Someone's tired!

Apart from myself, I mean.

I need to go to bed.

Telling the Time - A Book for Traveller Children

 I didn't know I could do things this... well, sickeningly happy. Look at them all, giving each other the eye like, 'yeahhh our way of life is beautiful and we know it'. 

This is a sample illustration we are supposed to be pitching to a group of real Travellers who want a book to teach their kids to tell the time, with a little interactive pop-through clock.

It was a pretty vague brief, so I did the standard lets all go out and play before teatime scene. Although the incredibly bright colours hurt my eyes, and I still haven't cracked the characters' facial features just yet, I'm proper happy with this!

It's not incredibly likely they will actually choose mine, as the competition had some very shiny, classy images, but I hope they like it at least.

...fingers crossed.

The Boy & His Brain, first sketches.

So I've had a rough idea for a children's book, and it's mostly me trying to be funny.

Basically, it's about this kid who doesn't use his brain. 

Brain feels unappreciated, brain leaves to find a more interesting being to inhabit. 

Boy has massive trouble at school, tries really hard to do homework, puts his homework up his nose. 

Meanwhile brain goes on soul-searching mission to Tibet or something, and fails to find anyone who will have him. 

Brain sends initially bitter but increasingly understanding postcards to boy.

It's not perfect, but I'm working on it.

October Sketchbook

Wanted to share a little bit of my sketchbook work for a change! These are all doodles, and aren't really relevant to any projects, so no one would ever see 'em otherwise. 

You win no prizes for finding Putin, but you might for finding Jimmy.

The Valleys

This week, I decided that a certain kind of trashy Reality TV show (MTV's finest, by the way) needed a bit of ridiculing. I think I've got the characters pretty spot on as they are the most beastly creatures to emerge from the valleys of Wales since those great ugly dragons.
MTV, you really have outdone yourself, but I do love you.

You've given my vulgar creations a pretty good context.

PARTIAAAALL!

Ohh Deer 'Pillow Fight' Cushion Competition

This is my entry for the cushion competition on Ohh Deer dot commmm.

I assume they like bad puns!

Also, WELL LOVIN' SEEING IT ON A WEBSITE! 

take a look:

Yeah boiii.

WHO LIVES IN A PINEAPPLE UNDER THE SEEEEEEEEEA

Yeahhhh, Spurngebaaahhb.

Chester

What better way of practicing my photoshopping skills than by bringing the world an insight into the brilliant, fluffy mind of Chester.

'Norman 68616'

I've changed my mind, AGAIN, and re-designed the storyboard for this anecdote from a Holocaust survivor. Maybe one day I'll get it finished for real!! I really bloody hope so. Anyway I thought I'd post this at least just to prove I'm not being completely unproductive.

Frutorious - Game Complete!!

One last image for Frutorious :)

In case anyone's interested, here's is the blog go the god-like genius behind the game itself,

and here is their Official Website!

An Unusual Business Card - Pin Up

This draft was never used, but I'm blogging it anyway ;)

For PinUp Productions, a new film production company who are soon to be filming all the skating and surfing at some lovely festivals this year, including Boardmasters!

Really getting used to this photoshop stuff.

The Story of Frutorious

Infinite State, an independent game company, are making a fantastic little platform game for iPhone called Frutorious

You know at the beginning of a game, you get a nice story sequence that sets the scene? I was asked to illustrate it!

The story of Frutorious goes like this:

One day, Mr Fruts was having a lovely picnic with Mrs Fruts and their friends, the fluffs.

Suddenly, a nasty skull called Pedro appeared and gave everyone a fright!

With an evil cackle, Pedro turned all the fluffs into fruts! What a rotter.

All the fruts scattered around Frutland and got stuck in all the trees. Oh no!

Luckily, Frutorious FIG saw what happened and offered to give Mr Fruts a lift to go and sort it all out.

Not only is it the cutest thing since Yoshi's Story for N64, but it's got SO MANY pretty colours, and even a sneaky bit of 8-bit dub step thrown in to the soundtrack.

Presenting: some kind of lonesome miscreation.

I might just leave this unexplained for now.

Pages 7, 10 & 15 - Colour

So, this is what I've been doing this weekend while the world was chillin on the beach.

These three pages are not sequential, but are picked at random from the storyboard below - just in case you read them and think 'hey, this doesn't make any sense, and this girl's an idiot.' 

Will make much more sense after reading the whole thing - Its based on the story of Hansel & Gretel, obviously, buuuut I sort of shortened, and re-wrote it to better compliment the pictures.

Wish I had the time to do more, but I have an appointment with the spraymount.

MASSIVE Storyboard for Hansel & Gretel

Final Pages (Sketchbook)

As deadline day drags its ugly corpse over the horizon, I'm definitely panicking.

These pages are the result of this weeks panic:

They need cleaning up etc before printing and binding with the rest of it but I just wanted to put these up before I go find a coffee-related reward for myself... and start on the paintings.

(and yes, the gingerbread man is dead, the poor thing)

Witch!

"oh heyyyyyy"

Visual Studies IS OVERRR

As 'Visual Studies' Tuesdays are dying away, I thought I'd make an effort

Did a few paintings done just to practice my colour theory - 

this one ^^^ was done today, from some sketches from a fortnight ago. Photo's are fine normally but I'm glad I did the colour sketches because the photos were a bit dreary compared to the real thing! I think it was the first really sunny day since the start of term (and I spent it inside, obvz).

Not quite as glowing with pride about the other ones, but here are some anyways:

^ Weston-super-Mare beach, looking lovelier than usual ^

(this one looks like a paint by numbers)

^ a random house near the harbour, Falmouth ^

Inside the Gingerbread House

Ok sooo just realised I didn't finish drawing the bookcase but you get the idea.

Kids follow the masked lady into the house, which is really really big on the inside, and is lit and heated by a massive oven in the roof. 

Not sure about the curly smoke at the moment, might put in some flames, and more steam shooting out of pipes.. that sort of thing.

Note the humungous toes poking out from under the old woman's shawl!

Page Nine/Ten: Roughs

Two more roughs from Hansel and Gretel:

The witch presents herself as an old, blind woman covered entirely with a patchy blanket.

And a mask.

Also if anyone's interested, my boiler is still broken. Every soul in this house is in dire need of a shower; it is  definitely best that I didn't grace the studio with my presence today.

Gingerbread House

Not an awful lot has been posted since Easter, so I thought I'd share a concept sketch or twooo..

Im working on a version of Hansel and Gretel, this is page six.

I kinda need to leave the house and go food shopping, but its pouring with rain and we have no heating...

Its taken all this to finally make me stay in and do some work.

So, more up soon :D

Puffin Post

Cover illustration for Puffin Post

NME Sex Pistols Edition!!!!

Wanted to get all this ridiculousness out of my system,
but I feel this could be the start of something utterly, disgustingly beautiful.

A new bit of album artwork

Yeah I know, It's been up here before but now it looks a tiny bit more like an album cover

For Toby Janes, who as of Wednesday is gigging around California, the lucky boy.
(and as of now owes me some wine!)

Editorial

'Booze Britannia'

 Britain's hidden alcoholics lie in the middle classes

Zombie Ball

Poster for the Zombie Society!

The Royal Menagerie

'Information Illustration' Project

Part of a series of small books that tell children stories of the Tower of London.

(Written and thought up by me, and it rhymes and everyfin')

Front cover, page 1 and page 10 in full scribbly colour.

Was all bound into a dummy book, my first one with a real front cover...
However due to my super keen boffinishness I handed it in before I thought to take photos.

Here's the storyboard for the whole book: