Folio Society BIC2018

I finally got around to entering the  Folio Society Book Illustration Competition, something I've wanted to do for quite a while, and am really pleased to say I've made it on to this year's longlist. The chosen book to illustrate was The Selected Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and the brief required illustrations for three short stories and a cover binding design rendered in a simpler graphic style.

It was great to soak up the atmosphere of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories (A Scandal In Bohemia, The Man With The Twisted Lip and The Musgrave Ritual) and select scenes I felt would lend themselves to interesting interpretations. Stylistically I tried to go for a modern and atmospheric painterly approach creating a digital collage of scanned-in-textures, photography and even a touch of 3D with subtle patterning effects. Really enjoyed the process of working on these and I might post some of the visuals that didn't make the cut at a later date.

In the meantime you can see all the excellent and varied entries on the longlist here and even vote your favourite ... ahem! The winner is announced at the Awards Night on February 20th. #BIC2018