I was recently commissioned to do a drawing for a Christmas card. Not unusual for this time of year. I do one for a local haulage company and have done for years, that one is done and dusted. This was for a small marketing agency. He wanted to feature the imminent arrival of the vaccine that will hopefully get us back to a new normal in time. This drawing was my first idea and in common with many of these projects, these days I always send off the first idea to test the water. This is the result of years … Continue reading Charging Santa

I post this most years at around this time. It’s a sort of self portrait. I post this almost every Christmas, we are at that stage but this is particularly apt this year.I personally have not been in a supermarket since the beginning of this business, and frankly have not missed it, but I do recall the feeling of approaching the checkout with none of the items on the list but loads of “Justins”, they being the sort of thing you buy just in case. They usually reside in the back of the cupboard for the next year, when you … Continue reading Supermarket stare. Some things don’t change.

It’s changed. When it used to be that men were allowed out with a list, or worse, without one, to get the last minute shopping in, or to buy something for a loved one, they get that faraway stare like a rabbit in the headlights. Nowadays it’s an illuminated stare as they look at a screen and understand little about what they might get. They will, however, be unlikely to forget the beer. I published this a year ago, Continue reading Supermarket Stare

I’ve done a collection of tea shirts. That’s t shirts on the theme of tea. They might make a half decent Christmas pressy for the tea drinker in your life. There are also others available and I’m working on other collections, getting my head around the whole thing, slowly. It keeps me off the streets. Some have drawings on them but for the time being most of the shirts are designed with type in mind and in the case of the tea shirts- tea drinking types. You can find them here Please take a look sometime, perhaps whilst sipping a … Continue reading Tea shirts? Kettles on!

There used to be an estate agent who told the truth. He made a name for himself by describing properties exactly how they were. I sadly forget his name, but he satirised his own profession by describing properties that were obviously in something of a state. For the one above he may well have said ” In need of modernisation” but he would have also said ” and four walls plus a roof will help complete this possibly stunning property with views over where the Germans scuttled their fleet at the end of the First World War: Scapa Flow. This … Continue reading In need of modernisation.

…when I was lucky enough to get out into the hills for a walk and some just stunning blue skies.I’ll let the pictures tell the story. Continue reading On some days you can’t beat the weather, like today…

Here we have the original pen and ink drawing with no digital faffing about, just a scan or in this case two scans and the two joined together as you can probably see in parts. Striving to add colour without losing the feel of this original I have divided it into areas and then added colour, rather like a painting by numbers, then to get away from that I have washed over other colours in photoshop to make it feel less antiseptic. But now I’m sceptical about antiseptic. I’m not anti sceptical, in fact I’m all for it. Stop!!! Here’s … Continue reading Digital progress, or is it?

Every time I go out on a simple country walk I’m looking at the angles and searching for valid images that juxtapose with shapes and I’ve even been known to use the words: texture and validity. Sounds like a serious case of artbollox to me. You need to cut down on places that might over stimulate your artistic tendencies. Have you been near someone who might have passed this on to you. I’ve not been within 2 metres of anyone since April, apart from other people in my bubble. Is anyone in your bubble of the tendency to talk incessantly … Continue reading I think I’ve caught “artbollox” Doctor…

Here’s the line drawing.all hand drawn. The sky did look a little like that except I knew I was going to make it blue in the final… and here’s the digital colour version. This is in South West France, lovely place. More of these to come in the next few days. Au revoir! Continue reading French Beach in Summer

Something that will hopefully cheer you at the start of a wet week here in the UK. This is taken from a walk some time ago by the River Severn here in Gloucestershire. I took a photograph and then created a line drawing. My plan, such as it is, is to convert the line drawing into a colour image digitally without losing the atmospheric feel of the original. There are times when I manage to kill if off completely, which to me is a side effect of digital imagery. Much of it loses its ‘feel’. Hopefully not the case here, … Continue reading Severn Meadow