Birthday

An old (!) friend & ex-assistant has a big birthday coming up. Here's her early present - the image for her invitation.

Sylvaine

Radio Times Christmas Quiz 2016 | Creative retouching

There are 50 clues to the titles of some of the TV & Radio highlights from 2016 hidden here. How many can you solve?

The original file contains over 100 layers using images drawn from a wide variety of sources & some clues that are just er... drawn. How much retouching was involved? Well the background photograph of Rothenburg in Germany was taken in mid-summer...

Created with art director Jacob Howard: the picture quizzes were originated by Paul Smith. For more details see the Christmas issue of the Radio Times. There are prizes to be won!

Radio Times Christmas Quiz 16

Retouching: Radio Times Christmas Quiz

Here's one I created earlier. Only a few of the 90+ images here are mine, they come from a wide variety of sources. I apologise to all the image-makers involved: there are too many to credit, though the main background of York was shot by Martin Williams.

Olympics Covers for the Radio Times

It's not in the shops yet, but as it's now on the Radio Times website I guess I can post it...This cover is one of those few issues where the executives get involved, so decisions can be convoluted & veer toward 'safe'.

You should have seen the ones that got away. 

Flat Footballs

Experimenting with the Radio Times UEFA football cover. I love the silkscreen look of this

Radio Times Football Euro 2106

Radio Times Euro Football covers.

4 covers for the same issue - the Scottish cover with the balls (they don't have a team in the game) is an illustration but the 3 badges are almost straight photo's - the first I've taken for a long time. Getting all the studio gear out brought back a lot of memories. And dust!

Radio Times Euro 2016 covers

My favourite unboxing video

It's good to see somebody enjoying my efforts - those are my images on all those boxes. Of course the geeks amongst you noticed straight away that this Indonesian version of the keyboard isn't available here. The UK/US version is the G410 that only comes in black. Sadly.

Letter from America

I just got an email from a very kind stranger in California. A Macintosh fan, he was clearing out his place & found a copy of the first MacWareHouse catalogue. He found my credit for the cover & asked if he could post it.  It's one of my favourite ancient illustrations too, originally created for a T Shirt for MacUser magazine.

That is so cool Steve Pruneau, I'm really touched!

Macwarehouse Catalog Cover

Christmas Quiz 2015

It's that time of year again...there are 50 visual clues to popular TV programmes in this image from The (legendary) Radio Times Christmas issue . How many can you find? 

Radio Times Christmas Quiz 2015

Rugby World Cup

I seem to spend a lot of time fiddling with balls...

Rugby Ball Radio Times cover

Postcards

The fancy lenticular postcards that I created with hiveassociates.co.uk started going out today. I've never promoted myself as an illustrator before so we're in uncharted territory here.

Want one? Send me your address. Your real on this earth address. 

Logitech G910

Logitech's latest all singing all dancing gaming keyboard. Each individual key lights up with any colour you can imagine. When you first plug it in there's an dazzling light show as waves of colour move over the keyboard, amazing visitors to the studio.

I created the images used on the packaging & promotion, made before the product entered production & there's always a lot of changes along the way. It's with trepidation that I opened the box when I was sent the real thing & I get to see if we got it right.

Logitech G910 keyboard

Southern 50

This is what the river Chess looks like at dawn on Valentines day. 

Orienteering in the muddy landscape of the Chilterns. 50 kilometres took 12 hours, so we had to make a very early start. My poor feet! Everybody was staggering around like zombies that evening.

 


Peak District

Abseiliing

Hiking in the Derbyshire Hills. Incredible but very challenging conditions: 2 metres of snow in places, 20 degrees below zero with 60 mph winds on the summit.

We spent the following day abseiling down a old railway viaduct before driving home. Scary? Oh Yes!

Peak District Derbyshire

MacUser Magazine Covers

Sad news today. MacUser is to cease publication. The final issue made no mention of the fact, except for an image of the first issue without any caption or comment.

I was an associate editor of MacUser (both the UK & the US editions) for many years & photographed, illustrated (& even wrote) for many many issues. The UK offices were 5 minutes walk from the studio & I really enjoyed those trips to New York. I made many friends.

I had the pleasure of seeing the Macintosh evolve from its earliest days, exciting & revolutionary times.  I even met Steve Jobs a couple of times. He was horrid!

I originally created this cover for another magazine before MacUser started: MacUser upcycled it a year later. The Macintosh 128k in the photo was my own, one of the very first to arrive in the UK, long before it was released here. I used it to create the images for Apple's advertising campaign that launched the Mac in the UK. I've still got it. Model number M 00001. It even works.

A few years later we had a cat & I realised how inaccurate that image is. This was before Photoshop, this is a straight un-retouched photograph using studio flash and a long exposure to capture the screen.

Macuser first issue cover

Christmas Quiz Radio Times 2014

I know Christmas is getting near when the call comes to create one of these picture quizzes for the Radio Times Christmas Double Issue. Hidden in the picture are clues to the names of 50 television programmes broadcast during the year. It's a competition & the winner gets a huge TV & lots of other goodies.

A combination of illustration, photography, stock images & a lot of retouching (the background image was actually taken in summer for example, in Lewes, Sussex) they take ages to create. It's easy to make the clues too hard (we always put in a few easy ones to get people started) so it has to be tested by the people in the RT office.

If you need help the couple in the centre represent 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Paradoxically I rarely watch television so I've no idea what half of the programmes are, but I enjoy doing the research.


California

Spent a fantastic couple of weeks in California, seeing friends & clients who I never met before, even though we've worked together on many projects for many for years. And cycled, climbed, hiked & took photographs. This one's taken near Big Sur


Woven Cloth Scout Badges

These arrived in the post this morning, a badge I designed for a local Scout troop. I can't wait to see them wearing it. KX = Kings Cross.

I've never had an image woven before. Maybe I should design a woven business card. Do people use business cards anymore?


Christmas comes Early

It's late Spring, there's a heatwave outside & I'm wearing shorts. So what am I working on? Christmas Cards of course!

Commissioned by Cardsworld.