New Years Eve Disco invitation
Firmdale Hotels New years eve disco invitation with a 1960's theme
Illustration
I remember my art teacher school, Mrs Asquith, gave me a short list of watercolour pans that I would need to start painting in watercolour. I was sent off to the local art shop in the basement of a Victorian building housing a very dusty and old fashioned bookshop. I asked for the paints from my list along with an enamel box to keep them in. What I received was more than twelve small squares wrapped in foil with a white band printed with delicate type, what I received was Naples Yellow, New Gamboge, Scarlet Lake, Rose Madder, French Ultramarine, Cerulean Blue, Hooker’s Green, Burnt Sienna, Venetian Red, Raw Umber, Payne’s Grey and Ivory Black. I remember the names today, These names inspired me to travel to Italy and France in search of these wonderful colours, to explore the world and most of all launch me on an artistic adventure that will probably last a life time.
London Art walks with cocktail
Sister publications The Covent Gardener and The Mayfarer commissioned 2 maps of art walks around their respective areas of London, both walks ending with Cocktails in a lovely hotel bar in the area. Bottoms Up ( and walk)
Elizabeth Line opens for The Oriental Club
Autumn 2022 saw the opening of London's new tube line-The Elizabeth Line linking central London to Heathrow through to Shenfield in Essex and Reading out west in the Thames Valley. One of the locations to benefit from the new transport links was The Oriental Club just a stone throw from Bond Street Station. To celebrate and promote this extra connectivity the Club commissioned a map illustration show some of the locations the new line allowed yo to get to within a few minutes.
Webicons not minions
As they say, one thing always leads to another and so it was with at least three clients I had produced maps for came back asking for mini icon designs to help navigate around web sites they were producing . Some simple black and white line images, some pencil sketches and other gifs that animate as you move the cursor over them.
The Writing is on the Wall
Ok!, so I am taking this a little more literal when I say that The writing is on the wall I am not quoting the Book of David or referring to Belshazzar’s great Feast but to the face that some of my hand-lettered maps have recently been appearing on walls across Europe. I have been creating large scale maps for a few projects including a children's playroom in London, A French cafe in Cologne and a hotel in Frankfurt, Germany. Hopefully the writing on the wall will continue to be place names and not messages of doom and destruction.
Luxury Scotland
One of my favourite clients of all time Luxury Scotland offer the very best in Scottish Luxury and Boutique Hotels. This marketing group has 5 star members such as Gleneagles Hotel, Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, MV Hebridean and Royal Yacht Britannia. The Classic Greywalls being my favourite, with the house designed by Edwin Lutyens and garden by Gertrude Jekyll, over looks the golf course at Muirfield.
Just My Type
Typography or hand-lettering is at the heart of most of my work, it might be a poster, or a title, road names on a map, a quote from a book or even on the cover, The writing has been on the wall and on the shop front and in the window there are not many places my type hasn't been. I Just hope that at sometime my type is your type too.
Hatha Yoga Tree and… Breathe
In ancient times yoga was referred to as a tree, a living entity with roots, a trunk, branches, blossom and fruit. I followed this idea as I illustrated the history of Hatha Yoga into a family tree for Yoga Journal. The image combines illustration and hand-lettering to produce a striking and informative poster of this ancient arts history.
Ghost Writer
Award-winning author (23 books and counting), speaker, founder of Free Spirit living, ghost writer, editor, life coach and client, Siobhan Curham has been a client since I worked on her 2004 book -The Scene Stealers for Hodder Publishers. I have continued to work with Siobhan on many different projects including covers for self-published books, logos and website banners. Siobhan knows what is right for me to create and I know exactly what Siobhan wants.