Much of my early illustration work experimented with materials and imagined narratives in textures like torn paper, wood-grain and stone.

Torn Relationships

I was experimenting with acrylic pain and accidentally closed my sketchbook before the paint was completely dry. When I opened it parts of the surface were removed and remained on the opposite page. In the white exposed paper I could see shapes of animals and started to develop these in Photoshop.

Hybrid

This was a project from Illustration 2 to create a series of images around the idea of ‘hybrid’ exploring hybrid digital/physical workflows:

Humboltsia/ Humboltephant  : Draw – scan – colour

My first set of hybrids was based on pencil drawings from videos of Humboldt squids in David Attenborough’s Life on Earth series. I then scanned and coloured these in Procreate on my iPad.

Lobstera 

Lobstera 1 (Draw – scan – colour) based on a series of pencil drawings of a large monstera-type plant in the lobby of a Rotterdam hotel (see photo of my idea). In Lobstera 1 combined these drawings and coloured them in Photoshop.

Lobstera 2: (Colour – print – draw) I started by posterising the photograph in Photoshop then printed the image out on different types of paper including photopaper and Hahnemule Leonardo canvas.  I then worked into the printout with white acrylic paint and ink, scratching out areas for further contrast. I cropped the final image,  putting the the eye in the centre.

Logos and posters

I also created an imaginative series of animal posters, book covers and logos from drawings, photographs and cut-outs.