I seem to have become a Christmas tradition. Here’s the Big Picture Quiz from the ‘legendary’ Christmas issue of the Radio Times. There are clues to 50 of the top TV programmes of 2021 here. This is a slightly different version to the one that was printed; at the last minute someone spotted that a programme wasn’t new for 2021, but I prefer this version. There are prizes to be won so please don’t ask me any questions!
The Euros 2020/21 Radio Times
I started this project over a year ago & it’s finally published today. Four covers, one for each region. Northern Ireland doesn’t have a team in the competition, so they get a ball with all of the teams on.
Retouching and Illustration | The Radio Times Christmas Quiz 2020
The Big Picture Quiz from the legendary Radio Times Christmas Issue. There are clues to the top 50 shows of 2020. There’s a post about how the Quiz is made here.
I hope you have as much fun solving them as I did setting them. Over 200 hundred photos, 3D renders and illustrations. Yes, it does takes ages. There are prizes to be won, so I can’t answer any questions or offer hints until the competition is closed!
Radio Times, Call the Doctor, The Daleks are back!
Out today: my retouching & background photography (shot on a ski trip to France). Dalek photograph by Ben Blackall. I particularly enjoyed putting the snow on the logo.
Strictly Come Dancing | Radio Times
Out this week. My mum’s favourite programme.
Sir Terence Conran
Terence Conran sadly passed on today. Years ago I had the pleasure of spending the day with him to shoot an environmental portrait for the Observer magazine’s ‘Room of my Own’ series. Shot on large format film in his flat above the Design Museum by the Thames.
Creative Retouching | The Radio Times Big Picture Sitcom Quiz 2020
Out this week in the Radio Times. There are clues to the titles of 50 British sitcoms in this picture to puzzle over. There are prizes to be won - so please don’t ask me any questions!
Movie Quiz | Complex Compositing
We all need distractions from the news & the visual quizzes that I’ve created over the years are very popular at the moment. I’ve just finished a new one that will be published in the Radio Times shortly.
In the meantime, here’s a previous one for your puzzlement. There are clues to 50 famous movie films here. Can you solve all of them?
Trafalgar Square. Deserted.
I live in central London and I go running most days, it’s such a pleasure to be outside. It feels very different now.
COVID 19. Stay safe!
Nasty thing. Difficult to believe something so small can have such a huge impact.
The Ultimate Face Mask
Keep safe!
Creative Retouching | Radio Times Christmas Quiz 2019
A complex composite of over 100 images from many sources, photography, illustration, cgi, with added snow.
There are clues to the titles of 50 TV programmes in this picture. How many can you find? There’s a big prize to be won - the rules are in the ‘Legendary’ Christmas issue of the Radio Times.
I’ve been creating this quiz for many years: it’s one of my favourite projects, even though it takes ages. It’s become an institution and I know it has a very enthusiastic following. I occasionally look at the online forums as people try to solve all 50 clues, which is fascinating. BUT I never post anything there. AND please don’t ask me anything until the competition has closed!
Christmas Typography
I have a thing about Christmas lettering…
Alamy.com Image ID: 2AE706B
Golf vs. Baseball
Great use of colour by the art director of Golf Magazine. Those stitches were challenging.
One week, 4 Radio Times Covers: Rugby World Cup
Out this week. Four different covers for the same issue, one for each region. A big dilemma for the Radio Times - the rugby was the the same week that Strictly Come Dancing starts. Which to go for?
This was the outer cover, the one you could see in the shops. But - take this cover off to fill in the results wall chart on the other side and voila! - like Russian dolls, inside this cover is another, Strictly cover. Created on a laptop in the Normandy countryside.
Stellar Plate Snowflake v1
I’m experimenting with showing 3d models on the web. Most embedded players use lots of individual images - slow and limiting, but this is uses a real 3d model and can be seen from any angle at any scale.
Translucency is brilliant. Take a look at it from the back. Click on the stack of papers icon & you can play with the textures yourself.
Sir David Attenborough
This weeks Radio Times. There’s a lot more work on this than you might imagine. The image of Sir David is a composite of a number of photographs by Ray Burmiston
Safe as Houses
I finally got around to finishing this image for a picture library. You can find it at Alamy.com The Christmas picture quizzes are brilliant for spinning off ideas.
Radio Times Christmas Quiz 2018. Creative Retouching
By popular demand…
This years Big Picture Quiz for the special Christmas issue, created with Jacob Howard from an original idea by Paul Smith. There are visual clues here to 50 popular TV shows on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Netflix and Sky.
3d printed snowflake 2018
I was delighted when Don Komarechka, the Canadian photographer asked me to model another snowflake this year, building on what we learnt last year and taking it further. Don’s having them printed in silver (contact him if you’d like one) - and I’ve produced a few in plastic, available now: IanMcKinnell.com/store