Quick update

there goes another month- where the hell does the time go?! The aug issue of computer arts has hit the stands with my little feature (screens below), a really good issue- and unfortunately the last issue which garrick webster will be dealing with as editor. There is a whole bunch of great inspiration in this issue so make sure you pop out and grab a copy- if only to read my full article!

I have also only just found out that one of my works has ended up in the 'big book of illustration ideas 2', something that i had submitted work to over a year ago and never heard anything back. Thats something that really bugs me- it would be nice if someone could at least let you know when theyre using your work. It's not unusual but it gets me every time. Almost as bad is when you do an editorial and it gets used but you have no idea when- so you just hope that they send you a gratis copy. I know that most of my fellow creatives like to keep a copy when they get published and im no exception... anyway...

Been busy working inhouse for awhile so havent gotten around to doing anything new for a couple of weeks and now im starting to tweak a bit. Got some good stuff in mind so just waiting for a bit of free time to get it down and developed. CIA are soon going to be opening a new shop where ltd edition prints can be bought, im hoping that i can get a new piece done before the first deadline but the way things are at the moment its unlikely so my 'new beginnings' piece may get a tweak and sent out. I will let you know what happens.

On a similar note, it is sad to say that Blueflip art will be closing at the end of the month! If you would like any of the prints that are for sale there get over to the site soon before its gone, lots of great work that will probably soon disappear until the artists find another seller.

Heres a few pics of the latest printed matter. Be back soon.

Ersatz Beauty

Here's a new painting that was for an up-coming issue of Computer Arts (issue 151 i think), its a little feature on my creative process and hopefully my gibbering words have been corrected into a cohesive article! What follows is probably very similar to the feature but as usual- you can see it here first! Here is the final dps image- the original is 300dpi at A3..



Next up is a shot of just how rough my thumbnails are for starting on a project like this..



Next up is a better sketch, again- pencil and paper, this was then photographed and transfered to the machine where i used it as a base in artrage to develop a working drawing. the characters where then sketched out with bigger brushes in photoshop.





This is a shot to show how i tend to build up the image, sections painted and developed then clipped out with vector paths and painted layer masks. Its a time consuming way to do it but it does allow me lots of flexibility in the long run. (most of the time!)



After blocking in the foliage background how i originally intended, it became clear it just wasnt going to work and a change of plan was needed.



An illustrator grab showing some of the bits used in the final image..



And thats basically it- remember to look out for the computer arts magazine for a more indepth explanation of this piece, im sure i will post a reminder when its out in the stands. I will leave you with a few closer shots of the final pic.

Finally- an update!

Sorry about the lack of recent updates, this is mainly down to lots of family fun, getting used to a baby can take awhile and certainly has its ups and downs, fortunately we seem to be over a tricky patch so hopefully things will run a little smoother. Ive also been working inhouse pimping my design services to various agencies, thats also been sucking up quite a bit of time- but im a bit more freed up now so with any luck i will be able to post some updates.

To kick things off, here's a recent illustration for Spirit and Destiny magazine, the article was entitled 'who do you think you are?' and was a quiz type thing to discover your personality type. The brief was quite specific and after worrying about some of the technicalities is was able to get it done within deadline.



Heres a couple of magazine shots to show the spread and what was done for the article:

New prints

The Candy Fantasy triptych painting has now been made available to buy as three 7.5″ x 11″ archival giclee prints on heavy, acid-free fine art paper. 'Candy Fantasy 1-3' is only available through BlueFlip Art.
Grab yourself a copy! Candy Fantasy Triptych prints on BlueFlip art.

Have a look at the creation process in the previous posting: Promotional mailout illustration.

Bit of a break...

Once again a big gap in my posting, but with very good reason- i have been enjoying the arrival of my baby daughter erin- who has been keeping me exhausted but stupidly happy! When things settle down a bit i should be able to get around to getting some new work out and posting a bit more.

I have just received Victionaries latest book 'Fashion wonderland' for which i contributed some works. Fantastic book- buy it if you can, they tend to go pretty quick. Link to the Victionary site. Im also in the latest edition of Imagine Publishing's 'Photoshop creative' mag (issue 33) with a few tips and some pieces of work included in the digital painting feature. I will leave you with a look at the spreads for the fashion wonderland book. Back soon.