Feral Wolf-alogue.

The illustration Feral exhibition catalogue is officially being released into the 'wild frontier'. Me and 'The Team' have been part of a surprisingly long-winded process to bring this simple document into fruition, but we believe all those hours in Wetherspoons were worth it. Our FERAL wolf branding is by own very own Emily Hughes, with all hand-rendered type the distinctive scrawlings of Maria Midttun.

See you down the front.

Fade To White.

After much wriggling and writhing with oceanic layouts, the final coral bleaching collaboration for Synthia magazine looks something like this:

The original drawing was shaped to fit down the entire left panel of the spread allowing the title to 'eat' into it as if bleaching, however the detailed nature of Dan's article meant there was not enough space for it to do so comfortably. This led to a pleasing staggered effect, which also beneficial in 'breaking up' the text and making it a lot less psychologically 'wordy'. Experimenting with fading the coral's colour away to white to emulate the bleaching process, this left vacant areas in the landscape that simply looked like areas void of growth rather than indicating that there was anything there to start with. To resolve this I drained the colour away in the middle of the image then began returning it again (in line with Dan's comments on coral rehabilitation efforts) in conjunction with overlaying line drawings on top of the faded areas to cement their definition.

I have enjoyed the interactive approach between myself and The Scientist: Daniel Franklin, and would like to warmly thank him for his enthusiasm and advice.

Look out for us in June's edition of Synthia.

Feral: Live

The website for our graduate show FERAL went live today! My illustration course will proudly be exhibiting alongside AUCB Fine Art and Photography in our external degree show as part of Free Range Art & Design show 2012.

As you can see, it is set to be a very high calibre show, unashamedly diverse in every sense. Already very excited to be a part of it, I am nevertheless duly aware that the hard work of finishing our own work is just the beginning.

You can follow our progress via my tweetings at @FeralShow.

OK Coral.

As part of the upcoming first issue of art & science magazine Synthia, I have been asked to illustrate an article by marine biologist Daniel Franklin about the process of coral bleaching. Synthia has been a twinkle in the eye of Laurie Ramsell for a while now, aiming to showcase crossovers between scientific enquiry and artistic practice to mutually beneficial effect, and I am delighted that he has asked me to be involved.

On this basis I have been making some studies of coral and related aquatic titbits (dinoflagellates to you and me...). The coral landscape above was inspired by the following quote: an irregular fortress, its architecture seemingly haphazard; there are crevices and caverns, terraces and shaded clefts, and the other walls are festooned with a panoply of intricate and colourful decorations* and I think my main goal with the accompanying illustration will be to demonstrate the diversity of coral reefs, and in so doing set out that the deterioration of these beautiful organisms is not just an isolated tragedy, but affects the entirety of the thriving ecosystem based around coral.

Unfortunately these guys (Ceratium fucus, Ceratium tripos, and Ceratium macroceros)** will not be used as they are not the types of dinoflagellates found inside coral, but I think it's nice they came into fruition anyway, especially as Symbiodinium are nowhere near as interesting looking.

*Taken from Roessler, C. (1986). Coral Kingdoms. New York: Abrams Inc.
**Kirby, R. (2010). Ocean Drifters - A Secret World Beneath the Waves. UK: Studio Cactus Ltd. p. 40.

Media

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No More Waiting.

I am proud to say the wait is over. Or perhaps it has just begun. Either way my book about waiting is finito!

It forms the final object I have made as part of my illustration degree and I am proud of both its ethos and execution. Lucky, as it will be exhibited twice in my graduate shows in Bournemouth and London over the next few months. Now my final submissions are all in it is onwards and upwards, right after this nap.
A thousand thank yous to Maria Midttun for getting me through the final week in the studio! And to Crowded House, for soundtracking my all-night madness.

Have a look through. Oh, and take your time.

The Train Now Arriving Into Platform 4.

Last night I drew a section of the mass of people waiting for the signal board to change at Euston station. I love these huge bunches of bodies looking aloft, and how they all suddenly charge for the barriers when the huge timetable board tells them to.

Travelling Without Moving.

A recent drawing from my 'waiting' project. It is part of a series of images focused on people travelling in London, waiting to arrive somewhere else.

Turning Point.

When working on a project for a long period of time I nearly always experience a 'turning point' phenomenon; a point when a real 'push' kicks in and things seem to happen more easily and at great speed.

This point (always falling within the last few weeks of the process) is often in the form of a drawing, and in this case these 2 images were "it". Drawing this dowdy scene of individuals queuing for food gave me a strange sense of confidence, at being able to capture the look of bread, and objects that can be seen through. The man at the back also became an icon of my project for me; the epitome of a man waiting, with flushed face and an expression which says he has given up on even being impatient; he is just existing, helpless and being held there by others.
The image below was drawn from a photograph I took in Bristol of a family waiting outside Boots. There is something about their positioning that lends itself to a biblical scene, and I feel glad to have been able to capture all the details within this moment.

With just over a week left to finish up university work for the last time, it is a very strange last hurdle to get everything together. But, what with all these creative turning points I have accumulated over 3 years, I can see how far I have come and how far I can continue to go.

My full book which celebrates the act of waiting will be available to view in due course. You will have to...
Well, you get the idea.

Escape Artist.

Hotly anticipated issue #2 of Another Escape is finally here! Like a kid at Christmas I poured over it with much glee this morning and I do believe Rachel Taylor has actually beaten herself at her own game, making this issue even better than the debut! Beautifully composed and packed with quality content, I am genuinely extremely proud to call myself one of these escape artists! You can catch my 'where to escape in bournemouth' feature on page 21.

Armstrong Butchers.

When I noticed the tag line of this local butchers I simply had to draw it. In the same way as Norman's Launderette, I am happy to see this shop still in existence amongst convenience-driven stores. It will not be open 24hrs like some supermarkets, but who needs to buy food around the clock; plan ahead! You can also buy just as much local meat as you need at a justified price without being encouraged to overbuy due to offer after offer after offer, which inevitably leads to wasted food.
Traditional businesses just speak to me about how life now could be better; with more personality, higher quality goods and less human laziness.

God bless you, Armstrong Butchers.