I've moved house.

This is now officially my OLD BLOG. Booooo! But the good news is that I have a brand new shiny NEW BLOG that is integrated with my illustration website. So now you can see all my news and portfolio in one place. So please do come and visit me and I promise more regular updates from now on.

Tales From The Cold

In the past few months, I have been lucky enough to have access to a laser cutting machine. I have been working on a series of paper cut figures from folklore tales that I have been reading about. I think maybe in retaliation to the baking desert heat we are currently experiencing, I find myself drawn to the stories of ice and darkness from the northern hemisphere. Here is one of my favourite designs, taken from an inuit folk tale. The paper cut version is currently in an exhibiton at the Tashkeel Gallery in Dubai.

Always Typographic Advert

Advertising agency, Leo Burnett in Chicago commissioned me to create this colourful piece of typography for a press advert for Always. Now in Teen Vogue among other publications!

Free Range Eggs!

My favourite part of this McDonalds project was to design some huge and ornate illustrations to adorn the sides of their delivery trucks. This is surely my biggest 'canvas' to date but I had so much fun inventing these surreal landscapes. Commissioned by the international advertising agency, Leo Burnett, I have been working on this project for about 6 months and there is still more to come!

As well as the 4 trucks, keep an eye out for numerous press ads in UK national papers and magazines during June and July and more of my illustrations on their website here.

McDonalds Summer Advertising Campaign

After many months of hard graft, I am delighted to unveil, the first in a series of ads I have created for McDonalds UK. The campaign, based around the ABC of the brand's ethics, will be running throughout the summer in UK national press as well as online, in-store and on the sides of some rather beautiful trucks. I'll put more pictures up soon!

Sevenseas Jointcare Adverts

Spotted! If you are in London this summer, keep an eye out for my latest illustrations for UK brand Sevenseas. I took these slightly shaky shots while standing on a travelling tube (with all the other passengers giving me very strange looks!) There are more up throughout the Underground as well at press adverts in the national newspapers, digital escalator panels and animated online banners. I'll post more soon!

Sasha Wagstaff Series

I have had the pleasure of designing lots of book covers but this one has to be one of my particular favourites. Earlier this year I was asked by Headline books to rebrand their best selling author, Sasha Wagstaff. They wanted a mixture of illustration and photography on the cover of her latest novel, as well as a strong, modern look for Sasha's name.

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

This post is shamefully late - but I am just now surfacing from my busiest work period EVER. I have some exciting new work to show you and one big project to reveal next week. But for now, let's skip back a couple of months to The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair which this year had the very special new addition of an Illustrator's Corner - promoting illustration and matchmaking artists and publishers from the Middle East and North Africa and across the globe. It was a pleasure to be involved this year and I made some great contacts as well as meeting a load of fabulous and talented artists from the region. Here is a small selection of designers, animators and illustrators who I got to know at the book fair. Click their pictures for a link to their own websites and here for more information on the book fair.

As well as exhibiting my work at the Book Fair, I was asked by The National newspaper to illustrate the cover of their special edition book fair magazine - for which they requested a typographic interpretation of the 50 Novels You Should Have Read - have you read them all?!

Marks & Spencer Royal Wedding Tin

Feeling patriotic? The folks at Marks and Sparks commissioned me to create this illustration for a rather unique biscuit tin, commemorating the Royal wedding next month. These beautiful, limited edition tins will be available from today at an M&S near you so get yourself one to celebrate the nuptials of Will & Kate!

A Poem for Valentines Day

A special client commissioned me to hand ink this poem for his loved one on Valentines Day. The poem, hand written with a dipping pen and italian calligraphy pigment is so touching, I wanted to share it with you:

I could happily waste a day
in Paperchase
searching for the card
that perfectly captures in paper hearts
how it feels to look upon your rollercoaster grin
when I am within you.
There is no perfume
that smells exactly
completely
absolutely and entirely
of your particular shade of blonde,
the sweet and secret taste of your skin
cannot be found
in any multicoloured flavour combination
of Jelly Bean,
and as far as I can tell
there doesn’t yet grow the rose
whose name
roughly translated from latin
describes the dumb rush of blood to my heart
when you first walked towards me again.
And so
yet again
calendar-trapped and lacking the exact cliché
I depend upon this final redundancy –
my words,
awkward, graceless,
but all that I have to tell is what you already know.
I love you.

Anonymous