FRUIT SPLASHES
•FRUIT SPLASHES
Again this was a job completed at the very end of last year. It’s not that I’ve been sat here doing nuthin all 2009 – I’m actually onto my 5th job already, and have recently invoiced Canada, Japan and Swindon!. It’s just that some of the ‘new’ stuff is still under wraps and I still wanted to display my best work from the end of last year.
This Fruit Splash was part of a set for an agency in Southport, SMR Creative.
Please click on the image to supersize it but remember that all these images are strictly copyright ©.
BRICKS
•BRICKS
Happy New year to all!
I’m just about recovered from a bout of flu, back at work but half speed at the mo. These two giant, 48 sheet posters, were commissioned at the end of 2008 by Dig For Fire, for a client of theirs with more brick varieties than is strictly healthy. So they spend their time building rainbows and maps of the UK to demonstrate the wonderful colours and textures and asked me to capture some of them in Photoshop and Form Z.
Watch out for them around the streets of Yorkshire. Click on an image to supersize it and remember that they are all strictly copyright ©.
SEASON’S GREETINGS
•SEASON’S GREETINGS
A late rush on Christmas images – particularly “e” cards for various companies, kept me busy right up until last week.
Here’s an adapted design I did for for a major insurance company.
From Hot Frog Graphics, me and my invisible friend (I’d go mad without him) wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
See you in 2009.
MMMMMY MAGNUM OPUS
• MMMMMY MAGNUM OPUS
Actually it’s not a Magnum, it’s a leading supermarkets own version of the cult classic. It tasted just as good tho, as I had to, just had to, eat 3 or 4 of them after photographing the product, as they dripped dollops of creamy ice cream and dribbled smooth milk chocolate. Read this in the voice of Nigella Lawson and you get the picture.
Not done one of these for a while so it was good to get back into some photo-realism.
Have you ever realised that, close up, there’s no difference between the texture of ice cream and mashed potato!
Please double click to get an even more enticing view of the product but remember that an ounce past the lips is an inch on the hips – and it’s copyright. ©
BEERS AND BEES
• BEERS AND BEES
Another busy couple of months and a diverse range of work.
Some of the images that never made it onto blog fame featured a frog for a website in Hawaii, a bottle label design for a new range of beers, a children’s game featuring turtle shells and a little polar bear character for a Croatian food company.
Here are some of the designs and illustrations that I would like to show you.
The three beer clips have been updated for Wentworth Brewery, and all being well, ie if they can stretch to the costs, these will be manufactured in acrylics and plastics to resemble metal and glass in full 3D. They should look fantastic.
The second posting is another little bee character, this time for a publisher in the States. It was intended for a set of math book covers but it came in second place to a much simpler, vector-style illustration. But I still like it and I’m sure we’ll see more of it later.
Remember to double click an image to supersize it. All images are strictly copyright ©.
ANIMAL SONGS CD COVER
• ANIMAL SONGS CD COVER
Once upon a time there was a purplish Hippo, a cheeky Monkey and a fine looking Zebra. They lived happily in the greenest, deepest, jungly part of the jungle. One day when they just happened to be passing through a clearing together – flash! Up popped a photographer who snapped their insanely smiley picture and then sold it on as reference to an illustrator thousands of miles away.
This follows the Car Ride Fun children’s cd that I illustrated last year for Somerset Ent. in the States/Canada.
Not much else to say about this except it was fun to do, and ‘more please’.
Please click on an image to enlarge it but remember that all images are strictly copyright and all my pixels are homing pixels and they can send an algorithm back to my Mac if they have been reproduced illegally! ©
MUSICAL MELODY MAKER
• MUSICAL MELODY MAKER
These are a fun set of musical characters produced for an exciting children’s game designed by Round Peg Ltd.
Jolly drums, trumpets, violins etc dance and jive to the beat, on the cover of a game box for Tomy.
Makes a change from animal characters but as you’ll soon see my next job flew me straight back into the jungle.
Please click on any of these images to supersize them and remember that they are all strictly copyright ©.
GO FASTER SNAIL
• GO FASTER SNAIL
Hot off the Hot Frog press come these two photo/illustrations for a client in the midlands.
Obviously I was hoping for another frog to illustrate – I think I’ve turned out around 30 different ones so far – but nevertheless, really enjoyed working on these two hardbacked critters. Thanks for the great brief Marcello!
Click on them to supersize the images and please remember that they are strictly © copyright.
MAGIC SWEET FACTORY
• MAGIC SWEET FACTORY
I’m pleased to be able to post this wonderful job for Razamatazz Magic.
And it really works! I must have used magic pixels because as soon as I’d finished the artwork I was covered in barley sugars, fruit chews, chocolate eclairs etc etc.
I bet it goes down great in their act!
Please click on the image to magnify it – and if you wish for your favourite sweet at the same time, you never your luck!
Please remember that all images are © copyright.
BOTTLE LABEL
•BOTTLE LABEL
It’s going to look like HFG has been closed for part of the summer. I say that because there’s a scarcity of new images I can post at the momente. That’s down to HFG being closed whilst I went on holiday – BUT this was only for one week’s surfing in Newquay. The rest of the time I’ve been beavering away on a fantastic new project that, unfortunately once again, I cannot reveal right at this moment in time.
Until the wraps come off that, I can upload this new beer bottle label for a Small Theatre in Sheffield, and that’s about it really. I did do some sketching on holiday but that served really to assuage my guilt at not doing any ‘proper’ drawing, and is not worth putting up here. There are some exciting new illustrations for the Razamatazz Magic Co. and they will follow shortly. Byeeeee.
THE SNOW IS FALLING
*THE SNOW IS FALLING
… CUE SHAKIN’ STEVENS …
>Hey, don’t you be thinking I’m a fan, It’s just that these lyrics were jingling around my head as I worked on this brilliant job for Razamatazz Magic last month.
Following on from their Rabbit Rampage come this very christmassy Santa’ Surprise.
I’m particularly pleased with the Polar Bear and Santa characters.
Now that I’ve got fur texture cracked (ever since the Airwick bunny) I can sketch out these fluffy furry creatures with confidence.
Please double click any image to supersize it and remember that all images are strictly copyright. ©
GA GUNK A froggy love story
• GA GUNK
A froggy love story
Regular readers of this blog (sic) will know that my abiding passion is for children’s picture books.
I’ve worked on quite a few educational type illustrated books and last year produced the phenomenal five hundred plus pictures for the mini-magnetic ABC, Colours etc books, for Soft Play.
With this new board book, written by Susie Ramsey, it’s the nearest yet to achieving my goal of my very own picture book.
Ga Gunk tells the simple story of how two little frogs meet by accident then fall in love one moonlit night.
I wanted a more painterly feel to the pictures and hopefully achieved this with some interesting painted textures applied in photoshop.
I have included the initial sketches with some of the finished illustrations as I’ve long thought about having some of my sketchbooks on display too.
Keep your webbed fingers crossed that this little book will soon find a publisher in the States.
Please double click on any frog to supersize but remember that all images are strictly copyright ©. Have I mentioned that before!