Sketchbooks 2010

Sketchbook image, ink on paper

In this update, my last post for 2010, I thought it would be a good opportunity to show some of my sketchbook doodles for the year. I'm not a prolific doodler, I tend to draw with my mood more than out of habit these days, probably due to drawing all day for work.

These sketches come from magazines that my magazine designer better half has all over the house. Some are from adverts, some from fashion pages, and thusly much apologies to the copyright holders. These were just done for fun.

All ink on paper over blue pencil which was removed when I scanned them.

(Click image to enlarge)

Have a fantastic Christmas and New Year and here's to a prosperous and exciting 2011!

Winter

"Winter", line art in Manga Studio, colour in Photoshop

I needed something snowy and seasonal to add to the header on my site so in between projects I knocked up the the above image.

Have a great week!

The Truth About Dinosaurs

Crop from Dino DPS, Line art in Manga Studio, Colour in Photoshop

I was commissioned by BBC Focus magazine to illustrate an article for the December issue on the changing nature of the "truth" about dinosaurs. As the article says, "These days barely a month goes by without a fossil find or new research challenging our assumptions about how dinosaurs lived."

For the opening double page spread the art editor suggested a drawing of the main hall of the Natural History Museum in London with the addition of a giant pair of pterodactyl wings on the large Diplodocus skeleton. Completely in love with this idea, and secretly hoping that one day a fossil is found that supports this, I was more than happy to oblige!

Dino DPS rough sketch, artwork in Manga Studio. Click to enlarge.

Dino DPS final art, line art and colour in Manga Studio with some colour overlays in Photoshop. Click to enlarge.

Accompanying the article I was also asked to create 4 half page illustrations. This image was to illustrate the idea that "until this year palaeontologists had no clear-cut evidence for the colour of dinosaurs. Illustrators made educated guesses, basing their pallets on what they know of colour in modern animals." I decided to show an adventurous illustrator painting "from life".

"True Colours" rough, artwork created in Manga Studio. Click to enlarge.

"True Colours" final art, line art and colour in Manga Studio with some colour overlays in Photoshop.

Click to enlarge.

"Think dinosaurs and you’ll likely conjure images of vast creatures tramping through sweltering swamps or fetid forests. But palaeontologists working in Alaska and Antarctica have shown that dinosaurs survived in far colder conditions than previously thought, with some species able to thrive amidst snow and ice."

"Dinos on Ice" rough, artwork created in Manga Studio.

Click to enlarge.

"Dinos on Ice" final art, line art and colour in Manga Studio with some colour overlays in Photoshop. Click to enlarge.

It also turns out that there's no such thing as a Bronotsaurus. The palaeontologist who discovered it, Othniel Charles Marsh, essentially mixed up the bones of another dinosaur, Apatosaurus ajax, which he also discovered, and thought he'd found a new species. Brontosaurus, being much more fun to pronounce has lived on in the public consciousness.

"Mistaken Identity" rough,

artwork created in Manga Studio.

Click to enlarge.

"

Mistaken Identity

" final art, line art and colour in Manga Studio.

Click to enlarge.

"They look like weapons, but many of the dinosaurs’ most impressive horns, plates and spikes may have been used more for display than destruction."

"Display not destruction" rough,

artwork created in Manga Studio.

Click to enlarge.

"

Display not destruction

" final art, line art and colour in Manga Studio.

Click to enlarge.

The magazine's in the shops now, so please do go pick up a copy to read the full story and all the other great features.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

IMD: Acheron hub

"Acheron hub" splash page from "The Ionmonger's Daughter". Line art in Manga Studio, colour in Photoshop.

Apologies for the lack of weekly posting but I have been very busy with work that, due to pesky non disclosure agreements, I can't show until they are published. In the meantime I thought I'd post another image from the new project I'm working on, "The Ionmonger's Daughter". This is a street scene from a spaceport/market/city called "Acheron hub".

Have a great week!

The Ionmonger's Daughter

Page art detail from "The Ionmonger's Daughter" written by Matt Gibbs. Line art in Manga Studio, colour in Photoshop.

In between all the other things I'm involved in, I've been drawing some bits and pieces for a new graphic novel project, The Ionmonger's Daughter, written by the fantastic Matt Gibbs. More details to follow soon.

Have a great week!

Autumn

"Autumn" created in Manga Studio

Since Autumn appears to have arrived in London I thought I'd post a recent image I created for a self promotional postcard that I sent out a few weeks ago.

Post Modern

Panel art from "The Ballad of Frank Sartre", Manga Studio and Photoshop

Yep, a comic book character reading a comic book that we're about tell the story of within our comic book. It's all getting a bit... arty.

Have a great week!

Rome

"Statue", ink on paper

"Rome, Northern Suburbs", ink on paper

"Colosseum Arch", ink on paper

I'm not much of a location sketcher but as an artist you can't really go to Rome and not do some drawing!

Have a great week!

Lights, Camera, Action

Panel detail from "The Ballad of Frank Sartre", linework in Manga Studio, colour in Photoshop

I'm busily preparing the sets, sewing costumes and casting extras. More news on this project soon.

Have a great week!

Eagle T Shirt Design

"Eagle" Shirt design, Line art created in Manga Studio

This illustration is the centre piece for a T shirt design for a character to wear in a comic book that I'm working on. It'll probably only ever been seen about 2 cm square. I guess I got a bit carried away with it!

Have a great week!

Live Better

"Live Better", artwork created in Manga Studio

This is illustration was commissioned by BBC Focus Magazine to accompany an article on improving your day to day life using simple scientific principles. As an extremely unscientific man I found this very helpful indeed. Check it out in the current issue.

Have a great week!

Images 34 Exhibition

Image via the aoi

I have this piece in this year's AOI Images, the Best of British Contemporary Illustration, book and exhibition which opens to the public tomorrow (8th – 14th September). All the info can be found here. It's a great show and it's free so please go check it out! Oh, it also travels all over the UK over the coming months so you don't even need to come to London.

"

The AOI's Images is the premier and longest running jury-selected illustration annual and touring exhibition in the UK. It provides the leading showcase for the huge variety of contemporary illustration commissioned in the UK today, published alongside selfinitiated

promotional artwork and up-and-coming new talent.

"On display are a selection of 220 artworks showcasing incredible talents of illustrators who have made a significant contribution to their industry over the last year"

Hotrod

Hotrod, colour and line created in Manga Studio

Hotrod linework, created in Manga Studio

Have a great week!

Hiding Wood

Hiding Wood, artwork created in Manga Studio

Hiding Wood, linework created in Manga Studio

I had a few days spare inbetween projects and created a few images for fun. Have a great week!

Back2Hell... Finished.

Back2Hell page 98 lineart - Ink on Bristol board.

Yep, it's all over. Very excited by the prospect of working in colour again!

I'll be catching up on posting the last few months' Illustration work over the next few weeks so please stay tuned for that.

Have a great week!

Back2Hell Witch Burning

Digital pencils from "Back2Hell", art created in Manga Studio.

Back2Hell continues. Have a great week!

Back2Hell Airship Shootout

Back2Hell page art, ink on board

Back2Hell continues into the final stretch. Have a great week!

Back2 Hell: Church

Back2Hell page art, digital pencils in Manga Studio

Back2Hell continues, have a great week!

Back2Hell Cryogenic Tanks

Back2Hell page art, digital pencils in Manga Studio

Back2Hell continues. Have a great week!

Back2Hell Pulp

Pencil page artwork from "Back2Hell" drawn in Manga Studio

Back2Hell continues. Have a great week!

Knee deep in Back2Hell

Pencil page artwork from "Back2Hell" drawn in Manga Studio

I'm currently enjoyably bogged down in the middle of the comic book adaption of "Back2Hell". With a tight deadline on the project there's not much else going here at Reeko Towers but I'll try and put up a sketch every week to keep the blog going.

Hope it's sunny where you are and have a great week.

Yoga

Crop from "Yoga", artwork in Manga Studio

I had the pleasure of receiving this private commission from a client and friend who wanted an illustration of his girlfriend for her birthday. She is a yoga instructor and he wanted an image of her in mid pose, perhaps on a beach or a fantasy location. I knocked up some roughs based on some holiday snaps he sent over and we settled on a fictional studio overlooking a sea view.

Roughs for "Yoga", artwork in Manga Studio

I drew the image straight into the computer using Manga Studio's "pencil" tool for a softer feel. I painted the beach in using a lot of white to keep the image nice and clean and then added the "Studio" tones over the top.

Progress of "Yoga", artwork in Manga Studio

"Yoga", artwork in Manga Studio

Thats it! Have a great week!

Klingon/Navi

"Klingon/Navi" Lineart in Manga Studio, Colour in Photoshop

BBC Focus Magazine commissioned me to produce this illustration for an article on the man made languages from "Star Trek" and "Avatar". Apparently plenty of students of "Klingon" have made the switch to learning "Navi" the language of the inhabitants of Pandora.

The issue is out now, go check it out and have a great week!

Autumn Odyssey – Easyjet

"Pisa Cherry Festival" EasyJet Traveller Magazine, artwork in Manga Studio

A month or so ago I received a commission from EasyJet Traveller Magazine to produce four illustrations for a feature. The concept behind the article was a young fashionable gastronomically inclined couple travelling to 4 European destinations to, well, eat I suppose!

The magazine supplied all the locations and reference shots, all I had to do was fit the young couple into each one.

"Berlin Tea Hall" EasyJet Traveller Magazine, artwork in Manga Studio

"Milan Cocktail Bar" EasyJet Traveller Magazine, artwork in Manga Studio

"Brussels Restaurant" EasyJet Traveller Magazine, artwork in Manga Studio

At the eleventh hour they changed their mind about the Brussels restaurant as the original one (above) they had selected wasn't "trendy" enough, so I knocked up a new version overnight to meet the deadline.

"Brussels Restaurant V2" EasyJet Traveller Magazine, artwork in Manga Studio

Have a great week!