As a child I was mesmerised by a three-volume edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, specifically the beguiling illustrations of Greek heroes and gorgons.
As I grew older this fascination intensified and one of my favourite books is Kevin Crossley-Holland’s ‘Penguin book of Norse Myths’.
There is something profoundly relatable about the Greek and Norse gods. They represent the very best and worst aspects of humanity; they’re flawed and vain as well as courageous and self-sacrificing.
All of which makes them intensely fun to draw.
I would love to work on an illustrated picture book full of dark villainy and radiant heroism, bringing to life the spectrum of good and evil.
Here are a few illustrations of some of my favourite Norse gods.
Who can resist these stoic warriors with their natty attire, fanatical sword wielding and gut-slashing obedience? Not me.
With their intricately crafted armour, swords forged and folded hundreds of times over, and bold, graphic Mon crests – samurai are an illustrator's delight.
I created this mini-suite of characters negotiating samurai life; fighting inner (and outer) demons, appreciating the simple things while suffering slings and arrows, head-hunting oni, and slurping on bubble tea while skateboarding to work.
Over the years, I’ve worked closely with several medical and pharmaceutical companies producing illustrations for websites, games and animations.
Working with brand teams and internal stakeholders, I art direct visuals for projects that reach tens of thousands of international employees.
Topics cover cyber security and compliance, code of ethics and EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).
I employ a range of illustration styles to adapt to varying needs and often turn my hand to any requested style.
For a broader example of my illustration range, get in touch and I’ll be happy to provide a PDF sample.
Some people collect stamps, others fine wine. I, on the other hand, collect t-shirts.
Tired, baggy, decade-old masterpieces and brand new pristine examples warp my wardrobe to breaking point.
I am a proud alumni of Threadless and have worked with GAP, Graniph and a host of boutique t-shirt labels.
I created a collection of illustrated typographic designs, loosely themed on secret societies. I constrained the colour palette and wanted to explore a variety of badge related compositions.
Fun, dynamic and dapper, I’d add these to my collection.
Roger Deakin, John McPhee, John Stewart Collis, John Lewis-Stempel are just a few of my favourite authors. Their exploration of the physical and psychological outdoors has been an inspiration and fuelled many of my own forays into the wilderness. With Dartmoor at my back and Cornwall ahead I’m lucky enough to be surrounded with nature’s bounty. Like every other illustrator under the sun, nature is a source of great personal inspiration and here are a few of my designs based upon my love of the places I regularly visit.
Alcohol has a wealth of idioms and expressions; ‘three sheets to the wind’, ‘wet your whistle’, ‘drink like a fish’ all bizarre turns of phrases worthy of illustrating. I took a few of my favourites and brought them to life with their very own bottle and accompanying label. Cheers!
I love designing greetings cards, they’re short, sharp smiles in the mind. A playful poke at a friend, a reiteration of love, a cheeky eyebrow raising message, everyone loves a card dropping on their doormat.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with UKGreetings a number of times producing a range of typographic greetings cards across the full range of occasions. These cards are a select example of some recent designs for sale over at Thortful.
Pomp, pageantry and poshness, the three pillars of Britishness. Centuries of culture and monarchy has produced quintessential characters associated with this tiny isle.
I designed a set of six postcards to playfully explore some of these themes; from dashing foxy nobles and protective bear guards to the regal lion of the royal crest. ’Cry god for St George, Harry and England’!
What better was to prepare for the festive season than by plonking yourself down with a glass of mulled wine, a mince pie or six and waxing poetically into a Christmas card.
I’ve made it easy for you by creating these Santa approved designs. We’ve got romantic reindeers, clinking booze bottles, angelic cats and just about everything else in-between. All available over at Thortful.
During lockdown while daydreaming about vast horizons and the great outdoors I read Alastair Humphreys’ ‘Microadventures’ book on making the most of where you live and finding adventure in the everyday.
I’m looking to move into editorial work and thought this would make a great topic for an article and felt inspired to make some spot illustrations to explore the topic. Playing with dynamic scale between people and places reiterates the idea of thinking smaller and more locally in terms of where and how we find and define adventure.
I designed some spreads exploring the theme of personal growth and development through the metaphor of navigating a storm. A tiny boat battles colossal waves, seeks and finds guidance, examines signs and ultimately finds a safe port. William Ernest Henley’s ‘Invictus’ poem is the perfect analogy for a life well lived through overcoming obstacles.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
My final set of spreads investigates learning to love yourself, recognising and confronting personal issues and building positive, life affirming habits to get us to where we want to be.
A gardener sits by a shabby and overgrown greenhouse, he prunes the unhelpful thorny aspects of himself and plants anew in order to restore his garden to its full glory.
