Frog Story

My illustrated retelling of the classic joke guaranteed to put kids from ages 3 to 103 into a total giggle fit when you tell it like the Wide Mouth Frog tells it.  Click the image pops out the full monty as a pdf doc! - 
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Utales invited me to create on their ebook platform way back in 2010 (now defunct).
Writing and Illustrating took me about 5 weeks.  I uploaded the artwork and formatted the words and font - which layout was rather limited back then.  Anyway here's a few of my favourite spreads -

 

Human Cannonball Freak

Rebrand callout answered with my proposal for the Brighton Fringe Festival brochure cover.  The Brief's objectives called for a design to include the theme Dive In and a 12 colour-code to distinguish the 12 types of venue/page-sections, and a flourish added to existing title logo, and that it must be all vector artwork -





I didn't get the callback I was banking on but hey maybe the marketing team might just pickup on my layout and well, in any case will have to wait till January's campaign reveal for my warm fuzzy feeling.

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More recently, just last week in fact, I submitted this alternative film poster, see in context here with comments which makes for some interesting conversation about artistic license.


Anyway was the needed motivation to sort out me photoshop brushes.  Still it needs some atmospheric fog and the guard on the left needs a ground shadow, and maybe drop in a UFO, dunno, I haven't seen the movie.  Maybe I should, Bruce Dern plays the Icecream vanman.  Oh yeah! 

Counting Chickens

 

Not every day a commission comes via my instagram.  The client liked one of my poster artworks there and asked if I'd do a 'Fox & Hen' similar in style to his sample -

My initial response was to show my terms and ask for fifty quid upfront starting fee with the remaining payable when he's happy with my resulting artwork - shown as a low resolution image.  The client replied with deposit and a couple of sketches of his own indicating more of his intentions, so i set to work showing these roughs for approval -

 

Then I did a colour rough which he was delighted with so I did his A2-poster and showed it, he made final payment and so I sent it.  Rarely does a commission go as smoothly, I really could o' counted my chickens before they hatched (pun intended).

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In other news.  Another new client in as many months and a commission to provide vector art for animated music video. This job came via a responder to my occasional Newsletter!  Can't divulge more at this time, very hush hush.

So now with 2 happy clients catered, i'm back to resolving my blog's backend video player's coding, to replace it with a js-player that's an independent free alternative to google's terraform option, that'll show 'em eh!

Pulped

Pulp Detective illustrated shortstory magazine aimed at young readers got pulped by its backer/distributer on 3rd issue before it had a chance to succeed.  On accepting this regular illustrating gig, I asked its Editor 'There's nothing quite like this in the market so how can you be sure this will fly?'  'We've done our research' was his matter-of-fact answer.  So naturally I jumped on board.

 

After completing the ilos for issue#1, the commission remit changed!  Though I still had free range in picking which 10 scenes from a story to illustrate, I was now tasked to provide artwork with heavily detailed backgrounds at A4 size even though the Mag' was smaller A5, just so cropped portions could be positioned in page layouts.  My queries were summarily ignored and I accepted the extra workload because the subject matter is fascinating and pay was good.  Was quite relieved though when this venture got the bullit.

More artwork for this commission at my: Behance project page !

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Charactors vector ilos

Just completed illustrating festival-going folk for (name undeclarable at present) tourist board -  

 I was asked by their marketing peeps if I could provide 8 Personas as vector illustrations soon as possible, in about a week?  Yup, reckon it's doable, I said.  I then received the brief describing 5 couples, 2 family groups and 1 group of mates.  Rather more work than I anticipated time for additional detailing like shading and highlights.  Anyway I ploughed straight in with an urgently needed example (Appy Glampers) to get approval to proceed, then on with pencil roughs of the other 7, there was much exchange of emailing roughs before vectoring the outline and colouring.  17 days later everyone was very happy with the result. 

Pulp Detective #3

Some ilos completed for issue #3 of Pulp Detective before the Editor said 'Stop!'  Just as I was honing my style for this particular publication.  Seemed that their Distributor held the funding and pulled it immediately on seeing the 1st issue's 2nd proof-copy, which was no improvement from the 1st and so this indy venture was pulped.  For the record anyway here's some completed -

Lovely, wish there was more like it !
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Mole character

 

Client dug one too many holes and so the job got buried.

Pulp job #2

Gumshoe investigates heavyweight bribery in the fight game at luxury hotel. No love interest just ugly murders, bullits and blood.  I illustrated 14 scenes for issue #2 of Pulp Detective magazine -

 

Its a dirty job but somebody's gotta do it.

Pulp Detective 1

Gumshoe sits reading the newspaper's rising crime stats in his crummy little tenement office.  He's about to find bootlegging trouble going all the way up the food chain to crooked Mayor when he's hired by a voluptuous gangster's moll and wannabe movie-starlet -

 

That's my opening pic (12 in total) to a well crafted short-story in issue #1 of Pulp Detective (for younger readers).  The Ed' said "they're great, fantastic job and many thanks" and he also said the 2nd assignment's coming when this first issue goes to print.  Now I have a frustrating wait to see what the magazine looks like.
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Detective 1930 era

I was commissioned by Pulp Detective, a new monthly magazine for boys.  It was to feature 3 illustrated short stories set in fictional 1930s American city, the era of Bootlegging, Prohibition and Gangsters.  The publisher initially called for style similar to Martin Brown's Horrible Histories and Massimo Bonfatti's Leo Pulp.  Initially they wanted to see Character-sheets of their two hardboiled Detectives, one on a city street, the other in his crummy tenement office-

Also wanted Mobster characters, I chose 3 from their featured Irish gang - 

Additionally I presented a shootout action pic showing car as described driven by the gumshoe who's stories I was now to illustrate monthly -

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A bread and butter job

Completed 2 commissions to provide over 100 b\w illustrations for OUP.  The print dimensions were small, approx' 1 to 5cm but here's some examples -

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