Character Commission
| Character Commission |
Wild Dragon Company
The good folks from MiniatureWar commissioned me to create a poster capturing an epic moment from a memorable RPG campaign—starring the party’s unforgettable cast of characters.
And honestly? I love character design. I kicked things off with a series of sketches, making sure to nail every detail before diving into the full composition. The client provided incredibly rich descriptions of each party member—personality quirks, unique gear, the works—which made bringing them to life even more rewarding.
Everyone at MiniatureWar was thrilled with the final piece, and I have to say: commissions like this are some of my absolute favourites to work on.
Would you like to commission a character?
It is a privilege 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
| 30 YEARS Experience |
Book Covers + Graphic Design
Illustration and graphic design complement each other very well.
Illustration and graphic design go hand in hand, and my experience in both allows me to approach book cover creation as a complete, cohesive process. Depending on the project’s scope and budget, I can craft original illustrations, use photo bashing techniques, and handle everything from branding and iconography to typography and layout design.
Below, you’ll find a few examples of projects I’ve worked on—some even expanded into full digital campaigns, including dedicated websites and marketing assets for entire book series.
The Hobgoblin's Herald
The Hobgoblin’s Herald is the first book in a fully completed five-part fantasy series by Andrew R Aston, soon to be re-released—and it’s a project I’m deeply involved in.
I’ve contributed far beyond the cover, developing the visual branding and producing a wide range of illustrations, from character portraits to detailed maps.
If you like to see more, please check out the case study for Savage Oaths.
San Cicaro Book Series
This ambitious project from Thunderbird Studios is set in the richly imagined city of San Cicaro—a place so vividly constructed, the editors built their entire marketing around making it feel real.
For the covers, we drew inspiration from vintage travel posters, particularly the art deco style once used to promote glamorous railway destinations. The bold colours and elegant shapes offered a striking contrast to the eerie, often unsettling tales set within San Cicaro—a city where the bizarre and miraculous hide in plain sight.
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 created the book covers, website, and a promotional postcard, and also handled extensive image editing for their Instagram campaign (samples below). A bit of fun amid the horror—just like San Cicaro itself.
Outliers
I collaborated with five authors on a very creative project called The Outliers Saga—a planned multi-volume series of interlinked novellas and short stories, all set within a shared universe. From the start, I established the visual identity: designing the book layout, crafting all internal illustrations and icons, and creating the cover art and title logo. It was a full-world design approach, aimed at giving the saga a distinct, unified look that would evolve with each new volume.
The first issue worked almost like an RPG source-book. It aimed to immerse the reader in the universe.
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 a privilege 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 really enjoy working in a sketchbook.
There’s something grounding about putting pen to paper. Right now, I’m rotating between Moleskine, Leuchtturm1917, and the Stillman & Birn Zeta Series.
The Moleskine lays beautifully flat, which makes it a joy to sketch across spreads, though its pages can bleed a bit with heavier inks. The Zeta Series from Stillman & Birn, on the other hand, handles ink and gouache like a champ thanks to its thick paper—though it’s a bit less friendly for double-page work. The Leuchtturm1917 sits somewhere in the middle.
When it comes to markers, brand really matters—I’ve found Letraset tends to bleed less than Copics, though results can vary.
Below is a selection of recent sketches, experimenting with different tools and techniques across these sketchbooks.
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 a privilege 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
Tablet & Software Workflow
I’ve really grown to love working with my Samsung Tab S10 Ultra paired with Clip Studio Paint—it’s completely replaced my old iPad Pro and Procreate setup. Since I’m no longer in the Apple ecosystem, the switch felt natural, and I haven’t looked back.
Clip Studio offers an incredible range of tools for sketching, inking, and painting, and the Tab S10 Ultra’s screen size and responsiveness make it a perfect match for professional illustration work. That said, I always bring pieces into Photoshop or Affinity for the final polish—refining edges, adjusting colour balance, or prepping for print. Each platform brings something valuable to the process.
Personal Project | Frunkfinn, Ms Crawford and Mr Whiskers
Savage Oaths | On The Tumberstone Road
Savage Oaths | Banner: Rhana
Savage Oaths | Banner: Mallory
Savage Oaths | Banner: Yoland
Savage Oaths | Banner: Aethed
Savage Oaths | Banner: Gulukh
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Concept Art
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Concept Art
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Concept Art
The Hobgoblin's Herald | Concept Art
Savage Oaths | Westpur Peninsula
Savage Oaths | Concept Art: Aethed
Savage Oaths | Concept Art: Mallory
Savage Oaths | Concept Art: Rhana
Savage Oaths | Concept Art: Gulukh
The Banner Saga | The Ravens, Fanart
Would you like to commission an illustration?
It is a privilege 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
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.
What is Savage Oaths?
The Savage Oaths Saga is a complete five-book fantasy series written by Andrew R Aston and set in the world of Guien, where humans, hobgoblins, and the scant remnants of the pre-Starfall races ‘born before the moon’, struggle and conspire to ensure their place in a world caught in a millennia-long feud between the stark, cold and stringently beautiful Aelf, and the nascent, distant forces of darkness cultivated by the Fleshless Prince, Lord Majestic of the Djinn.
A Hero's Journey:
Bringing the main characters to life
The Devil is in the details, you often hear said, but so is the heart of the story. I couldn’t agree more. For me, the challenge is finding the right balance. I often spend more time taking details away than doing anything else.
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…
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.
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.
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.
The Hobgoblin's Herald: Illustrating the cover
Book One: The Hobgoblin’s Herald marks the beginning of the journey. I aimed to capture its essence in a single image. For me, quiet, reflective moments reveal the most about a character. Action scenes often feel chaotic, filled with fury and visual noise. However, in stillness, the true nature of a character becomes clear.
Creating the branding: Typography
Savage Oaths promises readers an epic journey to the farthest corners of Guien—a journey not for the faint of heart.
From the outset, the logo needed to reflect that sense of scale and intensity. I set out to find a typeface that could not only define Savage Oaths but anchor every title in the saga. After much exploration, we chose Aviano Flare—a typeface that is bold, refined, and full of character. With a few custom modifications to make it uniquely ours, everything fell into place.
For the final touch, I added the sword: Moontalon.
Moontalon lies at the heart of the saga, inspiring countless hours of discussion and lore. It felt only right to embed it within the title itself—a symbol of power, legacy, and the journey ahead.
An Old Map for an Old World
My involvement with Savage Oaths began when Andrew showed me a hand-drawn map he’d created to track the events and locations in his novel. I’m no cartographer, but I offered to redraw it—imagining how it should look.
I knew I had to take a traditional approach. What I didn’t anticipate was just how intricate the details would be—or how much my eyesight would protest! A magnifying glass quickly became my best friend (talk about feeling old!).
Right now, the map exists as line art, digitally aged to look weathered and worn. But I’d love to explore other styles down the line. I’ll come back to it later on.
Beware, for there are monsters in the woods… and not all of them are human…
Beware, for there are monsters in the woods… and not all of them are human…
Creative process and concepts
Andrew and I have been friends for a long time, collaborating on multiple projects over the years. But Savage Oaths is different—it’s a passion project, years in the making—a marathon, not a sprint. As the novel has evolved, so has my artwork, going through countless iterations.
One of the things Andrew and I share is a love for 2000 AD comics. Growing up on their bold colours, clean lines, and unapologetic storytelling greatly influenced my style. That DNA is woven into Savage Oaths, shaping its visual identity.
Would you like to commission an illustration?
It is a privilege 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.