Character Commission
| Character Commission |
Wild Dragon Company
The good folks from MiniatureWar commissioned me a poster depicting an epic scene with the party members of their last RPG campaign.
And you know what? I do love Character Design. I started by drawing a few sketches of the main protagonists, getting all the details right beforehand is always a good practice! The client supplied a very detailed description of each member, highlighting their personality quirks and equipment.
Everyone at MiniatureWar was very happy with the final piece, I have to say this is one of my favourite types of commission.
Would you like to commission a character?
It is an honour to be chosen to bring someone's precious vision to life. Get in touch and let's talk about your project, I'll do my best to help.
Book Covers
| 20+ YEARS Experience |
Book Covers + Graphic Design
Illustration and graphic design complement each other very well.
My experience doing both allows me to work on the process of creating a book cover as a whole. Depending on the budget, I can create an original illustration, photo bashing, and work on branding, iconography, typography and layouts.
Below are some examples of projects I have been involved with, some of them went as far as creating a web page for the book series and different digital assets for marketing purposes.
Hobgoblin's Herald
The Hobgoblin’s Herald is the first book of a trilogy by Andrew R Aston soon to be re-released, and a project I’m heavily invested with. I have worked not only on the cover but on creating the branding and produced all types of illustrations from portraits to maps.
If you like to see more, please check out the case study for Savage Oaths.
San Cicaro Book Series
A very ambitious project from Thunderbird Studios. This book series takes place in the fictional city of San Cicaro. The editors had some bold ideas and their marketing was built around making San Cicaro feel like a real place.
For the covers, we found inspiration in the travelling posters of old, in the art deco landscapes depicting fabulous destinations mainly travelled by railway. The bold colours and stylish shapes would contrast nicely with the dark tales of San Cicaro. Hidden in plain sight, the bizarre and the miraculous are to be found by visitors fearless enough to brave the journey. A bit of fun amidst the horror.
On the golden coast of California lies San Cicaro, a mecca for the misbegotten, a beacon for the strange. Rumors of the bizarre and the miraculous abound, magic baked into the very streets by the scorching sun. There’s wonder and horror aplenty to be found by visitors fearless enough to brave a journey.
I designed the book covers, the website, and a postcard. Also did a great deal of image editing for their Instagram campaign, as shown in the samples below.
Outliers
I teamed up with five authors in a project called the Outliers Saga, it was intended to be a multi-volume series of books. Each volume was going to be made up of a number of linked novellas and short stories, all set within the same universe.
The first issue worked almost like an RPG source-book. It aimed to immerse the reader in the universe.
I established the whole style, designed the book layout, and created all the internal illustrations and icons as well as the cover art and the title logo.
Far Worlds
This was a very interesting job. I was commissioned by a group of authors to create a book cover for their anthology. Also, I was tasked with the creation of a number of interior illustrations, which included a cover for every story within the publication.
Far Worlds featured speculative fiction stories spanning the spectrum from hard science fiction to epic fantasy to post-apocalyptic horror.
I opted for a very graphic style that would keep the tone throughout the book. Here are some examples.
Marching Time
I had a lot of fun working on Marching Time. A group of authors from the Bolthole commissioned me to create a book cover for their 2nd anthology. This was a collection of war stories with a time travel aspect. A page-turner that included a guest story from veteran writer C L Werner.
The Black Wind's Whispers
The Black Wind’s Whispers was the first anthology from the Bolthole, they entrusted me with the creation of a book cover. This was a collection of nine fantastic and dark tales of horror. A really good book that included a guest story from veteran writer C L Werner.
Would you like to commission a book cover?
It is an honour to be chosen to bring someone's precious vision to life. Get in touch and let's talk about your project, I'll do my best to help.
My Sketchbook
| Traditional Art |
My Sketchbook
I do love my sketchbooks. Currently, I'm using Moleskin, Leuchtturm1917 and a Stillman & Birn.
I found the Moleskin more comfortable as it stays flat with spread pages, but the pages can bleed with ink. I’m so happy with the Stillman & Birn Zeta Series, with thick pages, you can use gouache and ink with confidence. However, working on spread pages can be tricky. The Leuchtturm1917 is somewhere in between.
Working with markers is a whole different story. I think it varies from brand to brand, so I find that Letraset tends to bleed less than Copics.
Here is a selection of some of my sketches.
Degenesis fanart | Graphite
Degenesis fanart | Ink wash
Gulukh | Watercolour, ink & pencils
Dwarf March | Graphite
Dwarf Patrol | Ink
She-Wolf and Cub | Graphite
She-Wolf and Cub | Graphite on toned paper
Young Adventurers | Graphite
Greentide | Graphite
Plague Doctor | Ink
Squire and Mouser | Graphite and gouache on toned paper
Surrounded! | Ink
Chaos Undivided | Ballpoint pen
Adeptus Custodes | Ballpoint pen
Lunch Break | Graphite
Last Stand | Ballpoint pen
Sabathiel | Ballpoint pen
Would you like to commission a traditional illustration?
It is an honour to be chosen to bring someone's precious vision to life. Get in touch and let's talk about your project, I'll do my best to help.
Digital Illustration
| Featured Artwork |
Digital Illustration
I love the iPad Pro + Procreate combo. But I always do the final touches in Photoshop.
Savage Oaths | Banner: Mallory
Savage Oaths | Banner: Yoland
Savage Oaths | Banner: Aethed
Savage Oaths | Banner: Gulukh
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Book Cover
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Poster
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Concept Art
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Concept Art
Savage Oaths | Westpur Peninsula
Savage Oaths | Portrait: Aethed
Savage Oaths | Portrait: Mallory
Savage Oaths | Portrait: Rhana
Savage Oaths | Portrait: Gulukh
The Banner Saga | The Ravens, Fanart
Would you like to commission an illustration?
It is an honour to be chosen to bring someone's precious vision to life. Get in touch and let's talk about your project, I'll do my best to help.
Savage Oaths Saga
There are monsters in the forests of Katahia, and not all of them are human…
Creating the branding: Typography
Savage Oaths is, first and foremost, the brand name of the IP created by Andrew Aston for his upcoming book series. These epic adventures will take the reader across the far corners of the world of Guien and are not for the faint-hearted.
As such, the logo had to convey the right emotion straight away. I needed to find the perfect typeface I could use not only for Savage Oaths but for all the book titles. After long deliberation, we decided for Aviano Flare. A tweak here and there till everything felt in place, and for the final touch, I added the sword – Moontalon.
Moontalon plays a pivotal role in the saga and was subject of many conversations amongst us. It made complete sense to have it on the main title.
Illustrating the cover
To find the right style - in search of a soul.
The Hobgoblin’s Herald marks the beginning of the journey. It all starts with Mallory, a poacher’s daughter. She saves the life of Gulukh, a hobgoblin chieftain, and gets drawn into their twisted world.
I wanted to portray all that in a single image. I went for a traditional fantasy style. I find the moments of pause and solace perfect for showing a character’s personality. Action scenes tend to be full of rage and have distracting elements all around.
The colour palette was muted and sombre. The Hobgoblins are lurking behind, bright-eyed and mischievous.
Overall, the illustration ticked many of the boxes and still, it was missing something.
MOBILE SECTION STARTS HERE
Creating the branding: Typography
Savage Oaths is, first and foremost, the brand name of the IP created by Andrew Aston for his upcoming book series. These epic adventures will take the reader across the far corners of the world of Guien and are not for the faint-hearted.
As such, the logo had to convey the right emotion straight away. I needed to find the perfect typeface I could use not only for Savage Oaths but for all the book titles. After long deliberation, we decided for Aviano Flare. A tweak here and there till everything felt in place, and for the final touch, I added the sword – Moontalon.
Moontalon plays a pivotal role in the saga and was subject of many conversations amongst us. It made complete sense to have it on the main title.
Illustrating the cover
To find the right style - in search of a soul.
The Hobgoblin’s Herald marks the beginning of the journey. It all starts with Mallory, a poacher’s daughter. She saves the life of Gulukh, a hobgoblin chieftain, and gets drawn into their twisted world.
I wanted to portray all that in a single image. I went for a traditional fantasy style. I find the moments of pause and solace perfect for showing a character’s personality. Action scenes tend to be full of rage and have distracting elements all around.
The colour palette was muted and sombre. The Hobgoblins are lurking behind, bright-eyed and mischievous.
Overall, the illustration ticked many of the boxes and still, it was missing something.
MOBILE SECTION ENDS HERE
Looking back to my roots.
Safe. The artwork looked too safe to me. It was lacking a dose of epicness. I wanted it to be punchier and bolder.
One thing in common with Andrew is that we grew up reading the British 2000 AD comic books. And that was such an influence in developing my style. Bold colours, clean lines, it pulled no punches. Just what I needed – to look back to my roots.
Also, whilst I was working on the first version of the cover, Andrew’s novel had evolved. Whereas originally the story revolved around Mallory and Gulukh, we now had 5 story arcs developing from the very beginning.
So, I went back to the drawing board and created the final look and feel for the series, and I’m glad I did.
A Hero's Journey:
Bringing the main characters to life
Having decided on a style, I just needed to start bringing the characters to life. The first step was to nail the protagonists and to describe them, nothing better than a text from the author himself:
“A Poacher’s daughter, exiled from her home, finds common cause with the monster she found lurking in the woods. She promises the beast a herald, as the two traverse a country tumbling into war.
A weary knight and his wilful squire seek a sword to save a kingdom, but with their prize comes sacrifice, suffering, and the awakening of forgotten horrors.
And far across the sea, a Sell-Quill with a secret is spared the blade, on the promise of writing the legend of a crusading king seeking the demise of the Lord of Travesties. All of them will soon learn – mercy is a dangerous thing and treachery abounds, when savage oaths are made.”
Gulukh
The heavily scarred and sickly grey-green flesh of Gulukh tells a tale of a long and violent life lived all in the dark. A cunning brute, savage warrior and natural born survivor, Gulukh has moved from one warband to another through the years, outwardly subservient, yet always managing to escape a death richly deserved.
His true motives he hides from his own kind. Perhaps even from himself…
Aethed
A knight of Katahia, and one of the King’s own chosen men. Honour is a cage Aethed has proudly worn all his life. His fiefdom was earned by his father fighting for the old king Whinlan, and as such his line lacks the long and proud heritage of other noble families.
An unpretentious man, most of his ambition is focussed upon giving his wife a good life, and honouring the many oaths he has sworn to family, to king and to kingdom. This love and honour will drive an otherwise unremarkable knight from a minor household to feats none thought possible.
Yoland
Aethed’s cousin, and loyal squire. Confident, handsome and charming where his cousin is abrasive, earnest and hard as a cliff face, the young nobleman’s life was destined for one of comfort and privilege.
With the male scion of House Sealance without an heir, he dreams of being the future of the House and siring heirs of his own. But Guien is not kind to those who presume their place within it, and one fateful decision will change his life forever after.
Mallory
A poacher’s daughter, reviled and belittled by the so-called decent folk of her village, Mallory has made a living from defying the laws of her feudal lord. Foul-mouthed and acerbic, there is only one person she loves in all of Guien. With a mind like a steel trap, Mallory is clever beyond the peasant bounds played upon her by the social norms of Katahia.
One day she will break those bonds, and go where she pleases. Little does she realise how soon that day will come, and the terrible cost she will pay for it.
Rhana
Born in one of the ever-warring city states of Tibari, Rhana has known danger all his life. Born a daughter of sorcerous exiles, he has spent many years developing his skills as a scholar for hire, phenomenally well-read, yet state-less and independent of outside influences.
But his independence will not last, as he is inevitably drawn into the court of the crusader king Aaren of Katahia. Not even the wildest histories read about in the grand libraries of Tibari can prepare him for the wonders and horrors he will encounter on his own journey into the wilderness.
Sketching Savage Oaths' Factions
There are myriad factions in Savage Oaths. I’m planning to illustrate as many of these as possible. And I want to do it in a way that serves as a homage to the old D&D Monster Manual.
The idea is that these are annotations on a scholar’s field guide. An old, worn out and blood-stained record of the world and its inhabitants.
Below you can see an example with 3 of the hobgoblin’s tribes.
Painting Skylines
Andrew has crafted a rich world full of detail. There are so many fantastic cities, towns, and ruins scatter all over Guien. I want to capture some of the remarkable landscapes like the one shown below of the peninsula of Westpur.
An Old Map for an Old World
My involvement with Savage Oaths started when Andrew showed me a map he drew himself to keep track of the events and locations on his novel. I’m not a cartographer, but I offered Andrew to redraw the map as I thought it should look.
I decided I had to approach this traditionally. I underestimated the number of details and my eyesight, so I had to use some magnify glasses – talking about feeling old!
At the moment, the map is drawn as line art. I made it look weathered and frayed digitally, but I would like to explore other options. I’ll come back to it later on.
Would you like to commission an illustration?
It is an honour to be chosen to bring someone's precious vision to life. Get in touch and let's talk about your project, I'll do my best to help.