7 days in Japan

I had the good fortune to visit Japan in November. What an incredible place. I managed to squeeze in Koyasan, Kyoto and Tokyo in a week, scribbling and painting along the way. If something stuck in my mind I'd make a quick onsite sketch and then paint it up later.

From the 1200 year old temples of Koyasan to speeding past Mount Fiji on a bullet train and being dwarfed by Kyoto, the startling scenery came thick and fast- here's some of the work.




















Doctor Who 50th anniversary doodle

The Doctor Who doodle started life as a request from a fan at Google. It seemed daunting- 11 Doctor's, 50 years of adventures, countless enemies and time travel!

But we loved the idea of science fiction, technology and fun coming together, so we set about creating a multiple level game. The game was always a simple premise- those dastardly Daleks have stolen the Google letters and we need Doctor Who to retrieve them.

Artists don't make games, programmers do. I provided the designs and various pieces of animation but without the engineers the game would only exist in another dimension! I was fortunate to work alongside people that genuinely cared:

Engineering Guru's - Rui Lopes, Corrie Scalisi. Mark Ivey
Additional support - Doug Simpkinson, Jonathan Shneier
All things D of 3 - Leon Hong
Deity of rain, lava & lightening - Kevin Laughlin

Below are visuals and gifs from game development. You can play the game HERE


















Coppersmiths

Folsom &  Fremont- San Francisco

Pakistan Independence day

I chose the Markhor (national animal) & it's phenomenal horns to celebrate Pakistan Independence day.


Rosalind Franklin

An illustration for British Biophysicist Rosalind Franklin. Franklin contributed vital research to the study of DNA at the same time as Francis Crick, James Watson & Maurice Wilkins. Without her consent Wilkins showed Franklin's research to Watson. All three men were awarded the Nobel prize for Physiology in 1961 yet Crick admitted Franklin's data "was the data we actually used".



Seventh Seal

"This is my hand. I can move it, feel the blood pulsing through it. The sun is still high in the sky and I, Antonius Block, am playing chess with death"

Celebrating the 95th birthday of Ingmar Bergman. The Seventh Seal remains one of the most powerful, uncompromising and startling films in cinema history.

Rough sketches and final illustration.







Cat in an Empty Apartment

An illustration to celebrate the life of Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska.








A Cat in an Empty Apartment

Die? One doesn't do that to a cat.
What's a cat to do
in an empty apartment?
Climb the walls?
Brush up against the furniture?
It seems nothing has changed
yet everything's different.
It seems nothing has moved,
yet there's more space.
And the lamp doesn't light up in the evening.

There are footsteps on the staircase,
but they are not the same.
And the feeding hand
is neither.

Something doesn't start
at its usual time.
Something doesn't happen
as it should.
Somebody lived on and on here
then suddenly disappeared
and is stubbornly absent.

All the closets have been examined.
All the shelfs explored.
Excavations under the carpet were fruitless.
Even the rule was broken
and papers scattered everywhere.
What's more to be done?
Just sleeping and waiting.

But just let him return.
Just let him show up.
He'll learn
one doesn't do that to a cat.
He will be approached
slowly,
as if reluctantly,
on very offended paws.
And there'll be no jumping at first,

no meowing.





The 100th Tour De France


The illustration for the 100th Tour De France seemed like a great opportunity to unify design, illustration and animation. From rough drawings to finished animation the choices boiled down to            combining 2 key views of a rider. At one point there was no bike at all!

Concerning the event itself the illustration was a great opportunity to take the tour back in time to an era of moustaches and wheel tubing over shoulders! It's a moving graphic that points to the future yet recognises the nostalgia and heritage of early 20th century tour posters.









Kobayashi Issa

The one breath haiku of Kobayahi Issa are remarkable. With over 3000 poems to choose from I opted for these four to illustrate.