
You can also request for the illustration to be landscape or portrait in orientation.
I can’t guarantee that every request will be something I’d be happy to draw – but I’ll do my best. If you take a look at previous posts on this blog, or on my Instagram page you can see the kinds of thinks I like to illustrate..
What will this cost?
For an A5 (148 x 210mm) commission I charge £95 + post & packaging. For an A4 (210 x 297mm) commission I charge £175 + post & packaging. For an A3 (297 x 420mm) commission I charge £275 + post & packaging. For an A2 (420 x 594mm) commission I charge £475 + post & packaging.
When you email me to request a commission, if you can include the address you’d like it shipped to, I’ll work out the cost of postage and let you know. If you’re happy with the overall cost I accept payment by PayPal or Bank Transfer.
When will you get your drawing?
I aim to complete and post all illustrations within six weeks of receiving payment.
PLEASE NOTE: This post is regarding private, personal commissions. If you want to discuss a commercial proposition – illustrations for a book, game, or anything else that you would be selling, then please get in touch directly.
I started a little sketch lately. Nothing more than a doodle really. Started off as nothing on a sheet of copy paper. Wasn’t sure what it was going to be, if anything. But after a few minutes I had a bit of machinery. So I thought I’d carry on. Definitely channeling a little of Geof Darrow’s work on The Matrix, and Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, I decided that I’d try and fill the whole page with machinery and cables and wires.
It took a while. But I got there in the end. Here are a few process shots…
Once I’d finished the pencils, I decided I’d scan the illustration, blow it up and print it out, and then drop it on the lightbox for inking. I wanted to go a little larger when I inked it just so I could get a little more detail in, and to make sure the quality was good enough for a print for my store.
The final inked illustration looks like this…
At the top of the page you can see the colour version I’m working on to be produced as a print.
If you’re interested in the materials I used in this piece…
If you read my last post you’ll know I took part in this year’s Inktober project. Now the month is over, and I managed 25 of the 31 days, I’m making the illustrations available to buy.
Based on British folklore each drawing is a little over two inches square, on A6 (105mm x 148mm) paper. The illustrations are £50 each including UK postage (overseas is a little extra).
Have a look at the images below and if you’d like to buy one drop me an email – rob@thisnorthernboy.co.uk.
It’s that time of year again where illustrators, artists, and other pen-and-ink wielding entities take part in Jake Parker‘s Inktober initiative.
Last year I only got as far as day eight. A combination of work, and my Inktober drawings being just too detailed and time-consuming meant that I couldn’t complete the project. I will come back to last year’s at some point though. I think Asteroid Belt Blues deserves an ending.
This year I’ve chosen British Folklore as my theme, and each day I’m drawing a creature or a character from some of the wonderfully weird tales we have on the British Isles. Many of the tales I’m drawing I’ve sourced from a couple of great books by Katherine Briggs – British Folk Tales and Legends, and The Fairies in Tradition and Literature. I started with the Lambton Worm, and today (day 18) I drew a Witch-Hare!
I do love a good bit or Norse Mythology. Thor and Odin, Asgard and Midgard, Huginn and Muninn… So when Gareth asked me to illustrate Yggdrasil, the World Tree that connects the nine realms, I jumped at the chance.
I was recently asked to draw Odin, the Norse god, for a commission. After a few tweets back and forth, between myself and the buyer, it was decided that a head shot of Odin, featuring his raven familiars – Huginn and Muninn – would work best.
I decided I’d try and make this illustration a little more graphic in composition, so right from the beginning I wanted to try and incorporate some Norse carving.
I’m really pleased with how the final illustration came out. I think the details, shadows and textures work really well. Tim, the chap who commissioned the illustration, was pretty pleased too – which is great, and always a relief.
I don’t often draw creatures. In fact I very rarely draw anything organic at all. Sometimes though, when I start scribbling it becomes a creature, or a person, or in this case – a dinosaur. I’m pretty sure it’s a dinosaur rather than a dragon, but don’t quote me on that.
this northern boy 