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Category Archives: illustration
GALLERY
Day for Night: Jack the Ripper cover
Of all the Illustrator artwork I’ve done over the years, this cover for new band Night Surgeon proved to be so intense and complicated that I had to go out and buy a new PC (each brick in the left wall has between 3-6 different layers and the RoBoHo took almost a week to complete). While the story concerns the antics of Britain’s most famous serial killer, Jack the Ripper’s shadow is the only evidence of his presence in the scene.
I was heavily influenced by my research into the crimes of Jack the Ripper and spent hours poring over some of the lurid lithographs of the period, trying to somehow convey the flickering effect of old gas lamps on foreground and background shadows. In addition to the lithographic research, I sourced early Kasimir Malevitch‘s paintings of farm workers etc. to convey the stiffness in the coats and uniforms worn by policemen of the period.
Of all the work I’ve done so far with Illustrator, this piece has had the steepest learning curve of the lot and the compunction to continue layering was hard to resist. In recent years, I’ve endeavored to minimalise my style to such an extent that I’d forgotten the power of detailing in telling a story. These new skills, plus the power of the new PC, will enable me to generate a more in-depth dimension to my work in the future.
More information about the new release and the band here
KMFDM Krank – new band artwork
I was asked by Sascha Konietsko of KMFDM to come up with a band illustration for their new album, Krank. Using several photos of the band onstage from their last tour, I spent a couple of weeks sketching the various members before building the scene in 3D and lighting it accordingly.
I then inked the individual characters before scanning them in and finishing off in Illustrator.
Details of the new album here
Bike design
I’ve always been fascinated at how designers are still developing new and innovative shapes from the basic blueprint of the push bike.
With my design, I’ve created a shape based on two dissected halves of a perfect circle in order to give a more road-hugging silhouette. Front and rear lights are integrated into the frame.
Still haven’t worked out how it turns corners yet `: |
RED DARE poster – now on sale.
- RED DARE – click to enlarge
Inspired by Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare comics and the Rev. W. Awdry Thomas the Tank Engine book series, this retro-futurist hover train comes hot off the BRUTE! presses this week.
Printed on 200gm. photo stock in blazing scarlet, this gorgeous poster will set your wall on fire (not really).
From a special limited edition of 250, each poster is signed and numbered by the artist.
Also available in glazed and framed canvas.
Don’t miss that train! Order today from the BRUTE! blog shop.
BRUTE! in New York – Protest vs. Propaganda Exhibition
Due to an unprecedented workload, my only Stateside appearance this year will be as part of a group show entitled ‘Protest vs. Propaganda’ at the Sacred Gallery in New York. Appearing alongside your humble narrator will be works by such luminaries of the graphic art world as Adam Hays, Max Grundy and Shepard Fairey amongst others. For dates and information, please click on this link to the gallery’s web site.
Please come along and support the work.
High Jump poster (now on sale)
I was commissioned to come up with a suitably dynamic image for this year’s High Jump freestyle diving competition here in the Czech Republic. Much of the artwork I’d seen for similar events had been from photographic sources that focused mostly on side shots so I wanted instead to use an improbable POV to heighten the drama of the dive. Using under-lighting, I was able to bring out an urgency to the face and hands and utilised the natural cliff shapes in the background to force speed and perspective. For the text, I created a style that merged both techno and retro themes, mimicking those racy pulp cover titles of the 50’s. The weight of the title grounds what would be a top heavy composition without it.
The new print of this poster is now available. minus text, from the print section of the BRUTE! blog shop.
Giant FIST stickers roll off the press
Courtesy of Twisted Sticker in Toronto, BRUTE! are proud to unleash our latest monster onto the marketplace.
At a pugilistic 52 inches across, this empowering emblem will stun the neighbours into oblivion when they see it emblazoned across your SUV or dirtbike.
Made from weather-resistant vinyl and delivered in custom BRUTE! packing tubes, the FIST sticker is going to smack the living daylights out of your, er… day.
Please check the products shop for details on how to order.
World Leaders series
I was recently asked by bar owner and entrepreneur, Glenn Spicker, to come up with a series of posters for his new bar/cafe. Situated in central Prague, Glenn’s bar boasts a museums-worth of cultural gems and artefacts culled from decades tracking down propaganda from the era of Communism. Called Propaganda, the new bar is the home of my new World Leaders series. Featuring the movers and shakers behind the political and cultural revolutions of the 80’s, the posters took me just over ten days to produce and will be showcased on the walls of the main room.
Keep posted for details of the bar’s opening.
Canvas posters will be available from the club/bar shop or from the online BRUTE! Products page.