We are slowly sneaking up on summer now so I thought it would be nice to look back at some of my favourite pieces of work so far this year. It has been a while since I last posted as I have had lots to be getting on with; many projects, traveling, lecturing and so forth.
Speaking of Lecturing, this is something new that I have been doing this year and certainly something I can see myself doing more of. My hope would be to combine it with a spot of traveling ... watch out Canada, you’re top of the list.
Back to the illustration, here are 5 of my favourite pieces and moments from 2015 so far.
Neptune Investment Portraits
This job started right back in the depths of winter, in early January and was a fantastic way of starting off the new year. I was tasked with illustrating 3 portraits, of Jack Ma, Narendra Modi and the Japanese PM, Shinzo Abe. I do love a good portrait, and these guys were no exception. Their faces hold so much character it was hard not to enjoy drawing them!
Market Life Portraits
As you can see portraits have featured heavily this year, I have been focussed on developing my pencil drawing skills and likenesses recently so it's nice to see that paying off. This is one of an on going series I have been working on for Market Life magazine, a slick little mag for Marylebone Borough. More will be coming out soon which is terribly exciting.
Catfish School of Economics
This piece is without doubt, one of my greatest editorial creations! It accompanied a piece written by Lionel Barber, the supreme editor of the FT. The article covered Lionel's meeting with the chinese number two, so it's safe to assume there was a fair amount of pressure on me. I shall blog soon about how I got the reference photos of all the swimming business men (Instagram followers have already seen a sneak peek!)
Hakone Ekiden - Like The Wind Magazine
I haven’t illustrated for these guys in over a year now, so it was nice to get back in to something for them. The story in question was an excellent piece written by Adharanand Finn, author of The Way of the Runner and Running with the Kenyans. Finn had recently been to Japan to watch the infamous Hakone Ekiden, a gruelling race from Tokyo city centre to the foothills of Mount Fuji. The runners of the event are young students from around the country all competing for great honour and fame. As the illustration shows, a lot of pressure is placed upon these young lads shoulders, as careers can be won and lost on the course. Like The Wind Mag
Brighton Festival - 4 hour deadline
Yes thats right, as the title suggests, I had 4 hours for this baby. I actually managed to complete it in only three and half in the end, which by far smashes my current record of 6 hours! Not only did I complete the image in a super quick time, I was actually really pleased with how it came out. You might be able to see that I borrowed a couple of colours from the Hakone Image, which I had completed the night before. My favourite part of this illustration is definitely the naked men on the groin (no pun intended)
As you know things never stop moving here, I will be sharing my observation drawings with the world soon, along with a whole raft of other personal pieces. It has been a big goal for me this year to get back into creating my own artwork along side a busy freelance calendar, something I've struggled to find time for until recently. Also, I have my first book cover coming out soon from Bloomsbury publishing, which will definitely be in my next highlights list for sure!
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