Light Study #1

Something a bit different from me for a change, a digital painting of a fairly normal view. In fact this is one part of a view from my bedroom window that I've looked out over for the last thirteen years. I've often sat on my bed in the morning and looked out over the distant housing estate and slowly become entranced by the shapes and colours that make up the visual. Even the most humdrum scene can hold its own kind of beauty I suppose. I wanted to do a study of these blocks and keep it fairly simple. Around 80% of the painting was created in Adobe Illustrator and then brought into Photoshop to add some texturing and highlighting. Even though it's a straightforward looking scene I'm pretty happy with it, especially the illusion the shapes play on your eye when it is seen at a much smaller size hopefully making you think it's a photograph more than a painting, with your brain filling in the extra detailing. I hope anyway.

You may or may not have noticed that I've stuck a copyright line on this work, something that you will probably be seeing a lot more of in times to come. A recent legislation, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act, has effectively taken the rights of the person who created a piece of work and handed it over to the public domain. Effectively anything that has appeared on the internet, including your own family snaps on Facebook, could be open for the financial gain of others. Plenty of other people can explain this legislation better than I can, please click on the links for further reading, but the bare bones of it is that anyone can in the future see a picture you posted at any time and having attempted to find the creator of the picture and failed can then use the item in any way they deem fit, including selling the image on as their own. This might seem a difficult thing to prove right away, take the painting I've posted above, it's hardly been on the net, my name is plastered on it but who is to say in thirty years time when I've forgotten all about it that someone just doesn't discover it for the first time, copies the file, replaces the data embedded onto it, crops of my copyright line and sells it for their own use? Anything I create belongs to me and in the future my family. The ownership and rights of the works anyone creates should stay in their hands. Please go sign the petition below if you'd like to see the stop of legalised theft of copyrighted works.

At the moment my copyright line is fairly small and really such a slight deterrence to those who would wish to steal my work. Do we want to get to the position where a whole image is ruined by a massive watermark placed over it? Do we want to go down the route where websites like this blog don't exist because anyone can steal our work?

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49422

http://thebppa.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/the-copyright-fight-david-bailey-weighs-in/

Tim Perkins - http://wizards-keep.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/stop-legalised-theft-of-copyrighted.html

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God Game Black Portraits

God Game Black is the latest supplement for The Laundry RPG, based on the Laundry Files novels by Charles Stross. Produced by Cubicle 7 Entertainment the PDF digital version of the supplement is available for gamers now with the print edition due out in the next few months. I had the enjoyable brief of bringing to life five characters in the supplement with these portrait illustrations produced traditionally with pencil and promarkers.

© Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd

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Mail Me Art

I've often quickly sketched something onto the outside of an envelope and stuck it in the post but I've never done a finished illustration stuck a stamp on it and hoped it gets to its destination in one hopefully fine piece, however having been invited to take part in the third Mail Me Art project that is exactly what I had to do.

Mail Me Art was started by Darren Di Lieto of The Little Chimp Society back in 2006, he invited artists from all over the World to create unique pieces of art on envelopes and post them off. A bit of a risk you may think and yes it is, trusting that the weather, postal services and the postman take care of these unique items but then again they are just envelopes. As the instructions sent out by Darren stated:

Take it to the post office, buy some stamps, stick them to the top-right of the back of the envelope (the side with the address). It can be first or second class post, but do not send it recorded or signed for. Also at this point it has no value and is just a very nice envelope and not a piece of Art. If you have to fill in a customs form, please put zero value. Do not wrap your mail art in another envelope and do not worry about any damage or scratches that may occur while the work is in transit. We want you to send it as-is. In the past, some work has been damaged, drawn on by the post office workers or not even made it to the destination, but this is a risk we hope you're willing to take.

I had several ideas in mind that would have suited this project but I wanted to produce something that would appeal to a larger audience and I believe there are not many people who don't enjoy checking out a treasure map. Having to send the original piece through the post I knew I wanted to try and make sure that the materials I used would be waterproof giving the illustration a fighting chance if it encountered rain on its journey and I also wanted to return to using 'real' (no digital) paints and brushes as it had been some time since I had used them. I also quickly decided to make the envelope myself and therefore could use a preferred stock of paper for the work, much easier when you know how a surface normally reacts than trying an untested bought envelope for the first time.

And then it was time to enjoy myself! A C5 envelope is quite small so the drawing area (229mm wide by 162mm high) was pretty restrictive but I still wanted to pack a lot detail in. The map was inked with my trusted brush pen and then tone was added with Copic markers and some acrylic inks. The golden coin and gecko where done entirely in acrylic paints and as usual when working with paints again I set myself the promise of returning to the medium soon as I always enjoy the process. A few tweaks here and there and the illustration was finished and scanned in, then the paper cut from the board and transformed into an envelope (my many years of producing 'mock ups' for printers always a help). Then my brush pen came out again to add the relevant address details to the other side with an 'X' marks the spot for good luck, on with a stamp and into the post box!

Having scanned in the image I couldn't help myself from doing a 'remastered' digital version, where I tidied up a few elements, adjusted the overall colouring of the map and added in some crease lines that I had intended to add on the original but had completely failed to do. Now all I have to do is await an email from Darren telling me the envelope has arrived and what state it has made it in, fingers crossed. Later in the year all the work posted off will be on show at a few exhibitions and you'll be able to purchase the accompanying book to the project, I will keep you informed of details and also check out the website for updates at: http://www.mailmeart.com/

The illustration as it appears on the envelope.

The digitally tweaked version.

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How to build a medium-sized Hadron Collider

Out now is the latest issue of the journal for the modern gentleman 'The Chap' featuring my illustrations for the article 'How to build a medium-sized Hadron Collider in your shed' by William Walker. My work for the magazine is always fun, the briefs have a light hearted and wry sense of humour which makes it very enjoyable.

This commission marks a change for me in my introduction and use of the application Manga Studio. The last few commissions for The Chap I have digitally inked the final pieces in Photoshop to help give the line of the work a nice crisp look but for the last few years I've been hearing glowing reviews about Manga Studio which many comic artists and traditional illustrators have turned to for inking. I thought I'd give it a go and I always like to learn on the job so this brief suited the purpose well. The first few illustrations where obviously a quick learning curve as I got used to the interface and quirks of the application but by the third piece I was easily as quick using Manga Studio to create the final art as if I'd been using Photoshop. I still have a lot to learn about the application but I was very impressed with my first outing and look forward to mastering the various options it will give me for future work.

The Chap is available bi-monthly at all good newsagents of choice but also online via their site - http://thechapmagazine.co.uk/

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Change…

I have updated and simplified my own main website. For years I created and maintained my own site and always enjoyed tinkering around with it but back in 2009 I was (believe it or not) too busy to give the site an overall and so turned to my good friend Ben Hillis designer at Nodding Dog to give it a fresh look.

He did a great job and a couple of updates over the years its served me well but time and technology moves on and I wanted to get back the control to fiddle and update the site without calling on and using other peoples time.

So its been stripped back and thoroughly aimed at promoting the work I've produced over the last few years. Couple of things to modify and change but its mostly there. Go have a look and let me know what you think.

My website over various years starting at 2001 up to 2012.

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Mid-Devonian Fish at the Fossil and Heritage Centre

Last year I had the pleasure of working on a very interesting project for the Fossil and Heritage Centre on Burray, Orkney. Contacted by Flagstone Creative, they had been commissioned to bring a new look to the fossil display which although packed with interesting items, was dry, academic and inaccessible to the general public. My brief was to help capture a spark of excitement and new lease of life for the long dead Mid-Devonian Fossil Fish in their collection with illustrations for information boards.

The previous uninspiring display.

Working with wildlife artist Chris Tomlin producing lovely colour paintings for the main part of the boards, I was charged with creating black and white representations of six aquatic fish 'monsters' from the past, Coccosteus, Glyptolepis, Pentlandia, Tristichopterus, Mesacanthus & Cheiracanthus. There was a real need to inject some motion and life into these and move away from the plain, motionless encyclopedia like visuals from before and happily my roughs seemed to hit that mark straight away.

I wanted to capture a very close look to the final illustrations with my pencils. Not only did that give the client a good idea of the final piece but helped with correcting any details that the centre's specialists and other experts might have spotted. This approach helped keep these alterations to a minimum and I was quickly onto the final inked pieces.

The refit of the fossil room with the new displays, fossil pieces and information has been a great success and you can see by these photographs the big difference this has made to the centre. I've worked with Flagstone Creative before and as usual it was a fun and stress free project from start to finish. Many congratulations to them for bringing the project together so well with a display that captures your imagination.

Orkney Fossil and Heritage Centre - http://www.orkneyfossilcentre.co.uk/
Flagstone Creative - http://www.flagstone-creative.com/
Chris Tomlin - http://www.wildlifeartcompany.com/chris_tomlin.php

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Thought Bubble 2012

A crisp day at the Royal Armouries, Leeds.

Last weekend was my second visit to the comic convention Thought Bubble at the New Dock Hall, Royal Armouries in Leeds and once again it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I travelled down the day before and so was fresh faced for the opening day with crowds lining up outside hours before the doors opened at 10am. The two day convention saw me pretty much behind my table for the whole event with very little time to take in all the other exhibitors in the hall and I never even had a chance to take in the second hall with 80 more tables.

Table ready to go!

I was extremely fortunate to be helped out once again by DownTheTubes.net's very own Jeremy Briggs (see his photo reviews here and here) who is probably as well known for being at my table at conventions as I am. Having an extra person to help out is close to a necessity in my view as not only does it help run the table for the two days but gives you that valuable breathing space to talk to friends and acquaintances as they drop by to say hello. And I was lucky enough to have a lot of people drop by for a chat, as usual I won't write a list of those who took the time to stop by as I'm sure to miss someone by mistake but I will say that if I caught up with you at the weekend then many thanks, it means a lot to me and I appreciate it.

The 10th Doctor, some guy with a Dalek picture and Donna.

The Two Doctors!

In a rare change for me I did remember to take some photographs over the weekend and along with some taken by Jeremy there is also one of model Lauren Integra Fairbrook dressed as Judge Anderson in the Planet Replicas outfit as she faces up to my painting of Judge Death. I don't know who to credit the photograph with so if anyone wishes to tell me I will update it. Also thanks to those Doctor Who cosplayers who where happy to be snapped with me, I managed to grab the 10th Doctor and companion Donna and the 7th and 11th at the same time.

Christmas time! Saturday night party at the Corn Exchange.

Many thanks to the whole team behind Thought Bubble, the show ran really smoothly for me and the host of helpers where always nearby, congratulations to them on a great show. Thanks to those who pre-ordered commissions for pick up and all those who stopped by the table and snapped up art, prints and sketchbooks.

The wonderful Niki & Leigh Gallagher!

FPI Blog meets Down The Tubes! Richard Bruton & Jeremy Briggs.

Take that Judge Death! Lauren Integra Fairbrook dishes out justice!

UPDATE: If you look at the comments you'll see that the photographer for the Judge Anderson shot has been in contact so we can thank Steve Green for this picture and many others of the Planet Replica Judges which you can see here.

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