Tag Archives: Illustrator

Pippa McManus / INSPIRATION

January 9, 2013

Pippa McManus, Illustration, Fashion, Illustrator, Girl, Model, Flowers, Charcoal, Acrylic, Spray Paint, B&w, Pippa McManus, Illustration, Fashion, Illustrator, Girl, Model, Flowers, Charcoal, Acrylic, Spray Paint, B&w,Pippa McManus, Illustration, Fashion, Illustrator, Girl, Model, Flowers, Charcoal, Acrylic, Spray Paint, B&w,

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.

In : Inspiration |Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Responses

Philip + Unicorns / ILLUSTRATION

July 9, 2012

FAIIINT, Illustration, Illustrator, Philip, Horse, Pony, My Little Pony, MLP, Rainbow Hair, Fantasy, Pretty, FairytaleFAIIINT, Illustration, Illustrator, Unicorn, Unicorns, Horse, Pony, My Little Pony, MLP, Rainbow Hair, Fantasy, Pretty, FairytaleFAIIINT, Illustration, Illustrator, Philip, Horse, Pony, My Little Pony, MLP, Rainbow Hair, Fantasy, Pretty, Fairytale, Ballad Of Magazine, Print, Published, Ballad Of, Candy Pop, Baby K,

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!

In : Illustration |Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Responses

Hunted / ILLUSTRATION

June 20, 2012

FAIIINT, Illustration, Illustrator, Hunted, Deer, Antlers, Horns, Arrows, Hunting, Girl, Fashion, Sad, Pain, Stabbed, Speared, Shot

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!) …

In : Illustration |Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Responses

Sushi / ILLUSTRATION

April 25, 2012

FAIIINT, Illustration, Illustrator, Mermaid, Sushi, Cannibal, Gore, Ariel, Little Mermaid, Folklore, Fantasy, Fairytale, Dark

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?

In : Illustration |Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Responses

Lupus / ILLUSTRATION

March 5, 2012

FAIIINT, Illustration, Illustrator, Wolf, Girl, Lupus, Moon, Werewolf
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!

In : Illustration |Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Responses