Thursday 21 March 2024
Secret Swan
I was really happy to have my submission selected for this year's return of the Secret 7" exhibition and auction in aid of the charity Warchild. All artists involved were asked to choose from seven tracks to create a unique 7" vinyl single artwork and remained anonymous until close of the live auction. I chose Siouxsie and the Banshees' Lullaby to base my artwork on and found the evocative lyric 'The dream swan spins' as good an excuse as any to build that robot swan I've always wanted to! Using Cinema4D I designed and modelled the swan before taking it into Photoshop for some violet-hued cygnetpunk styling for the final piece. I've posted an unused alternate version here along with some of the untextured 3d model shots to see. Also included are a couple of photos of the final sleeve displayed in the exhibition at NOW Gallery in North Greenwich, courtesy of Clare Mallison and Al Heighton. You can see some of my previous Secret 7" submissions here.
Friday 23 February 2024
Dark Universe
Wednesday 14 February 2024
Making A Dance
Here's the fourth poster in the series for the regular Dance Dance Dance event at Margate Arts Club serving up a sci-chedelic soufflé with a dollop of hand rendered type and an acidic Spring palette cleanser. Fun to make!
Tuesday 23 January 2024
Future Home
Here are a couple of recent editorial illustrations for
Good Housekeeping on the subject of the Home of the Future. With a
quick turn-around I created these digital collages featuring numerous elements
mentioned in the article from domesticated robots and auto-bins to smart
eco-homes and hemp bricks. You can see another fun tech-based commission for
Good Housekeeping
here.
Wednesday 10 January 2024
What's Next?
Here's my first post for 2024, a brand new cover illustration and animation
for BBC Science Focus' 400th issue on What's Next? for science
in our lifetimes. The brief was to design a bold typographic illustration to
convey the wide variety of themes in the issue from Mars colonies to
weight-loss pills. I set about creating 3d text in Cinema 4D and wanted there
to be elements, such as the planet and brain, that would interact with the
typography and the internal backdrop design that the font acts as a window
into. Once we'd settled on a modern font that worked I created the
illustration in Photoshop then animated the 3d models in Cinema 4d and
composited it all together in After Effects for the Apple edition moving
cover. Another satisfying commission for one of my favourite clients. You can
see more Focus work on the main site
here.
Thursday 14 December 2023
Crablington House
I had so much fun last year creating Lido Crab for Margate's Crab Museum calendar 2023 that I couldn't resist submitting another local landmark/crab inspired artwork for the '24 edition. As I'd been developing some illustrations this year featuring the monolithic br-eauty Arlington House it seemed to be the ideal candidate for crab-ification. Working with a Cinema 4d model I'd already made of the building I added concrete pincers and legs along with some rooftop eyes before composting into a Margate Main Sands scene in Photoshop. Happy to say Crablington House was selected for the calendar along with some lovely entries and is available at the Crab Museum store here. Get your claws on one.
Thursday 7 December 2023
Liar Liar
Here's a fun editorial feature for BBC Science Focus on the science of lie detection. I was asked to spruce up a photo piece with a more lively illustrative take on the selected stock imagery and create a title page in the style of a polygraph machine. For the opener I knocked up some Cinema 4d polygraph elements and rendered out a frame at the desired angle before moving to Photoshop for a bit of painstaking squiggly line font creation and paper texturing. For the main feature illustrations I enjoyed going to town on the digital collage style with eye-popping colour and distressed texturing. You can see more work for Focus here.
Tuesday 14 November 2023
Dynamic Duo
Here are a couple of recent editorials for long time client Car and Driver magazine. First up, 'Mixology' is an explosive collage on the theme of ammonia being touted as alternate fuel and secondly, 'Fraternal Twins' is a look at almost identical vehicles with both internal combustion and electric model offerings. Always a pleasure to work on. See more work for Car and Driver here.
Tuesday 31 October 2023
Transformers
Here's a recent cover illustration for Transform magazine from the IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment). The theme of the issue revolved around building a workforce to implement sustainability in an 'Age of Opportunity'. The brief was to create a dynamic collage showing a range of environmental sector workers and to stylistically present them as works-in-progress with line work transforming into full colour renderings. A bit like that A-ha video I suppose. Had fun putting this together in Photoshop. See more Science and Technology illustrations on the site here.
Friday 27 October 2023
Dance On
Here's the latest poster design for Dance Dance Dance at Margate Arts Club. A continuation of the psychedelic design and type style established previously with a darker wintery palette spin. The central character enters a portal overseen by a tripped-out local suzerain of some sort. See the poster series so far on the folio site here.
Tested Teachers
Here's a series of illustrations for a Reader's Digest feature on the current state of affairs for US Teachers entitled Teachers Put to the Test. The themes covered included classroom overcrowding, low pay, angry parents and the increasing threat of gun violence. I employed a painterly digital collage style with a vibrant palette to tackle the varied and sensitive topics. An enjoyable commission. You can see them on the main folio site here also.
Friday 29 September 2023
The AI Eagle Of Egypt
Here's a new animated editorial commission for Al Majalla on the current state of AI in Egypt. I chose to use the eagle crest from the country's flag to symbolise the rise of AI and how it has been embraced by Egyptian youth. For the animation I modelled the eagle, rotating screens and brain in Cinema 4d and composited those with all the other elements in After Effects, adding music and sound effects to finish. You can see further work for Al Majalla here.
Monday 25 September 2023
AI & Engineering
More AI-themed commissions for the blog this week starting with a cover illustration for Professional Engineering on whether AI is an existential threat or engineering opportunity. Something in between no doubt. The brief was to typographically represent AI and I used Cinema 4d to model the technical looking structure around some 3d type before rendering it from a slightly ominous angle. To finish I comped the type with the 3d screens, texture and environment in Photoshop. See more work for Professional Engineering here.
Friday 15 September 2023
Big Deal
Here's an interesting cover commission for Al Majalla magazine that came to me almost ready made. The art director Sara Loane had a lovely Biden illustration created by Mona Eing and Michael Meissner pushing a 2d 'Deal' font on an orange background. I was asked to replace everything but Biden with some foreboding 3d typography and a subtle desert background. This would be used on the print cover and also required animating for social media posts. I'd created the font and rubble in Cinema 4d with animating in mind and composited the 3d camera moves and elements with the 2d Biden and background in After Effects before adding sound effects and music. A good collaboration overall. See more work for Al Majalla here.
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