Dance Moves

This is the latest entry in the DanceDanceDance poster series promoting a regular night at Margate Arts Club hosted by Katie Barber and Joe Lye. For the fifth in the psychedelic/sci-fi inspired series I wanted to expand the world a little with new characters and hints of new places to venture into such as the distant tower. This one features a sort of psych-deco Amelia Earhart from Mars 2.0 and was fun to make as usual. Also a cheeky Death Star-esque orb that might have nothing to do with the May 4th (be with you) date. I've included the process roughs here from initial black and white scamp to colour test then back to monochrome for detailing before presenting the developed colour rough for approval. Elements get added,  removed and refined at each stage and for the final I tweaked the overall background colour for a more upbeat Spring feel. You can see the full series on the site here.

Drum Kit

Here's some new work for ABRSM and their Drum Kit Exam Pieces 2024 cover. The brief for this commission required quite a number of initial concepts that explored a more energetic stylistic approach to previous ABRSM outings. I've posted a selection of the works-in-progress here showing a range of varied comps and palettes based around collaged photo ref of drummers. After a few rounds the chosen image was settled on and I'm pleased with how it all turned out. You can see this and other ABRSM work on the site here.

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.

Dark Universe

Here's a new BBC Science Focus cover illustration and animation on the mysterious matter of The Dark Universe. The doozy of a brief involved visualising strange distortions in space and time that may reveal hidden forces controlling the cosmos. I was sent some specific reference of an abstract blob animation which was a helpful starting point for some exploration into Cinema 4D's volume builder dynamics. After some fun playing with various textures and organic animations I sent over first concepts, some of which are posted above. A stark and graphic black on white approach was preferred with a bulbous and jagged blob combo to give it an erratic feel. I was also tasked with creating headline typography that would interact with the undulating shape and added subtle grid elements to suggest an attempt to quantify the unquantifiable. The shape animation was created in Cinema 4d then composited in After Effects and was a very satisfying blob-job overall. See more Focus work here.

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!

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.