Cheltenham Illustration Awards 2012

Capture of Evil Eye

Had some good news today, my entry for the Cheltenham Illustration Awards is going to be published in their Annual and it might be exhibited at their show. Hopefully, this will get me a bit of publicity and will be great for my portfolio. Here's one of the four images I entered. This piece was produced using frottage, pen and charcoal and Photoshop to finalise the image.

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

The Bloody Chamber
sample book cover

Carrying on from my interest in book cover design, I decided to experiment with an old project from university and update this to include charcoal rubbings and hand rendered type. I was trying to convey the sense of death, sexuality and vulnerability by bringing all these elements together in one piece.

The Fox by D H Lawrence

The Fox Book Cover

I'm really enjoying putting together a portfolio of sample book covers and reading all these books.  This cover consists of acrylic paint, charcoal rubbings, hand rendered type and Photoshop to bring it all together.

Shrine by James Herbert

Shrine by James Herbert
Sample Book cover

I'm busy building up my portfolio of book covers and have updated the gallery page on my website to show some of my favourite designs. This cover was produced in acrylic paint and includes charcoal rubbings from gravestones and bible pages. Although, I have read most of James Herbert's books, I was a bit disappointed with this one - not the best introduction to his work. Try "The Secret of Crickley Hall" or "Others" first.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Sample Book Cover

Norwegian Wood came up in a discussion about films whilst I was having a conversation with one of my lecturers. When my course came to an end, I bought the Kindle book version and was not disappointed. This is a good read that naturally invites you into the lives of the characters in this book. It is about friendship, love and frank honesty. Set in Tokyo, it details the complicated feelings that a young student encounters and the choices that he has to make. I designed the book cover by taking an overall view of the story. It is not a direct translation of a scene, instead, it includes the feel of the book and the path that one of the characters take. The image is made from charcoal rubbings of fennel and gypsophila, acrylic paint and my painted footsteps. Photoshop was used to finalise the artwork.