this northern boy

Illustrations for an imaginary age

Tag: inktober

November 5, 2018

Inktober for sale!

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.

Each illustration is drawn with Copic SP Multiliners and a Kuretake No.8 Brush Pen. Initial sketches are done with Palomino Blackwings and a Pentel Graphgear Mechanical Pencil.

You can find prints of my work here

And you can find more of my work online…
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October 10, 2017

Inktober 2017

If you don’t know what Inktober is, read this. Got it? OK.

For this year’s Inktober initiative I’ve decided to create a comic in 31 panels – one a day for the month of October. The comic is a shortened, abridged, version of a story I’ve had in my head for a while. I’ve never done a comic before, or even tried to tell much of a story through illustration – so this is all new to me.

Once finished I’m planning to put the panels together (along with some additional art) in a book. I’ll also sell all the original artwork from the comic.

I’m up to panel eight so far (running a couple of days behind).

Inktober-1Inktober-2Inktober-3Inktober-4Inktober-5Inktober-6Inktober-7Inktober-8

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December 31, 2016

Best of the Year?

Instagram is full of #2016bestnine posts right now. Everyone uploading a little three by three image of their most popular images of the year – you can do the same by going to https://2016bestnine.com

Mine are mostly from October, or Inktober. That’s fine, it was a month where my follower count went bonkers and I got lots of lovely feedback about the isometric drawings. Not sure any of these would be my favourite illustration of the year though. (This might be, although I can’t post the full image for another week or so.)

Do you have a favourite image I’ve posted in 2016?

New Year’s Eve sets like an appropriate time to thank you all for continuing to support my blog, to comment and like here and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I can’t really work in a vacuum, so your feedback and encouragement is incredibly important, and I am very grateful. Thank you all, I hope to create some great stuff in 2017 and I hope you’ll be with me all the way.

Day 9 of Inktober (my favourite from the month). 4375 likes on Instagram.
A bunch of my favourite Inktobers. 4162 likes on Instagram.
A collection of After The Flood inktobers. 4985 likes on Instagram.
Day 31 of Inktober, featured twice in my top nine. 4854 likes on Instagram.
Day 29 of Inktober. 4112 likes on Instagram.
Day 14 of Inktober. 4537 likes on Instagram.
Day 25 of Inktober. 4674 likes on Instagram.
The Island. 4788 likes on Instagram.
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November 20, 2016

Isometricness III

It’s been a couple of weeks since the end of Inktober and, despite my computer’s hard drive failing, I’ve finally got all the images scanned and cleaned up.

The month was rewarding for me in terms of my drawing, I definitely think I improved from week to week. It was also great in terms of marketing me as an illustrator. Over the course of the month my Instagram followers increased from a little under ten thousand, to over twenty thousand – I haven’t been able to work out quite how that happened. Every one of the isometric drawings sold, and I got another 15 illustration commissions on the back of that.

My next blog post will be about social media, so I’ll discuss a little more then about Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Here are all 31 of my isometric Inktober drawings. Do you have a favourite?

1_clean

Day 1.

 

Day 30.
Day 29 of Inktober. 4112 likes on Instagram.
Day 28.
Day 27.
Day 26.
Day 25 of Inktober. 4674 likes on Instagram.
Day 24.
Day 23.
Day 22.
Day 21.
Day 20.
Day 19.
Day 18.
Day 17.
Day 16.
Day 15.
Day 14 of Inktober. 4537 likes on Instagram.
Day 13.
Day 12.
Day 11.
Day 10.
Day 9 of Inktober (my favourite from the month). 4375 likes on Instagram.
Day 8.
Day 7.
Day 6.
Day 13.
Day 12.
Day 11.
Day 10.
Day 5.
Day 4.
Day 3.
Day 2.

 

31

Day 31. All done.

Thanks very much to everyone who liked, commented, shared and retweeted my posts throughout October – and a special thanks everybody that bought one of my inktober illustrations.

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October 6, 2016

Isometricness

As I mentioned in my last post I’m drawing a month’s worth of little isometric buildings for this year’s Inktober project. I’ve started off with some medieval / fantasy type buildings, and I’m planning to delve in to sci-fi, WWII, and perhaps Victorian eras too.

Here are the first five. All my Inktober illustrations go on sale as soon as they are posted on Instagram (a couple of these first few are still available) for the price of £31 (including UK postage. Overseas will be a little extra).

I’ll be drawing each building on Daler Rowney cartridge paper, using Rotring Tikky and Copic Multiliner pens.

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September 30, 2016

Inktober 2016

Every October, artists all over the world take on the InkTober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month – Jake Parker.

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The village and associated sketches and thumbnails on my desk.

Inktober is a drawing challenge created by the illustrator Jake Parker, and this will be the third year I’ve taken part. In 2014 I just drew anything throughout the month with no real plan. Last year I drew anything in terms of subject, but I limited myself to using just one pen – a Pentel Pocket Brush. This year I’m doing something different again.

31³. 31 Days. 31 Drawings. £31 each.

Each day of October I’m going to draw one isometric building on A5, heavyweight, cartridge paper. The buildings will all be different, all drawn in ink, and will be black and white, and they’ll all be for sale – for just £31 each (including UK postage).

Some of the drawings will be simple medieval cottages, some may be churches or castles, watchtowers or turrets – I really don’t know yet and I’ll just draw whatever type of building I fancy that day.

 The illustrations will be available as soon as they are posted on Instagram, so if you think you might be interested in buying one you’ll have to be following me there. Any unsold illustrations will go up on the blog as an end of Inktober sale.

I’ll be drawing each building on Daler Rowney cartridge paper, using Rotring Tikky and Copic Multiliner pens.

I can’t wait to get started.

Details.
Progress.
Sketching.
Details.
Initial doodle that sparked the idea.
A hamlet.
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November 2, 2015

The End of Inktober Sale

Inktober is now done and dusted, 31 days of brush pen drawings completed. I’d like to say it was fun, but actually it was pretty tough, and got tougher towards the end. I do think I progressed a bit in terms of technique, which was the main reason for doing it. I certainly feel like I have a better grasp of how to use a brush pen than I did a month ago. Huge thanks to everyone who liked and commented on my work across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, your support and encouragement was very much appreciated.

Now that Inktober is over I’ll be working on a couple of other projects, completing some commissions, and planning ideas for books and a comic – but all at a slightly less forced pace.

Quite a few people have expressed an interest in purchasing some of the Inktober drawings, so the images below are now available to buy. If there’s a drawing you’d like that isn’t included here, drop me an email – it may still be available.

The prices vary depending on how detailed the illustrations are, the size, and the quality of paper they are drawn on. Feel free to ask for more details.

To buy any of these, drop me an email letting me know which you’d like to buy and the postal address it’s to be sent to. I’ll then work out postage, and payment can be made via PayPal.

All enquiries should be emailed to me at rob@thisnorthernboy.co.uk

Illustrations are available on a strictly first come, first served basis.

If you miss out on an illustration, drop me an email and I’ll be happy to work on something brand new for you.

The Ossuary. £30.

The Ossuary. £30.

The Sword and the Stone. £30.

The Sword and the Stone. SOLD.

The Android. £30.

The Android. £30.

The Deep Dweller. £30.

The Deep Dweller. £30.

The Berg. £20.

The Berg. £20.

The Creature. £15.

The Creature. £15.

The Peaks. SOLD.

The Peaks. SOLD.

The Clown. SOLD.

The Clown. SOLD.

The Explorer. £40.

The Explorer. SOLD.

The Lonely Robot. SOLD.

The Lonely Robot. SOLD.

The Forest. SOLD.

The Forest. SOLD.

The Lone Tree. SOLD

The Lone Tree. SOLD.

The Island. SOLD.

The Island. SOLD.

The Old Town. SOLD.

The Old Town. SOLD.

The Stone. SOLD.

The Stone. SOLD.

The Moon House. SOLD.

The Moon House. SOLD.

The Astronaut. SOLD.

The Astronaut. SOLD.

The Day of the Dead. SOLD.

The Day of the Dead. SOLD.

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October 19, 2015

Inktober update

If you’ve been following my blog, or my Instagram or Twitter feeds, you’ll know I’m participating in this year’s Inktober. For an explanation of what Inktober is, have a quick read of this blog post.

18 days in to the project and I’m part frustrated – that I haven’t made more progress using the brush pen, it still feels damn tricky to get the line quality right – and partly delighted to be producing illustrations every day that I’m (more or less) happy with.

Time, as always, is a big factor. I’m back working in London Monday to Friday now, and getting home at eight in the evening doesn’t leave lots of time to think or draw. I try to get out of the office at lunch time and do some sketching, getting some ideas together for things I might draw that evening or the coming days. This can really help, if I don’t get to my desk until after nine pm once I’ve eaten, having an idea ready to go is a weight off my shoulders.

I am still drawing each illustration with my Pentel Pocket Brush, although I am sneaking in a little detailed line work here and there with Staedtler or Copic pigment liners.

Today’s drawing is still yet to be done. I’ve one idea half finished, that I’m really not too sure about, and a bunch of doodles and notes scribbled over my desk that might become something.

Here are the first 18 drawings for this year. I’ll post another update for Inktober in a couple of weeks when it’s finished.

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October 3, 2015

Inktober so far…

Here’s a peek at the first three days of my Inktober challenge. I’ll probably post an update in a week or so. Even just a few days in I think the practice is making a difference. The brush pen is pretty tough to control, so it really does pay to use it a lot.

If you don’t know what Inktober is, have a look at my last blog post.

1. The Inkblot.

1. The Inkblot.

2. Space Dog.

2. Space Dog.

3. The Island

3. The Island

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September 26, 2015

InkTober

InkTober

InkTober

Throughout October I’ll be participating in the InkTober drawing challenge created by Jake Parker.
The aim is to do one ink drawing a day for the whole month. I’ll be trying to complete all my drawings using my Pentel Pocket Brush, a tool I love but I’m pretty rubbish at using


If you’d like to participate head over to Inktober.com and check out the rules.

Have a look at Jake’s video below to get inspired and find out a little more about Inktober. You should really check out all of Jake’s videos – fantastic stuff from an amazingly talented artist.

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