For a magazine article showing growing your own veg, organic food labels, animal welfare, air-miles food travels, and supporting fair-trade schemes etc.
As there were quite a few parts to the illustration, and the client was not exactly sure about the size, I decided to arrange it in blocks, making it easy to change format if need be.
Also they can use parts of it as spot illustrations throughout the article. I was really pleased with the colour combinations and the contrast with the two somewhat disparate parts of my work - the cutesy, and the more serious montage. The client liked the bright colours, the use of the old lettering, and the hand made look in my work. And the craft paper suited this organic theme brilliantly.

This is for an article for Prevention Magazine on receiving computer mailed reminders for annual health screenings. A simple, bright and light hearted illustration was needed by the client. This is the initial piece I have just sent to them. If there are any changes, I shall post those as well, so you can get an idea of some of the amends required by a professional illustrator.

Vintage illustrations

The Encyclopaedia of Illustration compiled by Gerard Quinn has over 5000 illustrations, mainly from the 19th century. It is now out of print, but can be found on second hand book websites. I love it (especially the dog smoking on the cover) and have used it and other Victorian engraving books in my illustrations.
The Dover book shop in London is a brilliant resource for finding these drawings.
For this illustration, the client wanted that vintage look, so it was perfect a perfect job for me, and with the addition of the old distressed paper, the illustration was quickly and easily completed.

Dreams of an English Summer

I've not done any photographs for ages, I thought it was about time. As the summer approaches (thank god!) I created a collage of some pics I took last year in Brighton. I wanted to make the colours over saturated, echoing the picture postcards from the 70's, when the mass printing process always exaggerated the colours, especially the cyan blue skies.
I love the seaside, and all the paraphernalia in the beach shops, the day-glo buckets, spades and little flags. On this piece I've included the quintissential english deckchairs, the fish and chip shop, the pier and the english rose.
Alan Bennett our greatest living writer said that the Union flag always had the best colours in comparison with other countries. I have to agree with him. If you take the obvious connotations out of it, it is aesthetically beautiful.
Also of influence, is the brilliant Magnum photographer Martin Parr, and his book 'Think of England"
I love the over saturated colours and the use of the flag, gaudy exaggerrated pattern and flowers. It is comic, opinionated, and savagely satirical.
http://www.martinparr.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-England-Martin-Parr/dp/0714844543