The weather has turned in the UK so I figured a character in the cold was warranted. This guy and his sheep/ram buddy were fun to design and took probably about four hours to illustrate altogether. I took a lot of inspiration from Siberian, Mongolian, and Icelandic cultures, but isn’t specifically any of them, insteadContinue reading “It’s a Process”
Tag Archives: kids books
Gone Fishing
This feels like the first true bit of children’s book illustration I’ve done for ages! The inspiration for this one came from watching “Gone Fishing: with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse”. If you’ve not watched it then do! It’s a really relaxing and funny show, and was not at all a program I thought IContinue reading “Gone Fishing”
Troll Bridge
This is a commissioned piece that the client has kindly allowed me to share. I did a pencil sketch like this years ago, probably about a year after I started drawing again, and although I liked it at the time it now looks incredibly naïve. I also like how the troll has crammed itself underContinue reading “Troll Bridge”
Environment Concept pt. Deux
A slight expansion on the farm house concept. As I mentioned in the previous blog post I felt like the house didn’t look abandoned enough and that I would rectify that and I think this goes at least part of the way to doing that. It was also a good exercise in drawing an objectContinue reading “Environment Concept pt. Deux”
The Magic Cloak
Final spread (unless a publisher wants to approach me for a full book… hint, hint). To be honest all these pages have been very rough and the character design pretty elementary. There’s a definite Disney aesthetic to all the pages which wasn’t initially intentional, but certainly was in the last two spreads. So what next?Continue reading “The Magic Cloak”
Redo
After finishing the spread yesterday (bottom picture) and looking at it again this morning I couldn’t help but notice a few things that needed changing, so I’ve faffed about all day redoing the piece (top picture). Here’s what was wrong; Firstly, Freyja’s right arm is massive! Look at the size of that monster! So IContinue reading “Redo”
Kids Book Spread Concept
Double page spread for a possible kids book about the Norse god Freyja taming the boar Hildisvini. This is only a rough spread, but I do like how it’s looking. I tried to stay away from adding cast shadows and strong light because I think the colours work quite well and Freyja and the boarContinue reading “Kids Book Spread Concept”
Ice to Meet You
This was a fun one to do. The previous illustration I posted felt like it was missing something and I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. I was originally going to have a large troll (this is set in Norway after all) standing just to the left hand side of the house withContinue reading “Ice to Meet You”
Late Night Deli
Just a quick study today. This one, unlike so many others, didn’t cause me any stress. I kept things super simple and didn’t go too crazy with the detailing. I found with this piece that I was initially drawing everything too precisely, so I had to go back and “correct” the shapes and proportions soContinue reading “Late Night Deli”
Under the Rug
I’m not sure why, but this one took ages to get right. Above is the final version, and funnily enough it was also the first idea I had. However, as is often typical when planning pieces, I go through a series of roughs first in order to find something that is perhaps more well thoughtContinue reading “Under the Rug”
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