Recent History

A few of the recent jobs for BBC History - still love this commission! Top to bottom - 1. Why do we drive on the left? 2. How did Greek orators make themselves heard? 3. Left handed soldiers 4. What was the origin of the colour yellow being associated with cowardice?

Super Ads!

New super hero based ad campaign for Scotcareers! Fun tv ads and press ads showing super hero types that are fed up with their jobs and maybe looking for a new challenge. Appearing in Scottish press and tv and a little bit on channel 5 too (oh and some cinemas)

Henry Ate

An article about Henry VIII and the amount of animals that his household ate their way through in a year. They reckon this was partly the cause of his large size in later years.

Chicken Out

Sir Dave is almost out - 1st September you'll be able to buy your very own story of derring-do and equal rights for women and chickens! See more here and at amazon soon...

Gizmo is Go!

A few pages from the newly published 'Gizmo' Book by Oxford University Press. amazon. Just at the start of a new book by them at the moment - something about Knights and chickens - should be fun!

History Man

I've not posted my BBC History Illustrations for a while. Still having fun with them!
1. 'Swein Forkbeard' - Illustrating the first viking king of Britain. I tried a quick linocut for a change for this one, still meaning to do my regular style for the final, but the client liked it and went with it!
2. 'Napolean Submarine' - Illustrating the supposed plan to rescue Napolean from St Helena by means of a new fangled submarine. Loved trying to mimic an old plan/drawing for this.
3. 'Mob Caps' Where did the name come from fro the cloth caps?
4. 'Groom of the Stool' - Illustrating the job someone had of wiping the Henry VIII's royal bottom!

Economist Drive

4 of 10 small icon illustrations for The Economist. Quick deadline and small pics but enjoyed coming up with ideas and the images.
1. A comment on the new Google Glasses.
2. Goal line technology.
3. Tablet computers that you can use on take off and landing.
4. Damien Hirst has an art gallery.

Going Dutch

Another pencil one for BBC History. I'm liking this technique although it does take a lot more time. I love using the layers in photoshop to add the colour but also to colour the pencil lines. This one illustrates the saying 'Dutch Courage' which meant having a wee drinky before battle (usually gin).

Big Risk

 

Wellcome Trust have done a redesign of their 'Big Picture' Mag. After a lot of nagging they've used some of my illustrations at a larger scale - hurrah! This one to illustrate 'managing risks'. Click this link for more - Wellcome Trust

'Like' a lot

47,000 likes! This old pic seems to have found its way onto a science facebook page. So far it has received over 47,000 likes. That's a lot of people seeing my little joke!
Originally the idea came up for one of the articles in the Wellcome Trust's 'Big Picture guide on evolution about Finches on different islands that had developed beaks that had adapted to the food sources available on each island.

Dr When and the Dialects

New direction? I'm looking at using my pencil lines in the final artwork rather than always doing an ink line. I'm liking this rougher way of working (although it has taken longer).
The article asks how far back in history we could go and still understand people in this country. By reading certain books of fiction we can learn a bit about dialects in history.

Dr When

I'm looking at creating some final images using my pencil work and getting excited about the possibilities. I like the way this wee rough looked when it was coloured up. I was looking for an image that looked at using literature to go back in time - to learn about and be able to speak the 'english' language of our ancestors.

Punc(tuat)*ion: Gro-up!?....

 A historical article about punctuation marks. I decided to try to draw each punctuation mark's characters and try and create a scene with them. I like the way this one's turned out - complete with all my own collage. Got fed up with searching for textures online so picked up the digital camera. That's my skin, stubble, jumper, hair and a suit from the wardrobe!

Lice to see you...

Illustrating 'gaol fever' - epidemic typhus - a bacteria usually transmitted by body lice. Apparently it commonly occurred in the appalling conditions of Britain's prisons before Victorian reformers cleaned them up.

Hector's House

An illustration to show the comparative size of a Hector's Dolphins and a Blue Whale for 'Splash' - the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Trust magazine

Twin Perks

Twin royals - which one gets on the throne? A topical subject from BBC History when the press was speculating about Princess Catherine's pregnancy

Crack Heads

Where does the word 'Crack', describing military units originate?
Today's question from BBC History. Troops made from the letters might be a little obvious - but I like it!

Reclining Nude Lion

Tonight's illo finished and sent off at 11pm for tomorrow's deadline. A very odd offering even by my standards! The article mentions the fact that 'Passant Gaurdant' lions in heraldry were known as 'leopards'. The small incidental I based my illo on was about a heraldic painter (back in the day) that visited a real lion for the first time in a zoo and remarked that this couldn't be a lion as he had painted many in his career and they definitely didn't look like that! The reclining nude Lion model being ignored just seemed to fit the bill!

Hair Raising Money

My hair raising exhibition as part of the Peebles Art Festival. I was delighted that my wee heids raised £367 for a worthy charity. The idea was to encourage everyone who got a haircut at the venue (as it was in a gents hairdresser) to buy a heid and stick a clipping of their hair on the heid.

Wash out burn out

In a day of frustrations (due to couriers and campervan fixing problems) I did produce an illustration I was really happy with. This month's BBC History Q&A is 'were public executions by burning ever stopped by rain?' I collaged in some photos of the sky and rain in the puddles that I took outside my house. The very rainy July we are having was of some use afterall!