At the end of last year I was approached by Flow Mountain Bike magazine, who asked me to create a series of editorial illustrations to be published in their second issue, released in January 2013. The magazine reads more like a coffee table book and is published throughout Australia and New Zealand, so I jumped at the opportunity to get some publicity.
Stand-Off's
In this article Garry Sullivan tackles the nature of riding wild trails that stretch through New Zealand's wilderness. In the years that Mountain biking has spread though New Zealand, so have signs that clearly communicate 'bikes not welcome'; but that's all beginning to change with the realisation that most mountain bikers are conservation-minded and trails that were once off limits are being put on trial periods.
Death From Above
A feeling that many bike riders in Australia would have experienced...the deadly magpie SWOOP! This was the focus of the article written by Chris Southwood. I encountered the ferocity of the magpie on a bike trip when I was younger, so illustrating this article dug up some old wounds but also helped me to bury my ghosts. hehehe
Can The Nerves
In this article Kath Bicknell talks about pre race nerves and overcoming the fear and pressure you put on yourself. This was a real tricky article to illustrate. I tried to capture the intense nervousness and pressure by illustrating Kath being scared out of the frame and pushed down by the large crowds and media.
Below are the illustrations in their context:
