8-Bit Viewer

After watching Wreck it Ralph I got inspired to do some 8-Bit art of my own. It got me thinking how cool it would be if you could just hold up a screen in front of you, turning everything around you into an 8-Bit video game. Even cooler, a game that you could play! That's when I decided to put my idea on paper and this was the result.

Gatsby Sketches

I decided to post a few more Gatsby inspired studies up for everyone to check out. I couldn't just stop at one. The amazing elegance in the eyes and hair of the 1920's would not leave me alone until I put them down on paper.

Gatsby

Baz Lurman's recent rendition of The Great Gatsby completely captivated me when I watched it on the big screen. Having never read the book, I found myself on the edge of my seat trying to unravel this series of mysterious characters. The amazing costumes and colours sent my imagination spinning with excitement and I just couldn't wait to get home an draw what I had seen. This is the first of a few Gatsby inspired illustrations I have been working on.  

Adrenaline!

I recently went to my first ice hockey game in support of our home team, Adelaide Adrenaline. I had seen videos and heard stories explaining the ferocity of the sport but it had no context until I sat in the grand stand. The sheer intensity and pace of the game was enough, never mind the bone shattering big hits that each player had to endure. Its like you could feel the pain vibrate though the bleacher floors each time someone was checked into the glass. Cant wait until the next match!   

Mechanical Bull

I’ll never forget my first ride on the mechanical bull. Gripping the saddle so hard it felt like my arm was pulling out of my socket. All I could see was a blur of faces circling  me and the “master controller” sitting in the corner with an evil smirk as he watched me wrestle with the mechanical beast! I was sure the master had cranked up the adrenaline just for me....until I watched him ride the bull. It was like he was born with the West in his blood, gripping the belly of the bull with his feet and the saddle with just one hand!

Embrace

The feeling of being embraced is something that I cannot express in words, in fact, it says more than words can in most cases. Being held and comforted by someone you love seems to make everything that is plaguing  your mind disappear, as if the sound of someone else's beating heart synchronises with yours, if only for a moment. I've tried to capture a fraction of this feeling in this illustration...Embrace.

Free Comic Book Day!

One more sleep until...FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! To celebrate this awesome occasion I decided to post an illustration of one of my favourite superheroes, the often overlooked, ROBIN. The fact that he doesn't actually have a super power makes me think maybe I could be him one day. Don't even get me started on his mad acrobatic skills and the ability to think quick on his feet. If you like comics or you're a little bit curious, head into your local  comic book store and pick up a stack of FREE comics!  

Think Machine

A robot that reads? One of life's many mysteries and the inspiration for my latest illustration. It seemed like such an interesting concept to me. What is he reading and why is he reading? Questions which I don't have any answers to, but I've always loved a good mystery. He started coming alive the more I drew him, taking on an almost detective like persona.The detective personality seemed to match the encrypted background and trench-coat with the pulled up collar.

This was the initial sketch of Think Machine which kicked of my imagination.

Beavis & Butthead

I can't recall just how many times I watched Beavis and Butthead when I was a kid. Their poo, wee, fart humour and couch potato lifestyle always made me laugh. We didn't have MTV or any sort of Foxtel, just the Beavis and Butthead Do America VHS, which was plenty. It's been so many years but still their killer one liners bring the nostalgic laughs. That nostalgia inspired me to see what my childhood heroes would look like with my spin on them.

The Angry Man

I recently scored a pile of comics from the op-shop. The treasured find re-ignited my love of comic illustrations. The varied line and blacked out ink along with the mood lighting and dramatic poses all contribute to the impact of every well though out cell. It inspired me to get out my fat pen nib and black ink bucket and get to work. The result was this handsome looking fellow who was inspired by an angry work site supervisor I had to work for, who went out of his way to ruin peoples day and possibly lives.

Gunslinger!

What ever happened to Cowboys? Those badass, slow talking,straw chewing gunslingers that every kid dressed up as. In this modern age of Vampires and Zombies the humble Cowboy seems to have been forgotten. We'll, not me! This illustration tip's it's hat to those heroes of the West and pays homage to the forgotten Cowboys.

Medic

I've recently started watching Band of Brothers for a second time around, re-kindling my respect for field medics in WW2. The bravery of medics who ran to the help of the wounded with no defence is something that absolutely captivates me. That bravery, bordering madness is what inspired this illustration.

Stratosphere

There is something about flight that has always sparked my imagination. As a kid, I clearly remember my first journey into the clouds with my uncle in his Microlite. The thrill of being able to steer my own aircraft was a big jump from building model aeroplanes and seeing the ground from the skies point of view was incredible. The patterns formed by housing blocks and farmlands still surprise me to this day. Back then I probably just looked like a kid hitching a ride on the back of a Microlite, but I felt like the guy in this illustration.  

Flow Mountain Bike

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:

Bearded Gypsy Band

I was recently approached by the band manager of Adelaide's Bearded Gypsy Band, who asked me to design a poster to promote their upcoming gigs. I was pretty familiar with the band having gone to many of their shows, which gave me the advantage of taking a few notes on how they played their instruments and interacted on stage. Their gypsy, jazz, folk styling inspired the sepia earth tones, and vinyl shaped centre. If you dig bands that are better live than on CD, check out the Bearded Gypsy Band.

No Idea

Sometimes I just want to draw...but sometimes trying to figure out what exactly it is I want to draw is an entirely different scenario. It's these moments you sit in front of a blank page trying to force an idea out and end up drawing yourself thinking of an idea.

Illusionist

The distortion of reality by an illusionist is something that has captured peoples imagination for centuries. A simple distraction of the eye for a split second is all it takes to leave you scratching your head for days, trying to figure out just how a person vanished into thin air. The worst part is wanting to know so badly how the trick is done, but knowing that mystery makes the magic.

Aang The Airbender

I don't usually delve into the fan-art side of illustration, but after watching Avatar The Last Airbender, I was curious to see what it would look like if the series was drawn by me. I put my curiosity to rest after I attempted this portrait of Aang, the main character of the show. It seemed strange converting a character that is drawn in an anime style to a more western form, considering it usually happens the other way around. Even with the simplification of lines I think I was able to maintain his curios, kind and playful childlike character.

Rock'nRoll

You know those people you see that you swear have grown up in the wrong era. I recently went to a gig where there was a guy that looked like he walked off the set of Wayne's World. He had the biggest hair I've ever seen and a denim jacked with cut-off sleeves. I'm pretty sure he somehow gained access to The DeLorean from Back To The Future and rocked his was to 2012 to make our ears bleed with his insane riffs!

Christmas Pageant

Illustration Commissioned by Community CPS for the 2012 Christmas Pageant

This is an illustration that was recently published in The Advertiser newspaper and was commissioned by Community CPS for the 2012 Christmas Pageant. I've posted the illustration in it's raw format without the added text or logo. I don't think I've ever done an illustration this intensely populated by so many different characters and colours. It's filled with many of Adelaide's most famous floats and well known characters, designed to be a feast for a child's eye. I spend many hours finding the right colours to complement a Christmas themed pageant making sure to steer clear of the cliché'd red green and white that seems to plague every other Christmas poster. I've posted a few close-up's of the illustration below to show some of the detail that went into creating the illustration. 

"Penguins grooving to the sound of the marching band"

"Clowns doing what they do best.....scaring young children"  

"Elephants, snowmen and jesters finally living in peace"

"Unicorn's making an appearance after years of extinction"