My good friends at Origin Ideas in the UK asked me to create some new caricatures for them in a simple, graphic style for use on their new website and branding. So, without further ado…. meet Nick (The Big Fish), Caroline (The Queen Bee) and Tamsin (Little Miss Sunshine).
Apparently, there are some shonky builders out there. Surely not! This illustration was for an article about how some construction companies will cut corners to make sure the project finished on time and under budget.
North Korean nice guy, Kim Jong-un employs just one man to check every single one of the 240,000,000 matchboxes the country produces each year for signs of contamination or explosive devices.
… that since 1983, the small village of Evandale in Tasmania has held the National Penny Farthing Championships. The things you learn eh? And a good provider of inspiration for the new Vector Folio I’m working on.
Every now and then, a job comes along which seems like too much fun to turn down. I had a call from my agent in Germany, Die Illustratoren, asking if I’d be interested in creating some characters for a chain of sex shops in Spain. “What sort of characters”, I asked tentatively. “Vell, […]
I used to illustrate these two little characters, Mighty Mac and his trusty sidekick, The Epson Kid for the UK’s Mac Format magazine. Two illustrations, every month for three years. Not a bad run. Then the GFC happened and, as is often the case, the creative budget was first to get the chop and […]
I’m lucky enough to be asked to submit designs for Ritzenhoff, one of the world’s leading glassware companies. Of course, not everything I do makes the grade, but they’re still great fun to work on and how many clients do you know that give you a completely open brief?
Several years ago I was approached by Dan and Penny Lessa, a couple from the US who were looking to open a new shop selling cupcakes. Dan had pretty specific ideas about the sort of character he wanted to ‘front’ the marketing campaign, so all I had to do was bring it together […]
That is the question. I’ve been toying with the idea of doing some 3d work for ages, but wasn’t sure if a, I’ve actually got the brains to learn how to do it and b, whether there’s a market for it or not. Reading […]
You never know what each day might bring! Rawle Murdy, a small ad agency in Charleston, Carolina asked me if I’d like to create a mascot for the USS Yorktown Museum at Patriots Point. You bet I would! Being a bit of a WW2 ‘buff’, particularly the aviation side of things, how could I […]
My German agent asked me to create two characters, a Rhinoceros and an Octopus for some packaging. As is often the case when working with an agent, I have no idea who the client is or what product the characters will appear on. No worries, it was still fun to work on.
Games company Mega Brands in the US commissioned me to illustrate the classic ‘Three Little Pigs’ for a jigsaw puzzle.
Dale Evans at Innovative Kitchen in Singapore asked me to come up with some ideas for a character one of his clients wanted to use on a healthy milk drink. The bovine beauties had to portray the main benefits that milk provides – strength, co-ordination and intelligence.
I create a lot of characters for packaging and I love it when a client gives me an open brief and says “See what you can come up with”. This tasty looking chap was commissioned by Design Bridge in Singapore for a chocolate flavoured milk drink.
This week saw me working with Oxford University Press to create a character for their new Oxford Literacy series on shapes. Enter……Inspector Octagon!
Everyone loves a cupcake. Fact. And Cupcake Charlie’s cupcakes are simply the best! Dan and Penny Lessa, owners of the three Cupcake Charlie stores at Cape Cod, Plymouth and Newport contacted me a few years ago to work on a character they’d created and needed ‘bringing together’ as a logo for the company. Here’s the result. […]
I recently got the chance to design and illustrate Canadian author Tom Doganoglu’s latest novel, Omega Squad. This may seem a little out of the ordinary for me, but I actually began my career as a designer in various advertising agencies and design studios many (many!) moons ago.
My agency (www.theillustratorsagency.com) is running a competition to win an iPod G4. All you have to do is design a Gel Skin for the iPod and post it on the agencies Facebook page. The design that receives the most ‘Likes’ wins the iPod with the illustrators own design printed on it. There’s nothing in […]
As an illustrator, you’re often asked to pitch for work (along with a thousand other hopefuls!) by supplying a specific sample of work (free of charge, of course.) This one was for a large and well known New York based publisher of children’s books. I didn’t get the job unfortunately, but I thought the cute […]
Rocket Design in London recently asked me to create some animal characters for a new range of chocolate bars in Tesco. The designers at Rocket are always great to work with, providing me with a concise but ‘open’ brief to see what I could come up with. Animals to illustrate had to be native to […]
Well, my new site is finally up and running so it’s time to get blogging again! My years spent as a visualiser and finished artist in advertising finally paid off when I got to illustrate and design the cover for Canadian author Tom Doganoglu’s latest novel, ‘Omega Squad’.
Okay, okay. So I’ve been a little slack on the old blogging front. I’ve got plenty of excuses ready, all of which look a tad lame when I commit them to print. So let’s move on. It’s been quite a few months to say the least. The world seems to be crumbling down around our […]
Well, it’s been a while! I wish I could say I’d spent the last few months jetting around the planet, saving endangered wildlife, but alas, nothing quite so thrilling. Unless you get your kicks from gardening, house painting and tree lopping of course. You do? Okay, let’s move on…… Those wonderful people at Ritzenhoff in […]
Those lovely people at Ritzenhoff in Germany have selected another of my designs to go into production. This one is for an ashtray (Yes, yes, I know. Not very ‘PC’ of me but each to their own.) Besides, I thought the character was quite nice anyway. I have to come up with a few designs, […]
As an illustrator, being able to draw does actually help, but it’s still only half the battle. Keeping your clients happy is the other half. I’ve just been working on some characters for a large sweets company in Germany. Now they weren’t sure if they wanted to change their existing characters just yet, so they […]
I’ve been working on quite a few projects lately for half a dozen clients and Murphy’s Law being as fickle as it is, they all came in at once! This image was for a new range of own brand cereals for a UK supermarket. I seem to be drawing a lot of monkeys these days. […]
There’s nothing better than a steaming hot bath and a glass of wine. Heaven!
Well, the whole cake to be more specific. I’ve just finished working on a range of characters on cake boxes for Tesco including this one – The Teddy Bear Cake. Others included a Ballerina Cake, a Horse Cake, a Cheeky Monkey Cake and a Caterpillar Cake. In your stores now!
I’m one of the ‘official’ designers for German glassware producers Ritzenhoff. Impressed? Don’t be. I’m just one of thousands who get asked to submit designs every year. Some of them are chosen, plenty aren’t. These are three of the lucky ones that made it onto milk glasses!
‘A home is only a home when you share it with others’ Initial draft and artwork for my contribution to the Habitat for Humanity calendar designed by Origin Design Consultants . Many of the artists in my agency took part and the calendar went on to win numerous design awards. Charity really does begin at […]
WHSmith, the UK’s largest stationers commissioned me to illustrate a wipeboard/calendar for them. Each set of characters also had to work as a pair so they could be used separately throughout the calendar and on point of sale items.
I create a lot of characters for packaging. All of the above are on cereal packs for Asda in the UK
Every year we get asked to illustrate the Teddy Bears Picnic poster for Sydney’s Westmead Childrens Hospital. It’s an honour and a pleasure.
Book and CD cover for Hinkler Books’ Animal Songs series.
Another of those quick turnaround jobs for Mother & Baby magazine. Briefed in the morning, sketch approved by lunchtime, artwork in the afternoon.
Polar Bears love Ice Cream. Not a lot of people know that.
I illustrated all sorts of characters on all sorts of packaging for Iceland Frozen Foods in the UK for many years.
Another of my ‘monthlies’, this time it’s Mother & Baby Magazine.
Well actually he’s now ‘goneth’, but I illustrated this little fella twice a month for two years for the UK’s Mac Format magazine before cutbacks in their budget forced him into retirement.
I’ll apologise in advance to all the wonderful art directors I’ve worked with over the years. But just in case, I’ve kept all your ‘visuals’ and I will publish them!
Some samples work, some don’t and I’ve no idea why. This one has generated quite a bit of work in the last couple of years. If anyone knows the secret, please share it with me!
Pearson Australia asked me if I’d like to create some characters for their new ‘Scribble to Script’ series. They just had to be ‘fun, appealing and instantly recognisable’.
I thought I’d better get the ball rolling on this blog and upload some images! I was asked by the advertising agency J Walter Thompson in Melbourne, if I’d like to contribute to a book they were putting together called ‘Change the World – 9 to 5’. As a freelancer, you get plenty of requests […]