Rain God

My piece for Before I Could Draw.
An exhibition where illustrators used skills acquired over a lifetime to re-interpret their childhood pictures.

I found a bunch of old drawings from when I first became interested in indigenous/ancient folklore and mythology as a kid.

Age 23.

Age 11.

Art V Cancer: Bending Time & Space Exhibition

This year I had the huge pleasure of being selected for this year's Art V Cancer exhibition, appearing amongst other amazing artists from near and far.

This year's theme was "Bending Time & Space" so I couldn't resist but pay homage to one of my favourite 90s films. 

If you don't know what epic scene my piece is referencing, check this out!

Art V Cancer sells limited edition prints (signed/unsigned) and artwork by established artists to raise money for cancer charities. 

So far, they've has raised £12,020.40 Wowee!

You can buy my print, as well as some other gorgeous work here in the Art V Cancer shop.

WiseBooks Wise Owl Exhibition

Earlier this year I submitted a piece to an owl themed exhibition for Wise Books in Seaford, Sussex.

The exhibition featured many talented illustrators including some award winning children's book illustrators and writers.

Wise books is a second bookshop raising funds for FSW Family Support Work, a local charity

which helps families coping with bereavement, poverty, mental health issues and unemployment.

I think there are plans for them to host more themed exhibitions in the future. 

You can follow them on twitter here: @WiseBooksFSW

And on Facebook here: Wise Books

2022NQ Print Shop

2022NQ is a fantastic bar, gallery and events space found on Dale Street in the heart of the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

They've recently launched their online printshop where you can exclusively buy prints from my High Spirits prints series, as well as work from many other talented local designers and illustrators. Check it out!

Draw North West

Since moving down to Manchester at the beginning of last year I discovered a bi-monthly meet-up group in the city centre which goes by the name of Draw North West.

Through which I have met so many lovely illustrators and artists, and learned about creative events and exhibitions around the city.
The creative community of Manchester is something I find incredibly heartening, and makes me proud to be a part of such an accommodating community.
Attendees range from students from the local university to well experienced freelancers. Everyone is eager to talk about their latest ideas, recommend inspiration and just have a laugh and a doodle.

Tonight is the 10th DNW meetup- a little bit of a milestone. Here's to many more!

This meetup's poster was drawn by the uber talented Emma Reynolds. I think it perfectly captures the spirit of DNW.

If you fancy rubbing shoulders with other arty types, head down to Common Bar tonight on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

Draw North West
@drawnorthwest

Owl You Need is Love

New in the One Owl Please shop- tote bags perfect for any owl or bird lover!

Screen printed onto 100% natural cotton, unbleached and undyed. 38cmx 43cm with long handles which make them great for everyday use.

To ensure delivery before Valentine's Day, make sure you order before the 8th. You can grab one here.

2012 Christmas Cards

Here's last year's Christmas cards. Better late than never as they say!

Curtis Eller's American Circus

I illustrated and designed the poster for Curtis Eller and his American Circus performing at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester.

I realised I was a bit overambitious with the concept, but it was too much fun drawing all the different elements!

Very much looking forward to seeing this guy perform, it should be quite a show!

Gallery of Mo

This year I'm taking part in Gallery of Mo for Movember!
To get involved simply upload a photo, make a donation and one of the artists creates a portrait, complete with moustache.
You can request portraits from me here. Or check out all the other amazing artists taking part here.

The Wedding Present Poster

Poster for The Wedding Present at The Brickyard.

A2 giclee prints on soft textured natural white 315gsm paper are available for pre-order at £45 (inc recorded signed for delivery).

Place your pre-order here.

Boots of a Legend

Birthday illustration for my good friend and fellow rock chick Shona Cutt. Check out her work here she has some awesome band photography going on.

From Pet Shops to Porn Exhibition

To mark the launch of new creative event space Vault (in the basement of Cord bar in the Northern Quarter) the "From Pet Shops to Porn" exhibition was held. The exhibition highlighted the changing face of Tib Street, one of the most popular streets in the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

For my piece I submitted an illustration of the Tib Street Horn, a prominent sculpture built around the ruins of a Victorian hat factory outside Afflecks Palace.

270gsm A3 matte prints are still available for sale (£10). Please email oneowlplease(at)googlemail.com if interested.

Bert Exhibition

My piece for Bert's exhibition last month. The exhibition was a celebration of urban art displayed alongside Ben Pepper's sundial sculpture 'Time of a Generation'.

Prints are still available in Bert's online shop. All proceeds go to the Christie NHS trust. 

Some great work by some great artists at great value for a great cause! www.ashopcalledbert.co.uk/

Rampant Lions Mongol Rally Logo

This is a logo I did for my friend's team The Rampant Lions, who are taking part in this year's Mongol Rally. They'll be driving some 10,000 miles from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia while raising money for the official Mongol Rally charity The Lotus Children Center, and their personally chosen charity Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

It's for a terrific cause so please donate online here if you can.

And you can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Walker Ellis Design and Photography

This post has been long overdue, but better late than never as they say.

Last year I had the pleasure of working in house with Walker Ellis Photography and Design back home in Cumbria. Tim, James and the team provided me with so much valuable experience post-university. I attended pitches and worked with a variety of local (and not so local) clients.

A few concept illustrations for a food packaging pitch.

The studio has also become the first and only photographic company in the UK to use a brand new ground breaking imaging and mapping technology called a SwingletCAM. 

I was lucky enough to be in the studio the day we had a demonstration (and it was a beautiful day for it as well). The easiest way I can describe it is as a robot/bird/kite/plane hybrid (which contains a 12MP camera) that can be directed safely from the ground. You can see a one in action here.

Get ready...

...lift off!

A beautiful day up in Threlkeld Quarry.

Alphabet Bestiary: D

Dragon: Worldwide. Often large in size, the dragon is a fire breathing lizard with many varieties of existing in the world. Some believe they represent chaos and destruction, others peace and luck. When not eating or setting fire to large portions of the countryside, dragons spend most of their time guarding their hoards which range from vast amounts of treasure to fair maidens. Slaying a dragon was considered the highest achievement in Medieval times.

This took longer than I would have liked, so apologies for the delay! The first portrait postcard of the series; D is for Dragon. It seemed an obvious choice after my obsession with Skyrim over Christmas. I wanted to draw a dragon that was fat, and slightly dumb, yet still creepy looking. I had to include the ridiculous little T-rex arms!

A is for Alce

B is for Basilisk

C is for Chupacabra

D is for Dragon

E is for ?

F is for ?

G is for ?

H is for ?

I is for ?

J is for ?

K is for ?

L is for ?

M is for ?

N is for ?

O is for ?

P is for ?

Q is for ?

R is for ?

S is for ?

T is for ?

U is for ?

V is for ?

W is for ?

X is for ?

Y is for ?

Z is for ?

Owl Pie

I've done a little interview over on Evermade's blog. Complete with silly drawings.

Manchester Bound

And so with the new year underway, I set course for pastures new further south. Leaving behind my native homeland of Cumbria and travelling down to my birthplace of Manchester.

What good or ill fortune awaits me I do not know, but here is an artist's impression of me on my journey.

Owl You Need Is Love

May 2012 bring you all the love you could ever wish for.

Evermade.com Launch

Evermade, the new online home decor store, launches next week.
As part of the launch a series of exclusive prints are available to buy, which includes talented illustrators such as Jon Saltmarsh, Kiley Victoria, David Ryan Robinson and Chris Piascik.
All prints are being risoprinted, a process in which each piece will have a unique texture created with wonderful vibrant inks.
I collaborated with Jon Saltmarsh AKA Saltyjon. Together our pieces show an underwater world where gold-tailed mermaids are squabbling and swooning over a hunky diver!

You can see Jon's half here.

I can't wait to see what they look like printed and displayed together!

'Like' the Evermade facebook page for an exclusive £5 voucher code.