The Social Gathering

Mixed media pencil, black fine-liner and watercolour paint. Final edit on photoshop. 

The illustration above depicts the seven characters I created over the summer: psychedelic butterfly, Ollie the Orangutan, Foo Dog, Tortoise-shell hare, Thumbelina, Horn-boy and Oceana, taking part in a social activity. The activity illustrated is sailing, and the drawing includes a self-portrait. Constructing an effective composition to include all eight characters was challenging, however I am very happy with the end result. The use of tonal shading has brought depth to the drawing, the subtle details of each character brought to life through intricate line-work. The bold blue splash adds movement and drama to the illustration, symbolising the sea spray off the rough waves. I have entered this drawing into the V&A illustration awards 2013. 

Psychedelic Butterfly

This years University Summer Project included the task of creating 7 very different characters, influenced by 7 different artists/illustrators. This psychedelic butterfly was inspired by Louis Wain's cat drawings. I created this illustration using watercolour paints. Without doubt this is the most colourful illustration I have ever produced! For someone who avoids colour, I actually quite enjoyed painting this fun, sinister character.