Monday, November 11, 2019

2019 Christmas Fair Coloring-In Poster


I haven't had much opportunity to draw or paint lately, as I've started a new business which is taking up all of my time! It has been so wonderful to devote a couple of hours today to quickly sketch out a promo poster for this school's fundraising committee. This year I've drawn a wreath, the Santa is the one I drew two years ago for them.

The idea is to hand it out to the kids, and they color it in themselves. There is a prize for the best one, I can't wait to see what they do with it!

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Sketch of Lucci

This is a sketch that I did over my latest vacation while my son Lucci took a nap. I just particularly like this one as I think I caught a good likeness of him.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Stationary illustration

This job was done for a couple moving house who had ties to Canada. They requested Canadian geese flying through the air on postcard size cream card-stock. This they wanted to be able to add into an envelope with a letter or send on it's own in the post. The font was required to be Erica's handwriting.


Tuesday, June 20, 2017

2017 Summer Fair Poster

Another coloring-in poster for the students at Westbourne Primary School. The kids have a challenge to color it in themselves and win a prize.

Friday, August 5, 2016

Sincere Deceit Book Cover Illustration

This is the second book cover that I did for John Eidemak. A new book cover illustration for the second edition publication of his book titled Sincere Deceit was needed.

After discussing the author's wishes for the cover, I provided 3 initial thumbnail sketches.

The top one on the left was the one closest to what the author had specified that he wanted. In the end, this was the sketch chosen for me to pursue.










So I worked up a more detailed sketch for the client including some text to indicate where I intended it to be placed.








The final painting was done in acrylic on board. They chose to go with a different placement of the text than I had designed. They really should have let me know they intended to do this because the final cover has the window with missing parts to it's framing.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Coloring-In Poster for School Summer Fair

I was asked to create a poster that the kids at Westbourne Primary School could color in and hang up in their windows to promote their summer fair this year.
They are going to have a contest for best coloring. I can't wait to see what the kids do!



Saturday, June 4, 2016

Now Exhibiting with Island Artisan

Over the half-term break as the Brits call the week kids get off from school half-way through the summer term, I brought some of my paintings, prints, and greeting cards down to the Isle of Wight to sell in the gallery Island Artisan.
All of the originals are watercolors, some landscapes of the Isle of Wight.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Book Cover for John Eidemak's Upcoming New Crime Novel

Oil painting on canvas with text added afterwards.
Author John Eidemak hired me to do the art and design for his upcoming new crime novel about a London barrister whose wife and child are murdered. His wife was a ballet dancer and he becomes involved with her sister, another dancer.

This is all I know! We shall have to wait for his book to come out to find out the rest of the story.

Detail of the two dancers.
He has now hired me to re-do the cover of his already published book titled Sincere Deceit. Check it out on Amazon:
John Eidemak on Amazon

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Fine China Illustrations for Rude-Chintz

A start-up company named Rude-Chintz hired me to create three designs for fine china tea sets. All with a traditional look on first glance but if viewed closely revealing a "rude" aspect to them. Due to the nature of the work, I can only show one of the designs with an area deliberately out of focus!
Delft inspired Farm Scene for the center of a plate.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Book Cover for Telling Stories in the Dark

My grandfather has written a wonderful book on how to tell "head stories", as my family has always called them, to your children titled Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book. It is out of publication now, and he wants to do a second publication with the new title of Telling Stories in the Dark (the name he originally wanted for it.)
He asked me to illustrate a new book cover for it. I recently completed a version of it. I'm not sure that this will be what goes to print. I put some text in to indicate where I intended it to go. No doubt when an art director is involved, there will be changes requested.