Tag Archives: Illustration

Jen Mann / INSPIRATION

March 27, 2013

Pieces from the ‘Strange Beauties’ exhibition by Jen Mann

I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with this photo-realistic, yet painterly style that seems to have become quite popular recently. I think it stems from my love of the old masters & that I’ve been getting really interested in classical art again over the past few years, I feel like this is sort of an updated, super modern version of those types of works.

For her newest exhibition ‘Strange Beauties’ Jen Mann focused on finding the beauty in the unexpected, those fleeting, awkward moments of imperfection. Starting off in her studio as photographs of her family & friends, she then manipulates the images in Photoshop before expertly transferring them onto large scale canvases using oils. The pastel colours, soft bush strokes & hazy light give the pieces an ethereal quality, like a vivid daydream or as though you’re looking at them through rose tinted glasses.

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In : Inspiration |Also tagged Jen Mann, Painting, Pastel, Photo Realistic, Portrait | 2 Responses

Pippa McManus / INSPIRATION

January 9, 2013

Pippa McManus

I’ve been feeling stuck in a rut with my own illustration style for a while now, I love working digitally, but I’ve come to realise that what I really miss is painting. I’ve been sketching a lot & experimenting with different techniques, to try & incorporate a more painterly method into my existing style, but I’ve also been looking to other illustrators & artists for inspiration too.

I came across Pippa McManus a few days ago on another late night binge on Pinterest & instantly fell in love with her graphic, yet very organic & traditional style. The bold block colours are such a great contrast against the smudgy charcoal lines & shading, giving the images a modern, graphic edge. I love when traditional mediums, such as charcoal, acrylic & pastels as she uses, are used in such a fresh way, the perfect mixture between old & new.

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In : Inspiration |Also tagged Acrylic, B&w, Charcoal, Fashion, Flowers, Girl, Illustrator, Model, Pippa McManus, Spray Paint | 14 Responses

02.12.12 – 09.12.12 / INSPIRATION

December 9, 2012

#1 : Inaisce SS12 / So in love with this lookbook, can’t believe I’d never head of the brand before!
#2 : Thom Browne AW12 / Seems to be getting better & better each season, I need this jacket…
#3 : Eclipse / The colours in this are just so beautiful…
#4 : ‘Arcades’ by Troika / Beams of light curved into gothic arches, so striking! I really want to go see this!
#5 : Tyson McAdoo / I adore this guys painterly, digital, grungy take on the classic idea of a pin up!
#6 : Marianne at Style Devil / I really want some finger tattoos after seeing this… So simple but really make an impact!
#7 : Green Smoke / I can’t decide if this is real of Photoshopped, but either way it’s gorgeous…
#8 : (In)decorous Taste Crystal Spiked Harness / I don’t think I even need to say how much I want, no, need this in my life!
#9 : Lightning / I love watching it lightning, this reminds me of being in Florida & the dramatic purple zig zags & forks they get there…

10 Favourite / Most Played Tracks This Week…

Click to open in Spotify : [ Playlist for 02.12.12 - 09.12.12 ]

#1 : Interpol / The Undoing
#2 : Alpines / Chances
#3 : White Lies / Death
#4 : Band Of Skulls / Light of The Morning
#5 : The Pixies / Where Is My Mind
#6 : Breakage / Speachless
#7 : Delphic / This Momentary
#8 : Crystal Castles / Plague
#9 : Marc Streitenfeld / Collision
#10 : Radiohead / Exit Music (For A Film)

PS: Sorry for being MIA for the past week, ended up having much more to do than planned & had no free time!

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In : Inspiration, Playlist |Also tagged Black, Blue, Clouds, Crystal, Eclipse, FAIIINT, Fashion, Gothic, Grey, Inspiration, Lightning, Mood Board, Moon, Pin Up, Purple, Religious, Romantic, Smoke, Space, Spells, Spikes, Studded, Studs, Thunder, White, Witchcraft | 8 Responses

Philip + Unicorns / ILLUSTRATION

July 9, 2012

Finally my copy of Ballad Of ‘Baby K’ has arrived! It seemed like it was never going to get here, the girls at Ballad even had to send me out a second copy, as the first one was MIA, I blame the weather & the postman!

I cannot describe what an amazing feeling it is to have a piece of your work published, but I think having something published in print is just that little bit extra special & amazing! I’ve had work published before online, but this was my very first piece in an actual magazine, something physical that I could hold & flip through. I think the fact that I’ve been reading Ballad Of since almost the very first issue also makes it feel even more special, it has been on my desk since it arrived & I think I must look through it at least once a day – almost as if to check that yes, my work is still in there!

Both pieces were drawn especially for the issue, I was originally going to send just one, but I couldn’t decide which I liked more so decided to submit both. This way I could leave it to the girls to decide which they preferred, so I was even more thrilled to receive an email back saying they wanted to use both! I had been going through a bit of a phase of being obsessed with drawing horses & when I heard that the theme was ‘Candy Pop’ the first thought that came to mind was ‘real life My Little Pony’! Both are so different to my usual darker style, but I think that’s why I enjoyed doing them so much, it was a nice change to do something so sugary & girly!

PS: If you would like a copy of the issue & are in London, it’s available from The Tate Galleries, Selfridges, Harrods & various newstands & newsagents around the city, you can also buy a copy online here!

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In : Illustration |Also tagged Baby K, Ballad Of, Ballad Of Magazine, Candy Pop, FAIIINT, Fairytale, Fantasy, Horse, Illustrator, MLP, My Little Pony, Pony, Pretty, Print, Published, Rainbow Hair | 31 Responses

Hunted / ILLUSTRATION

June 20, 2012

I realised a few days ago that I haven’t posted an illustration in quite a while, so I thought it was time I finished off this one that has been sitting here half completed for a few weeks…

I’m really enjoying drawing things influenced by nature & folk tales at the moment, I’ve always been fascinated by both of those things but recently it seems to be spilling over into everything I do. I have also realised that my fashion education has given me a serious aversion to drawing clothes! After having drawn nothing but clothing on models for almost 6 years, I think I’m just totally fed up with it! Plus everything I do just seems so much cleaner & slicker without the extra fuss of clothing, so sorry if you’re bored of these nude/barely clothed illustrations, but I guess there will be quite a few more until I feel like drawing clothes again!

I’m not entirely happy with this piece & it will probably end up being changed around a little before I’m satisfied enough to say it’s done. I’m not really sure what it is, everyone I’ve shown it to has said it looks finished to them, but to me there’s something missing & I can’t quite put my finger on it. This is the main reason it’s been sitting unfinished, it just doesn’t seem like it is. If anything glaringly obvious stands out to you, or you have any (constructive!) criticism, I’d love it if you could leave a comment letting me know! It’s always great to hear from others about your work & especially if it’s something constructive. I often prefer when people tell me they don’t like my work & their reasons behind that, instead of just saying ‘Oh, it’s nice!’ or something similar. So don’t be afraid to say, even if it’s ‘I hate it’ (just let me know why!) …

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In : Illustration |Also tagged Antlers, Arrows, Bow & Arrow, Deer, Digital, FAIIINT, Folk Tale, Girl, Horns, Illustrator, Mythology, Nature, Nude, Pencil, Shot, Sketch, Spreared | 10 Responses

21.05.12 – 27.05.12 / INSPIRATION

May 28, 2012

Darren McDonald Black Magazine Editorial / Fleet Ilya Clutch / Tattoos & Rings
Black Living Room / Liz Clements Illustration / Messy Bun at Proenza Schouler
Perfect Summer Hair / Words to Live By / Dream Library

I’m going to have another go at doing a weekly round up of my inspirations, I know I just sorta stopped doing the Tumblr one, so with this I’m not going to restrict myself, It’ll be 9 images every Monday of whatever I have found most inspiring over the past week, no particular theme, just a random mix.

I’m also going to try & include a playlist of my 10 favourite / most listened to tracks of the past week, music is such a huge part of my life & a massive influence, so it makes sense to include something like this & I think it’ll be fun to look back over them all at the end of the year! I shall just say now though, my tastes are quite varied, expect anything from Grunge to Hip Hop, Folk, Metal, Electro, cheesy 80′s Pop & anything in between, so there will probably be no theme to each list, and again it’ll just be a totally random mixture. Most likely the tracks selected are my current favourite from that particular album, as I prefer listening to full albums rather than a mix, I’ll try not to repeat songs for future lists, but as I have a lot of old favourites that are constantly on repeat you’ll probably get a different song from the same album now & then. I love discovering new artists to obsess over, so I’ll try & include some newer stuff on each one, as well as older stuff I listen to regularly, also, if you know of any new or obscure artists you think I may like, feel free to recommend!

You need Spotify to view the playlist, if you don’t have it, I highly suggest downloading it – it’s free, or you can choose premium. Honestly, I’ve barely used my Ipod since getting it about a year ago!

10 Favourite / Most Played Tracks This Week…

Click to open in Spotify : [ Playlist for 21/05/11 - 27/05/11]

Inc. The Breeders, Jeff Buckley, Nirvana, Dinosaur Pile-Up, The Jim Jones Revue, Modest Mouse, Wolfmother, Pulled Apart by Horses, Aerosmith, The Violent Femmes

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In : Inspiration, Playlist |Also tagged Black, Bun, Editorial, Hair, Inspiration, Interiors, Library, Messy, Plaits | 8 Responses

Sushi / ILLUSTRATION

April 25, 2012

Click the image & enlarge for a better view, it’s become a little fuzzy with resizing!

This has been sitting on my desk for about 3 weeks in sketch form, I just couldn’t decide if I liked it enough to colour it & finish it off, really happy I did now though, as it turned out much better than expected!

It started off as a dream & I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head, so I sketched it out & messed around with the composition & positioning for ages, but just wasn’t happy with it no matter what I did, so I stuffed it down the side of my desk in frustration – this is where most things go I get frustrated with, drawings, garments, shoes, technology, you name it, it’s probably down there! I came across it again a week or so ago, whilst I was looking for something else, made a few adjustments & felt much happier with it, so got it coloured & finished up.

I guess most of you are noticing a theme with my illustrations by now, even when I try to draw pretty things like mermaids they end up dark, morbid & a little gory. I just can’t help myself, those themes always seem to seep through somehow. I blame my love of comics, horror films & gory video games! I’m also a vegetarian, so I only eat vege sushi, I wonder if that has something to do with this one?

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In : Illustration |Also tagged Ariel, Cannibal, Dark, FAIIINT, Fairytale, Fantasy, Folklore, Gore, Illustrator, Little Mermaid, Mermaid, Sushi | 19 Responses

Lupus / ILLUSTRATION

March 5, 2012

The image I had in my mind when I started this was totally different to how it ended up, I spent a few days rubbing out & getting annoyed that I couldn’t seem to be able to make it look exactly as I’d pictured. Eventually I just decided to let go & see how it ended up & it turned into this, which I actually think is much nicer than what it originally would have been! I guess it just proves sometimes it’s best to see how things develop & go with the flow, instead of being so stubborn & bloody minded!