Pedro's Illustration Factory

Sandwell Valley Project

2011-09-12T19:24:00.003+01:00

About three/four months ago we submitted a proposal for an Arts Grant around the Sandwell Valley area, involving art workshops with three primary schools. We received news a couple of weeks ago that we were successful with the application, so I've decided to keep a visual diary of our work in progress.The project involves two writers and myself creating a series of poems and visual images, through working with local primary schools. "The project will celebrate Sandwell Valley Country Park, and its place as a green space for conservation, education and recreation in the borough of Sandwell".To begin with we must make several trips to the park to create work ourselves out of a response to the Valley, and then using this work as a starting point for children to respond and create work in the same way... Also, once the initial stage of drawing and observation is complete, the children will be encouraged to create characters/creatures from their imaginations that may well live in the Nature Reserve, for example: The Man of the Wood, or, The Lady of the Waters etc.

Pass it On (Craig Wosahlo)

2011-07-31T14:24:00.008+01:00

This is another illustration for CreatureMag, and I dare say I'm enjoying them. The deadlines are tighter than a tight thing, but that's all part of the deal.
This image is based on an article about Craig Wosahlo (a new singer/songwriter), or more accurately, its based on my overview of his music.
This illustration is more of a conceptual piece, as it doesn't correspond to anything literal from the song lyrics. The editor sent me four or five examples of his songs, in order to 'respond to them'. This is what happened.

(After spraying the drawing with fixative and giving it a few coats of Matt medium the evening before, I actually started the painting around 11am the next day. It was rendered Alla Prima, and I lifted my hand at 2:45am that night. Its a little raw, unrefined maybe, but there is an energy to it that seems to work for me. I really wanted to tighten up a few aspects of it the next day, but decided to just get it scanned in instead, and sent it off from how it was from the night before)

The idea of the larks emerging from the figure came to me quite early on, and would simply not go away. Larks are a deeply symbolic bird; they represent hope, happiness, good fortune, and creativity. A group of larks is known as an 'exaltation'. Apparently, to see larks flying in your dream symbolises high aspirations. However, if they fall during flight then it indicates your fall from grace and loss of innocence.
So I felt this captured something of how I interpret Craig's music...the need for hope in the human condition, but also acknowledging that as social beings, a fall from grace, or a faltering in our progress, is something wholly inevitable, and therefore the most human part of the journey...

P'an-Ku

2011-06-21T23:17:00.011+01:00

P'an-Ku represents the Creation myth of China, the originator of the Yin and Yang concept.
According to the myth, in the beginning there was only a formless chaos. Out of this primordial nothing a cosmic egg was formed. Within this egg the opposed principles of the Yin and the Yang shaped themselves. Once this egg hatched, P'an-Ku emerged into the universe. This is a basic overview of the myth, as I have interpreted it in my own way, although the concept of the Yin and the Yang remains: opposites. What was once life, richness, vitality, is eventually corrupted by death, rot, degeneration, disintegration...the cyclical nature of life and death, and the terrible beauty of both.

Outside (Cyra Morgan)

2011-06-09T11:20:00.007+01:00

This painting is based on an article in CreatureMag about the up and coming singer/songwriter Cyra Morgan. The illustration is based most prominently on one of her songs in particular; "Outside".

I enjoyed the painting, although I only had four days to do it from scratch. I would have liked to have spent a little more time on some aspects of it, particularly the folds in the dress, but that's nothing new.

I tried to capture a sense of atmosphere that not only represented the song, but her work in general, as oppose to focusing on capturing a likeness of Cyra herself...

Helen

2011-02-10T10:51:00.006Z

I think this new portrait is a slight improvement on the last one. The application of paint is a little looser, adding some vitality. Well, that's my impression now, I may feel differently about it tomorrow or next week. I still have a hell of a lot to learn about portrait painting, that is what is absolutely certain. I think they are an excellent exercise in observation. Not just in terms of capturing the likeness of someone in terms of line, but in finding a way to capture the multitude of nuances of light, tone, and value, with nothing more than paint and a brush. A fascinating challenge...and a bloody difficult one.

The Outsider

2011-01-10T18:38:00.009Z

I've been working on these paintings for the last three weeks, and I'm pleased to have finally finished them. They are book illustrations based on the Albert Camus novel, 'The Outsider'.
I tried to get enough variety in the images to make them as interesting as possible, without taking the text too literally, but at the same time staying faithful to the essence of the narrative.
The coffin painting took some thought, as its a strange scene in the book. I wouldn't go so far as to call it surreal, but it certainly has a peculiar undertone. I tried to capture that subtlety of odd perception which Meursault (the main protagonist) describes, which is why the perspective is slightly askew. I purposefully made the overhead lights unnaturally bright, so as to emphasise the theme of dazzling light that permeates the novel...
The middle painting (the close-up face) deals with the disorientating light as mentioned above. Its a dramatic, and quite pivotal scene in the book. The rendering probably deserved more attention, but I just didn't have the time to spare unfortunately.
However, its the prison cell painting which I was most keen to spend more time on, but alas, the deadline prevented this. I had to improvise areas of this painting that sadly don't work as well as I had planned. I had imagined this image being more atmospheric, bordering on haunting, with a lot more detail in the light and tone. Never mind.

A Semblance of Self (Self-Portrait)

2010-11-24T09:01:00.005Z

This is quite simply a bit of practice, as I can't imagine using it for anything specific other than that. I tried to do an honest representation, to capture a certain mood in which I find myself in frequently these days...
I enjoyed this painting very much, as I'm slowly beginning to loosen up my application of paint, although I still need to take it further without jeopardising the familiarity of the 'sitter'.

Cats

2010-11-11T12:03:00.008Z

This painting was inspired by a wonderful poem by Helen Calcutt. I tried to capture the playfulness and mystery of the cats, so beautifully portrayed in the language of the poem. I hope I went some way to justifying it...

*SOLD*

Dreams are the Genus: Nightmares the Species

2010-09-23T09:45:00.011+01:00

"Dreams are the Genus: Nightmares the Species", the brand new collaborative, illustrative book is all the way here, now!
Featuring the artwork of 8 different illustratotrs, and the poetic skills of Helen Calcutt, it is a book not to be missed!
Each artist was free to weave their dreamscapes (or nightmares) on 3 seperate pages, based on the themes of nightmares and fairytales.
Instead of illustrating 3 pages, it transpired that I would have one single page illustration, and a double-page spread. Cool.
I based both my illustrations on fairytales, which is "slap you in the face with a dead squirrel" obvious I suppose.
Well here they are, all shiny and finished and the like.
The pleasures of progress...

Tiger, Tiger

2010-09-20T15:14:00.008+01:00

In Korean mythology the tiger is a symbol of protection, "a guardian of the west". Here he is portrayed as an instigator of creation, and imagination, but also destruction of a kind.
The idea is of the tiger devouring itself, and through this process regenerating; a kind of cyclical regeneration through violence. The destruction of an idea, its fulfilment or its demise- a cycle, always churning, moving, evolving, devolving-in a state of constant flux, much like the creative process of a writer or artist...

Initially inspired by a poem by Helen Calcutt, it is now going to be used in conjunction with our Save the Tiger WWF petition.

*SOLD*

Escape

2010-09-17T11:24:00.006+01:00

It was refreshing to paint onto canvas again after a good few months absence.
It was also great to loosen up a bit in terms of the application of paint, especially after a series of fairly tight illustrations.
This is an avenue I want to explore in more detail in later work, as I feel I can take this much further, stylistically as well as in terms of concept...

Anyway, this painting will be part of the Arts After Dark Exhibition, a week long exhibition starting on the 23rd. of October in New Orleans. The exhibition includes photography, sculpture, multimedia, as well as illustration; showcasing work from the UK and New Orleans.
It will then be returning for a homecoming Launch Party at the end of November @ the Chomley Boys Club, 68 Boleyn Road, London N16 8JG.

To check it out in more detail go to:
www.100sqft.co.uk/faq

"Word is Drawn" Exhibition

2010-09-08T11:58:00.002+01:00

Come along to the show! Bring your sister, your folks, dogs, cat, dinner and the milkman.
Drink, dance and be merry amongst diverse artworks. Make foolish purchases of artwork you may not be able to afford. Buy buy buy...and hooray!

Dido

2010-09-08T11:20:00.008+01:00

This painting was created for two main reasons: 1.) As part of an upcoming, collaborative exhibition in Stoke-Newington, London (details of which I will post on my next blog), 2.) A portfolio/promotional piece.

It's a direct contrast to my John Lee Hooker piece in many ways, which was a nice switch, and a good challenge.
Dido is one of many characters from Virgil's "Aeneid", and from the pantheon of Roman mythology. She is the Queen of Carthage when Aeneas, the famous Trojan-Roman hero, is fated to meet her. They fall deeply in love. When, in obedience to the commands of the gods, he leaves her to continue his journey, she burns herself to death on a funeral pyre in despair. The ships sailing away were a late edition to the composition, but I think an important one in terms of its added narrative quality. Its a bit of a shame I didn't get the sea as I wanted, as I had imagined it being much more luminously blue-green, with a real sense of depth to it...

"Distracted Dad" Article

2010-08-02T12:51:00.006+01:00

This illustration was for the column, "Distracted Dad", which is an article to be found in Latest Homes Magazine.
The deadline was fairly tight, but I enjoyed the painting, after a rocky start.
The article in question concerns the authors perfect day out with his family, which includes a canal boat journey, a picnic, and an encounter trying to photograph a less than complient peacock.
Originally the figure taking the photo was less prominant, so in the final painting I enlarged him slightly, which improved the composition a lot I think.

John Lee Hooker

2010-07-17T16:55:00.011+01:00

I finished this painting at approximately midnight Thursday, and I'm pretty pleased how its turned out. I must (shamefully) admit that I didn't know who JL Hooker was before this commission, so it was a learning curve in more ways than usual. I spent a whole day watching footage of him on 'youtube' and listening to his music before I even lifted a pencil. I think it helped, even if only in a fleeting way. I'm finding painting in oils, particularly people/skin tones, very enjoyable and very flexible.
The eyes of the central JL follow you across the room, which I'm really pleased about, even though it was a complete fluke...

*SOLD*

Tiamat and Marduk

2010-06-04T11:52:00.008+01:00

A representation of two of the oldest characters in world mythology, roughly dating as far back as 3000BC.
The woman, Tiamat, is described in Sumerian myth as a kind of she-dragon, who was present when the world was created, thereby symbolising the original mother goddess.
She was originally portrayed as a benevolent force by the Sumerian's, but for varying reasons this was eventually to change once the myth was adopted by the Babylonians.
Later she is described as destructive, and so Marduk, a Babylonian god, is sent to destroy her.
Personally I prefer the original incarnation of Tiamat, and therefore have purposefully shown Marduk as the aggressor, thereby fulfilling the role of man throughout human history.

"Persephone" at 100 Sqft Exhibition

2010-05-17T10:25:00.005+01:00

The printed painting of Persephone now hangs at Boleyn Road, London, in the 100Sqft exhibition. The exhibition has some tasty pieces, all of which can be viewed at your leisure from Monday 17th- 19th of May, 10am-10pm. Great stuff.
Alternatively, you can visit the exhibition through the powers of cyber space:

www.100sqft.co.uk

Cool.

Parade of the Denizens of an Unravelling Mind

2010-05-10T17:49:00.010+01:00

I finished this last week, but I only got it scanned in today (and it was a bloody journey I tell ya). Yes, I have finally found somewhere that accommodates the large scan option, after much searching. It is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
This painting was one of those dream commissions (no pun intended). The client sent me an email saying she wanted: "a fairly dark midsummers night dream scene set in a forest...with mystical animals and characters." I like to think I ticked a couple of those boxes.

*SOLD*

Chimera

2010-04-01T14:37:00.008+01:00

This is my contribution to a magazine called "Fatzine", which runs predominantly in Manchester every month. The theme for the latest issue is politics. Unfortunately I could not dedicate more time to the image (particularly the rendering), as I had less than a day to get it done and sent off. However, I do think the concept works, and the magazine, at the moment, is only in colour online. Still though, I would have liked to have worked into it more, particularly the background. Next time.

A sneak look at latest painting, "Persephone"

2010-03-30T13:05:00.009+01:00

I finished this little fella yesterday. The specifications for this painting were strict, it had to be 30cm x 30cm. I found it restrictive at times, particularly the painting of the skin tone, but I think its turned out pretty decent. Its going to be part of an exhibition based on myth and the folktale, in which each of the images is slightly subverted in some way. Thats why I have only posted a small segment, as the exhibition is in early May. But that one aside, I'm hoping it will be part of a broader, more ambitious exhibition early next year. We shall see...

Snippets from new book, "Fragments"

2010-03-06T11:29:00.007Z

Here is a sneak preview of the new book paintings I've been working on for the last few weeks. They are completely finished as of now, but I cannot reveal them completely until the book is published, which should be at the end of the summer.
The book is a collaborative project, inspired by the themes of Nightmares and Fairytales. Each artist (20 altogether, including my good self) had three pages to weave their creative dreamscapes on this great subject.
Initially I was to illustrate two fairytales and one nightmare scene. However, it was decided that my nightmare image was to be sacrificed in favour of a double page spread instead. This has turned out to be a very wise decision indeedy.
I have included the nightmare drawing, as there is no harm in showing the rejected image.
Full, unabridged paintings to be revealed soon. Watch this space.

"The Art of Listening"

2010-02-08T17:02:00.008Z

These two pieces were specifically painted for "The Art of Listening" exhibition earlier this month in Sheffield. The exhibition was in conjunction with the Sheffield Samaritans, and a good number of the artists involved were local. The themes consisted of 'despair and hope' ; which are hardly the most inventive, but I really enjoyed the paintings.
I did take a slightly different spin on the themes however - the despair I chose to illustrate, is of a hollow kind, the sort of despair manufactured by a large degree of the western youth, a youth that mostly has never really had any true problems, and thus never suffered true despair. This is of course only one small interpretation of a much larger subject, as some would argue that despair is relative to your surroundings. The title of the painting with the sitting figure is, "Deep in this sad Hollow", which is a line from Dante's "Inferno".
The title of the painting with the sitting woman is, "The Paradise of Fools", which is a quote from Milton's "Paradise Lost". As always the finished paintings will be posted on my website.
And thats enough from me I think...

The Thought of Monsters Produces Monsters

2009-11-27T15:55:00.006Z

This is an idea I've been meaning to get down on paper for awhile now. The title is a parody of one of Goya's excellent etchings, "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters". The meaning behind my title can be translated as: If you continuously dwell on your short comings, on your fear of mistakes, or insist on doubting yourself, you will create all your own monsters. The entire image is posted on my website...

Figure Studies

2009-11-06T20:53:00.009Z

I enjoy these little sketches. I really really need to do alot more of them though.

Happy Halloween Kids!

2009-10-28T21:27:00.006Z

"Children, did you hear the creak on the stair? Perhaps, it was the cat, pelted by the shock of something bodiless, black; hushing past. And did you hear it? The lock of the door, turned, ever so slightly in your half sleep? There see, the widening of light slicing the shadow as it opens, as if with a breath. But it embodies nothing; nothing, is there. Just the wind, you think, crawling through the house as it groans with the ache of too many years. Close your eyes now, sleep. Feel the warmth of your covers melt softly, softly over the skin. Silence settles, and you slip into it – But yes, there it is again! That snuffling, sniffling, slithering, itching, spilling through every crack, of your closet door. You sit up, draw the sheets to your nose and yes, it is open. And in it, something stirs; soundlessly, writhing and wriggling in the dark, dribbling slime and ink to the floor. The hairs of your neck, straighten and sting, and your limbs, lock: muscle sucked to the bone. And up from the belly, a feeling returns – that indescribable fear.
But children, do not trouble yourselves. Those wide eyes fixed so keenly, will only droop to a close, and then it will be morning. And you will go on living, not thinking of the things that thumped through the night. It’s all those stories your Daddy told you, packed into the brain too tight. And the night, awakens them all…"
- Helen Calcutt

Perfection Limited

2009-09-29T22:45:00.012+01:00

This is a sneak preview of the new painting I've been working on. Its all finished now besides having it properly photographed, which will take place tomorrow. Once its been put on disc I'll post it on my website. Superdeadly.
There are a few layers of meaning to this painting but I’ll briefly outline the basics. The idea deals with the over-exposure, by all facets of the media, of the supposed ideal female figure. The idea of this absolutely flawless female body that is ubiquitous in our magazines, movies, advertisements et al. A body that women often feel pressured into attaining because that's the only way, it is suggested, that they can be seen as attractive or desirable. So because of this hugely false image that has been created by the fashion industry and its immoral sibling of marketing etc, many women strive desperately to live up to these mythical standards of ‘perfection’. The painting represents not how we see these women, but instead how they see themselves because of this lie.

*SOLD*

Sketchbook Scree

2009-09-29T22:15:00.008+01:00

Some quick, loose sketches for a couple of paintings that are scheduled for early next year. Thats a fair bit of time away yet of course but when ideas lurch into the mind its always wise to get them down on paper, however raw they may be.

Imagination II

2009-09-29T18:24:00.005+01:00

This is another personal piece, one that I managed to squeeze in between other work. It's a drawing I very much enjoyed and would have liked to have painted if I could somehow miraculously slow down or suspend time at a whim. Alas, as yet I am unable, and so we only get a mere drawing. I had never drawn a tiger before this picture, certainly not in my adult years, and now that I have I'm quite keen to try my hand at painting one. Maybe soon...

*SOLD*

Imagination

2009-05-21T00:26:00.010+01:00

This is a personal project in which I had a great deal of fun painting. I honestly dont quite know why I decided to put a flying pig in there, but I'm sure I had a good reason at the time. The man/floating head on the left is a famous Irish author. Those of you looking at this who are Irish, and dont know who it is then great shame must descend on you until you find out...

*SOLD*

Vivien Leigh

2009-05-01T10:53:00.012+01:00

The Vivien Leigh illustration is a parody of the John Everett Millais painting, "Ophelia". The character Ophelia is a deranged Shakespearean heroine from "Hamlet" who throws herself into a river and drowns herself in despair. Before doing this she garlanded herself with flowers, each of which had symbolic associations i.e. the pansies represent love in vain, violets symbolise fidelity and the poppy represents death. It seemed a natural decision to allude to Ophelia when portraying Vivien Leigh in this tragic way as she suffered terrible depression during her life. When she was diagnosed with tuberculosis she refused any treatment, and instead accepted her fate and eventually drowned from her ailment. For that reason I decided to depict her as oddly calm and emotionless in the pic.

Fidel Castro

2009-04-17T12:32:00.011+01:00

What I like about this pic is the variety in the composition compared to the others. The article in which the image is based on deals with the idea that Fidel's socialist regime largely failed to liberate the people of Cuba despite the initial romantic ideals , and both he and Cuba are in sharp decline. I framed his face with the communist star, which is sometimes depicted as a gold star on a red background. The origins of the star being red are to signify the blood lost in struggle. A motif first incorporated by Marx and Engels.

Ian McKellen

2009-04-03T12:42:00.015+01:00

This illustration is based on an editorial piece in The Guardian newspaper in which a Scottish Catholic Bishop criticises homosexuals, one of which happens to be Ian McKellen. A kind of war of words ensues between the two, in which some very close-minded views are revealed. The idea of Ian McKellen represented as a kind of St. George figure slaying the oppressive nature of the Bishop, who is depicted as a dragon, is a meaningful image and an idea in which I like. I wanted it to be clear in the illustration that Ian McKellen is 'fighting' for gay rights, that is why I included the details of the rainbow coloured cloak and the symbol of Stonewall (Stonewall is a high profile gay rights organisation in the UK. It was formed in 1989 by activists, one of which was Ian McKellen) on his shoulder armour. The composition is constructed in a classical pyramid shape to reflect the antiquity of a struggle involving religious ideals and modern reason.

Brigitte Bardot

2009-04-03T12:41:00.006+01:00

I never had any other idea in mind for this illustration. What nudged me in the direction of this idea was a line in the article, "animal rights champion". As soon as I read those words the Eugene Delacroix painting, "Liberty Leading the People", sprang happily into my mind. It was a pretty controversial painting at the time because the woman representing Liberty did not personify idealized beauty. So I thought it fitting that Brigitte Bardot, who has been accused of racism and holds extremist animal rights views, should symbolise Liberty in an ironic way. The only major area of indecision with this pic (mercifully) was what to do with the flag she holds aloft.Thankfully I decided to keep it simple and so opted to use the colours that are represented in Brigitte Bardot's official Animal Rights Foundation logo.

Bob Dylan

2009-04-03T12:26:00.011+01:00

I probably approached this illustration too cautiously, as it still feels and looks a little safe to me. I think if this had not of been the first of the series it may well have been more adventurous. The article the illustration is based on deals with Dylan in the early to mid sixties, when he alternated from being a folk singer to an electric rocker. The title of the article reads: "The contrarian of a generation", so I focused my idea around that concept. Obviously "contrarian" suggests an opposite to something, but also a conflict. In this case it was a conflict between two kinds of music; acoustic and electric. But for me it also focuses on a kind of 'natural' evolution. On one side of the pic we have a younger Dylan; the folk-style singer and musician based in the early years of the sixties. Whilst on the opposite side we have the musical progression, the slightly older Dylan, bursting away from the past, moving forward into the peak of the sixties. This musical 'freedom', or breaking away from tradition, moving forward and evolving, was a constant theme of the sixties, and therefore something I felt would be appropriate to capture in the illustration, however slight.

The Picture of Oscar Wilde

2008-12-15T12:57:00.010Z

"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?
Yet let me flap this bug with gilded wings,
This painted child of dirt that stinks and stings;
Whose buzz the witty and the fair annoys,
Yet wit ne'er tastes, and beauty ne'r enjoys..."

- Alexander Pope

Heath Ledger

2008-12-03T12:32:00.010Z

This is probably the most serious of this series of six paintings, certainly the darkest. The decision to use the Joker as Ledger's alter-ego, his inner strife, was a natural choice considering all that has happened.

Marilyn Monroe

2008-12-01T13:11:00.013Z

This pic was the trickiest of the series because Monroe is so iconic and therefore the most engrained in peoples minds. I wanted to avoid presenting her in any familiar way. The decision to paint the background in (mottled yellow) colour, as oppose to Monroe herself, was a significant one. The yellow background mainly symbolises the 'brightness' of her public persona; a subterfuge to mask her true self, and therefore her melancholy.

*SOLD*

Diego Maradona

2008-12-01T13:04:00.016Z

The Maradona pic was alot of fun to paint. It is a straight-forward yet effective idiom; he had the world in his hands, but let it slip through his fingers because he was manipulated, arrogant and because of his addiction to cocaine. I painted everything in monochrome save for the blue on the Argentina jersey because it represents the zenith of his achievements (winning the World Cup in 1986 largely due to his brilliance). Yet the blue is slightly faded, much like the man himself for large segments of his career afterwards. I decided to represent Diego at the point in his life when he was most overweight, when he was at his most grossly excessive. This helps to contrast the great feat in winning the World Cup and the sorry decline he spiraled into because of insane intemperance. Since finishing this pic however Maradona seems to be on the rise and is doing alot better (which I'm very pleased about). But I think the illustration remains an apt example of how excess and a bloated ego can destroy a wonderful talent. Shine on Diego you crazy diamond.

*SOLD*

Figure Drawing

2008-11-11T12:01:00.014Z

Some quick, gestural line work to attempt to loosen up my drawings. I should really find the time to do much more of these studies as they are invaluable and essential to good line work. You can never do enough observational drawing.

Cuchulainn II

2008-11-11T11:44:00.006Z

This is an older pic in which I always felt a little more work on tone would improve the overall atmosphere.

Enbarr and Epona

2008-09-22T13:44:00.005+01:00

I'm pretty pleased with this overall result. The mane on the mare could have been brighter perhaps, more defined. My main gripe concerns the birds. I had planned on making them quite garish and generally more prominent in the painting but that idea got a little lost, although the focal point is undoubtedly the horses. The title of the piece concerns two famous horses from myth and legend. Enbarr, meaning "imagination", is Niamh's horse in Irish mythology. The horse could not be killed by man or god. Epona translates as "Great Mare", and derives from very old Roman texts. Epona was the protector of all horses, but was also responsible(in a spiritual sense) for escorting or guiding the souls of the deceased. Its role was not to judge, but simply to provide safe passage.

*SOLD*

The Process continued...

2008-08-14T10:54:00.004+01:00

Its beginning to become something. I mainly used raw sienna for the background, with a dash of yellow ochre. The paint mix was given a sliver of matte medium for extra fluidity. It has a faint hint of flame but its not too directly obvious, I only want to suggest it...Anyway, the next step must ensue...

Horses/The Process

2008-08-12T14:13:00.003+01:00

This is a new piece I'm working on at the moment and I'm absolutely loving it. I wont go into any detail about the meaning behind it. What pleases me so far is that I used very little reference pics for the final drawing. Any direct reference was taken from my sketch book...Hope you folks like it so far.

Self-Portrait

2008-07-16T16:05:00.003+01:00

The first in a series of light hearted self-portraits I have planned. I enjoyed this pic. I've just recently finished reading "Steppenwolf", and although I had this idea long before I read the book, it has added more depth to the illustration. The area below my face arguably needs better lighting to draw the eye a little easier to the focal point, but generally I think it does work. The next installment in the series is probably more gruesome than this pic but not as dark...

Thoughts

2008-05-09T21:39:00.005+01:00

This is one of my sketch book drawings that I decided to work-up because it would be good fun to do and it was an excuse to draw some animals I've never drawn before. Plus there is a slight homage to Greek mythology slipped in as well. There was plenty of freedom with this pic and I enjoyed playing with the different 'characters' emerging from the cranium. Some of the characters changed along the way but the composition remained pretty constant throughout. One of the main changes came with the addition of the boar or warthog. I initially had an over-sized ant in his place. However I decided that one insect was enough. But more importantly the boar balanced the pic out and gave that side of the drawing more 'weight' and substance and I think its much better for it.

Sketchbook 2

2008-04-16T22:03:00.004+01:00

These sketches are aimed at the children's end of the market. Perhaps the dragon is a bit too generic but I like to get my ideas down on paper anyway to see how they look. I like the idea of having an image on the 'front' and 'back' of each card to make it slightly more appealing to look at. There is plenty of room on each side of the card for my contact details but the composition may change should I choose either one of these examples. I have as yet to decide on the type of lettering however. All in good time...

Sketchbook

2008-04-15T21:31:00.007+01:00

This is some concept work for a promotional pic I'm working on. I think I'm going to do two seperate pieces. Its all very raw so far but I'm feeling confident I can get two worthy ideas ready for working up soon.

Cuchulainn

2008-02-06T19:41:00.006Z

I have a soft spot for this illustration. It was tempting to portray Cuchulainn in one of his many epic battle scenes but I was determined to avoid this cliched, gung-ho approach constantly associated with him. Instead I wanted to capture something much more atmospheric and thought provoking. Although he is most famous for his exploits in war I always found the melancholy and solitude of his character more appealing in terms of depicting it in an illustration. Although the predominant theme in this illustration was a subtle kind of sorrow I also needed to keep in mind an element of his strength and his aura of power. The only element of the image that Iam not sure works to good effect is the spatter of blood on the face...Its over-stated I think...

The Morrigan

2007-11-22T17:04:00.002Z

This pic is based on a character from Celtic mythology known as the Morrigan. The Morrigan translates as 'phantom' but she is better described in basic terms as a kind of malevolent goddess. In the text she is depicted as this haunting but beautiful 'witch' who lingers on the fringes of the battlefield, deciding on a whim who shall live and who shall die. Her animal familiar is the raven and she is often symbolised as such. Although its quite a busy pic your eye is inevitably drawn back to the Morrigan which pleases me as I intended this even from my initial sketches. The subtle vaginal shape to the branches surrounding the Morrigan represents the fact that she is sometimes referred to as the fertility goddess.

Life Drawing

2007-07-12T20:43:00.004+01:00

>

For too long I have been neglecting proper life studies, but now Ive started going again and it feels good. Obviously its a little frustrating at the moment because Iam so rusty but thats exactly what I expected...it will take a few sessions before I get into my ryhthm and the drawings flow...I suppose its a little like fitness...anyway it was a wake up call but I expect to see improvement as the weeks drift by...

Graphic Novel

2007-06-26T08:08:00.001+01:00

I did this last year but just never got around to posting it...I suppose the main reason for this is that I was never really satisfied with it...the pace of the story is ok, and the backgrounds are acceptable if perhaps a little generic, but the main boy character is just way too stiff...there seems to be no life to him at all and there isnt any real noticable characteristics to him...its funny because in my sketch books and in my rough work I seemed to draw him really loosely and energetically, but when I came round to presenting him properly the drawings were less expansive....Ive decided Iam going to start the whole story again, I want it more atmospheric than it is here, ah well you live and learn...

Ominous night activities...

2007-05-10T13:38:00.003+01:00

This was the final painting of the four double-page spreads I did for my children's picture book. This is easily my favourite of the four. I started off quite tentatively with these pics but got much more confident as i progressed. I was so very conscious of what colours to use and where and when to use them that I had to sometimes take a little step back and look at them from a distance. This is the night scene near the end of the story and i wanted to make it ominous and a little eerie. Other than the creatures(obviously) its all various shades of blue, mainly ultramarine. Hope you like it folks...

NO PHOTOSHOP WAS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THESE PAINTINGS. ;)

Finito!!

2007-05-10T13:31:00.003+01:00

This took a few hours but I'am relatively pleased with it. The colours amongst the creatures work well together and i think there is a good contrast of dark and light spread around them. The sky brings the island forward, which was what i was aiming for, but it has been commented that it is perhaps a little too striking, that I should have gone for a more neutral colour. This is indeed a worthy observation but its such a dramatic area of the story that I wanted the sky to be quietly menacing. I loved doing this pic but I am glad its finished as it was time-consuming and delicate work...It has been a valuable learning curve tackling this type of pic, and a good exercise in patience too!

Double-page spread from book

2007-04-06T14:49:00.002+01:00

Here is the first pic 'done' for the children's book...Honestly I dont really know how I feel about it yet...I think I like some of what is happening in there but its one of those strange cases where I've been working on it for so many hours that I've become a bit numb to it... The light green area in the top right of the pic is where the text will appear...It appears to have a good balance in places but there is areas that still need work...

Children's picture book

2007-03-30T12:28:00.000+01:00

These are a few extracts from the picture book Iam working on at the moment...I wont go into any details about the story but I'll say one thing-this has been very hard work with alot of thought put into the pacing and structure of the story...I've also had to re-draw the whole story onto better, thicker paper as the original paper just wasnt good enough. The fun doesnt stop there, besides re-drawing it and of course painting it(which Iam in the process of doing as we speak)I've also come to the conclusion that it really needs inking to bring the characters forward in the pics and give them more weight...so essentially its kinda like doing it four times! Tough on the spirit but I want it to look as good as possible so "JUST GET ON WITH IT"!!

Dragons

2007-03-08T21:41:00.004Z

Ahh...how I do love to draw dragons. A bit of a labour of love at times but I do tend to get lost in my own little world when doing these types of drawings...

The Thing

2007-03-01T21:06:00.002Z

Its not at all based on The Thing but it works as a title...I was just doing a doodle one afternoon and this is what happened...fun to do, although not exactly a pic you'd hang in your hallway, or anywhere for that matter...those worm things look kinda like aliens heads...a childhood spent reading alien comics can be attributed to that...

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

2007-02-06T10:32:00.008Z

I was very tempted to go for something very dramatic from the story as there are many exciting scenes in the book. I decided that perhaps something more atmospheric and mysterious would work better. I like the murkiness of the pic, it seems that alot of the time the simplist ideas turn out to be the most effective.

*SOLD*

The Hyde Effect...

2006-12-15T14:52:00.001Z

This is an experiment i tried the other day. I wanted to do something different, you know, a little variety. So i tried my hands at mono-printing and enjoyed it. You can achieve a much looser line using this technique and its a good practice exercise in relation to adding some energy to your drawing. This pic seems to have a kind of sombre atmosphere, a sense of genuine forboding, which pleased me. Plus i think the grainy look to it works and gives it a sense of age. The hand is a tad bit too small but I think you can just about over-look that particular fault...

The strange case of...

2006-12-15T11:28:00.002Z

The finished piece at last. I actually finished it last week but i havent had a chance to post it. Hope you folks like it.

Young dragon, two dead guys!

2006-12-01T10:09:00.002Z

I did this a few years ago for two friends. They now have it hanging above their bed, strange folk! Anyone who knows me knows I love dragons so naturally I enjoyed this. I think its a little flat and Id do more with the dragon now but it still works well even though there are a few minor errors. That warrior is modelled on a photo my dad took of me in the back garden holding a broom in one hand, a dust bin lid in the other and wearing my dressing gown. He didnt even ask a question or bat an eyelid. Probably just wanted to get out of the cold and back to watching Columbo.

*SOLD*

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2006-11-30T19:15:00.001Z

This is a relatively finished version. It lacks the text(title and authors name)and some of the lines in the background need to be smoothed over but its almost done.

Rimbaud

2006-11-26T10:00:00.001Z

This is a cover illustration I did for "Arthur Rimbaud's: A Season in Hell". This guy used to take copious amounts of absinthe to inspire his writings. Thats a basic generalization of the kid but he was in fact a genius and a brilliant avant-garde poet. His biography is a must read for anyone who appreciates people who lived extraordinary lives. It would have been too easy to go over the top as there is plenty of symbolism in his poetry. Obviously this version does not contain the text(ill post that another time) but iam relatively happy with the finished piece...

Has Bush's luck run out?

2006-11-18T15:46:00.001Z

This is an editorial project I did last year for the cover of The Economist. I remember being quite pleased with this at the time but I would approach it differently now. The lighting and shadow is basic at best but it was never intended to be "realistic". Still, the colours are a little subdued and dont seem to grasp your attention like a cover should. But I suppose, "there are no mistakes, only discoveries"...

Library at night

2006-11-18T15:32:00.002Z

Another nostalgic piece that I did for my HND course in Dublin many moons ago. I really enjoyed doing this layout and for research the class visited the most haunted library in Europe, apparently. Iam afraid I cant remember the name of the library and unfortunately I didnt see anything supernatural while I was there. Shame about that.

*SOLD*

Scary-tale

2006-11-18T14:59:00.001Z

This is a couple of years old now but Ive always had a bit of a soft spot for it for reasons I cant quite explain. Ive often considered changing it quite drastically but havent managed to set aside some Sunday afternoon as yet.

Reverie

2006-11-18T14:43:00.002Z

This started out as a quick sketch that I did in Hyde Park in Sydney. Its alot more graphic-like than I would normally go for but people seem to like it which does surprise me.

*SOLD*

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

2006-11-17T15:49:00.005Z

This is one of the first roughs I did for Journey to the Centre of the Earth. It was initially a cover idea but iam not so sure now...I always felt the human characters should not take centre stage in the composition, but should be small and almost completely insignificant in relation to the grandness of their surroundings. The environment they find themselves in is the central 'character' of the book...