GALLERY
About
Hello, I'm a freelance illustrator based in the UK.
I was born in London, and started out in illustration with work for fantasy & horror RPG fanzines in the '80s, in particular the H.P. Lovecraft-devoted Dagon. My first professional commissions came from Games Workshop for their magazine White Dwarf, and this began a long relationship with the company, illustrating lots of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay publications and the very first Warhammer 40,000 book, as well as many other GW books and boardgames. I've also done game-related material for other publishers, including covers and internal illustrations for twenty-two (I think) of the Fighting Fantasy series from Puffin Books/Wizard Books, and card art for Magic: The Gathering from Wizards of the Coast.I've also produced artwork for various publishers around the world including Scholastic, Time-Warner, HarperCollins and Oxford University Press, illustrating popular authors such as Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E. Feist and Harry Turtledove, as well as some classics including Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Silver Sword. I was fortunate enough to receive the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist.
I illustrated the book accompanying the album release of Misterstourworm & the Kelpie's Gift, an orchestral work based on stories and characters from Scottish legend. My artwork was used as large-scale backdrops for live performances of the work by The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, with narration by Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd.
As an author, I've written some books about digital art including Digital Fantasy Painting Workshop and Digital Horror Art, and edited Fantasy Art Now published by Collins. In addition to work in publishing, I do concept and production art for computer games, and film and television productions which have included the BAFTA-nominated The Magician of Samarkand for the BBC, and most recently Gulliver's Travels for 20th Century Fox.
Currently: I've just finished illustrating my first children's picture book. I worked on this with the wonderful editors at Omnibus Books and it'll be published by Scholastic in time for Christmas. More news about that later in the year. Meanwhile I'm continuing to develop the next picture book, and the one after that. While I'm busy on those I might still be able to fit in some illustration commissions, so get in touch!
News
Macbeth's Disciple
13 May 2012
Macbeth's Disciple is a short live action film featuring character designs and costumes based on my sketches. Made by Spearean Interactive, the film is available for download and its trailer can be viewed here. More to come from Spearean soon.
"In the ultimate test of loyalty, King Macbeth sends Cormac, his most trusted warrior, on a mission to kill a rebel leader. Cormac must choose between his ambition and his honour. A choice that will change history.
Macbeth's Disciple brilliantly combines the story of a real King of Scotland who lived a thousand years ago, with state of the art CGI animation."
Sherlock Holmes
07 May 2012
Here's a sketch I did of Sherlock Holmes for Infamy Miniatures. It's one of a series of steampunk-styled literary characters I've designed for them, and the second drawing to be transformed into a model, following Henrietta Jekyll. The model's not yet released, but here are some advance photos of the sculpt by MIKH. More information at the Infamy Miniatures site.
SFX Special Edition
21 April 2012
To celebrate thirty years of Fighting Fantasy, SFX Fantasy: The Ultimate Celebration (SFX Special Edition 55) features a twelve-page article by Jonathan Green entitled The Legacy of Firetop Mountain, or how Fighting Fantasy gamebooks conquered the world. It's illustrated with lots of artwork from the books, including quite a few of the covers done by me. The magazine is full of lots of other fantasy doings, including Game of Thrones and Mary Poppins.You can buy a copy here.
Character Design & Model Release
18 April 2012
Here's the sketch I did for the character of Henrietta Jekyll, for Infamy Miniatures.
The model based on my drawing is the first release in a range of steampunk figurines I've done the concept designs for. The sculpture is by Sebastian Archer, and the photos show a model fully painted by Stephan Rath. To purchase this first release and find out more about the forthcoming range visit the Infamy Miniatures site.
"Infamy Miniatures is a new company producing high quality 32mm scale resin models. From concept to sculpt, casting through to painting, some of the very best artists and craftsmen around ensure that each Infamy miniature is totally bloody awesome. Alongside the miniatures, we are developing the world of Infamy and a skirmish game set within it. Opportunistic rabble-rousers, crime lords, kingpins and undesirables battle for supremacy in a steampunk-styled alternative London that you can be a part of."
The Calamitous Queen
15 April 2012
The cover I did for The Calamitous Queen, the fourth book in the Grim and Grimmer series by Ian Irvine published by the excellent Omnibus Books, an imprint of Scholastic.
A rough of the figure, above, en route to getting her look sorted. She needed to appear imperious yet vulnerable. A couple of earlier rough doodles, below.
The back of the book features a silhouette of our hero Ike, this time imploring our heroine Mellie not to clear off in a dirigible powered by a whisk-action propeller.
Blog Interview
14 April 2012
Saturday 14th April is Martin McKenna Day over at ace author Jonathan Green's blog. Head over there and join in the celebrations. There's a Watney's Party Seven! Long eggs! Margaret Dumont singing! Dancing girls, ha-cha-cha! Joyous cries and tumultuous cheering! Thunderously crashing cymbals! Some old ladies applauding! The old bells of the cathedral pealing forth! The birds on high filling the air with their purest rhapsodies and the flowers below opening their very blossoms in sweetest celebration! And some properly embarrassing old stinkers from my artwork archives that Jon's decided to dredge up and show everybody. Hooray!
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