On a hidden island
A sneak preview of the artwork for the 2020 Tower Hamlets Creative Writing Competition that will be used as a poster design …
The sword in the stone
I should stop referring to this sword as ‘Excalibur’ as the majority of the re-tellings feature Arthur breaking this sword in his …
Find that sword!
This was one of a pair for another SCBWI competition. I didn’t win but I enjoyed revisiting Arthur’s Britain for a little …
The trickster in the tree
I seem to be inventing a fantasy world that I should give a name to so that I can properly link all …
Dustwalker
Partly inspired by Dune, and partly by wanting to draw a desert scene.
Mermaid
I’m not sure why I got the inspiration to draw mermaids – I was doodling before a training session at work …
Bowed but not broken
Worn out by too many battles and hopeless quests…
City leviathan
I’m not entirely sure what to call this creature. I’d imagined it to be a bit like Philip Reeve’s traction cities, just …
Shadowtooth
I fancied a change, so I went back to monsters – I may have been inspired by the cats I was drawing. …
Morrigan and the Baz Charlton Five
Morrigan finds that life in the Wundrous Society isn’t all fun and games, facing off against bullies. With throwing stars.
Sunrise over Nevermoor
I decided to draw this after the launch party for the paperback of ‘Wundersmith’ by Jess Townsend (thank you Hachette Children’s books …
Cat fight
A return to Nilanjana Roy’s ‘The Wildings’. The author very kindly sent me some source material to base illustrations on after seeing …
Teke the Smiling One
One of Dan Abnett’s very memorable villains, and a really great variation on the usual Chaos Astartes archetype.
Tobias Maxilla
My first Warhammer 40K inspired illustration for a very long time. I’ve been re-reading Dan Abnett’s Inquisition novels and felt like giving …
The Green Knight
The Green Knight invites himself to Arthur’s new year’s feast.
Merlin imprisoned
This was a return to a more symbolic piece rather than a literal scene similar to the ones I’ve been working on …
King Pellinore and Arthur
Arthur is given a much-needed lesson in humility by King Pellinore. This was quite a tricky composition – I had considered drawing …
Field of battle
I had intended to take a break from the Arthurian drawings, but here we are again. I think I’ll just keep going …
Into battle (colour)
A colour re-working of an earlier silhouette piece in the style of my digital watercolours using Rebelle3. This composition translated well – …
The Sword in the Stone
“No one shall wield Excalibur… But me.” The scene from Boorman’s Excalibur where Uther – wounded and dying – thrusts the sword …
Arthur
I’m in two minds whether this is the onset of winter, or a bleak spring at the beginning of Arthur’s tale. The …
Merlin and Nimue
Fairly bleak autumnal overtones going on here, though it’s about this time that Nimue betrays the wizard. The mist reminds me …
Yellow king
Not intended to be the The King in Yellow – I’m working my way through the colour wheel in Rebelle3 and reached …
Uther
High King Uther, in his prime, but close to his fall. This was another digital sketch that inspired me to create another …
Knight
A ghostly knight from mythology.
Railhead : Snow and ice
Inspired by the second book in the Railhead series, Darklight Express. My intention with this painting was to keep the colour scheme …
Railhead : Into the unknown
This was directly influenced by a scene in the book, though it’s been over a year since I read it – and …
Railhead : Cityscape
Railhead builds quite a fascinating sci-fi world. It’s a long way from Reeve’s Mortal Engines steampunk, it feels more like a classic, Asimov …
Railhead : desert planet
Learning to use Rebelle 3 brought me back to Railhead by Philip Reeve. I had a plan for a short animation with …
Howl’s Moving Castle
Binding design for Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, for the House of illustration Competition 2019. This was my third concept …
Flowers in the waste
He swung out an arm and his black sleeve disturbed several hundred blue butterflies feasting on a bush of yellow roses. Howl’s …
Magical combat
But almost as Michael and Sophie arrived, the clot of magic took on the shape of a misty bundle of fighting snakes. …
Catching a falling star
The bright shape was coming down slowly now, and it looked as if Michael might catch it. Howl’s Moving Castle. For the …
Holding Wunder
“Morrigan felt panic creep in. it had all felt so right, just a moment ago. She was holding Wunder in the …
The hunt and the bonesmen
“The huntsman waited, perfectly still, hand outstretched. Not a threat. Not a command. An invitation.” From Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend Photoshop …
Wundercats!
“He leapt from her arms a yowling cub. But by the time he had landed on the ground he was a towering, …
Nimue
A Rebelle 3 sketch that I later realised fitted in well witsome of the Arthurian myth pieces I’d been working on. I …
Riding the Brolly Rail
This is my first colour illustration based on The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend – the second Nevermoor novel. It’s …
Winter temple
My new year’s resolution is to bring some more colour to my work. I’ve found that just adding colour to my black …
Morrigan Crow (and brolly)
A quick drawing inspired by Wundersmith – the second Morrigan Crow book by Jessica Townsend which I was given for Christmas. It’s …
Merry Kittenmas!
This was day 4 of the SCBWI-BI advent calendar competition! The rules were black and white plus one colour on the theme …
The Phoenix and the witch
There’s a story in here somewhere… Now that I’ve finally got a new laptop, I made a point of giving digital colouring …
The Hobbit : Smaug
My design for the front cover of The Hobbit. I’ve re-used Smaug’s wings for Arthur’s cloak in another drawing – for this …
The Hobbit : Gollum
Gollum was my choice for the rear cover design for the Hobbit, though I may shrink him down a little to allow …
The Hobbit : Beorn
Working in pencils (on what turned out to not be the best choice of paper), Beorn was my second choice of a …
Into battle
I’d never intended to follow the medieval romantic aesthetic of the Arthurian tales – at least in terms of costume design. Certainly …
Arthur and Mordred
I’d already drawn the aftermath of Camlann but really wanted to draw a scene from the battle itself. I’ve been developing …
Tristan and Iseult
The classic Arthurian tragedy, though not originally part of the saga. I wanted this to be anunpleasant, tragic romance, but not brutally …
Guinevere and Lancelot
Certainly a bit more YA than my usual illustrations, but myths and legends are all sex ‘n’ violence. The sword symbolism and …
Crow’s Dinner
Crow’s Dinner is a short story written for my daughter by my Dad that I’ve illustrated. It’s a rather grim tale with …
