• PANDA POPS




• PANDA POPS

Finally I can unveil the three panda characters that I worked on earlier this year. They are still not fully 'outed' until November - to tie in with a film release, but since they now appear on the client's web site I'm happy to let them loose.
I thoroughly enjoyed working on these and they took quite a few iterations to get right and capture the essence of each product in it's new market positioning. There's Panda Pops, the youngest member. He's lively and enrgetic and already streetwise. Panda Spring is centred and contemplative whilst Panda Still is just so cool and laid back.
I like the fact that I've been successful in creating these Pandas, especially since I tried for months to get card and stationery publishers interested in Bamboo, my humorous Panda way back in the eighties.
Please feel free to supersize the trio by double clicking and remember that they are strictly copyright. ©

•ROCK AND ROLL PIZZAS











































•ROCK AND ROLL PIZZAS
Last month I completed work on these two games for Interplay in New Jersey. Immediately I wanted to fly to New York and visit Vesuvios restaurant (from the Sopranos) to take some reference photos. Seemed a bit extravagant, so I opted for creating the ambience in Form Z. I've included my 3D setting as it came rendered from Form Z, before adding a little Photoshop magic. Because it featured only ever so vaguely in the background I knew I could get away with a fairly 'wooden' table and chairs. (pun intended)
The first visual I submitted for the Pizza Pile Up was summarily rejected on the grounds that the mushrooms were too suggestive! Hence they are all facing downwards and not as excited in this final piece.
I wonder if they do liver?
Wok and Roll was much more straightforward, though I did feel a little worried that these luscious little chunks of plastic look a just too delicious and edible for small children, though an age range restriction is evident on the final box design.
Please feel free to supersize an image by double clicking on it and remember that they are all strictly copyright. ©

•HAMSTAR


•HAMSTAR

Still waiting for the Pandas to be unveiled so meanwhile here's a chubby little character just produced for Razamatazz Magic. He'll appear in his very own Crazy Candy trick and hopefully entertain and amuse 1000's of children worldwide. To supersize the image double click on it but please bear in mind that all these images are strictly copyright. ©
ps. I've given up trying to get the text to align UNDER the images on all platforms. It seems a forlorn task so that's why I've now let the text run down the right handside.

• LET'S GO NATIONWIDE

• LET'S GO NATIONWIDE
Well I'm still embargoed from revealing three of the nicest panda characters you're likely to meet on a soft drinks bottle!
So, here's some work that is on display right now and it's nationwide, in Nationwide!
A nice set of three posters commissioned by Sphere Design in Liverpool.
They were big, I mean really biiiiiig. At one point, mid job, and with all the layers active, the file was hogging over 3Gb of disk space. To see them at their finest then pop along to your nearest branch, otherwise you can click on the image to magnify but remember they are strictly copyright©

• HONEY POTS






• HONEY POTS
It's been quite a while since I posted any new work up here - sorry to all my 1000's of followers for the delay.
A 2 week holiday in France and the fact that I've been working on a new set of characters for a soft drinks co for the last 4 weeks resulted in a paucity of available new work.
However, here's the cover of one of two games I completed recently for Interplay in the US. I really enjoy producing these 'facelifts' for existing and popular games and in fact there's another waiting to be finished this week, for the same company.
It's been a month for bees. I watched an excellent programme about the vanishing of bees, I managed to vanish one myself as it stung my foot when I accidentally trod on it and then friends of ours have just asked us over to see their 20,000 new bees!
More reference shots!

See ya.
Remember that you can 'supersize' any of these images by clicking on them but bear in mind that they a`re strictly copyright. ©

• PIMP MY FLOAT!








• PIMP MY FLOAT!

Whatever floats your boat! I was asked to supe up an ordinary milk float, and turn it into the kind of milk monster that every milky dreams about. Well, that's what my milkman said, as I explained why I needed reference photographs of his vehicle.
This is another in the series that I'd previously produced the go-faster Snail and hot-rod Tortoise for.
Please double click the image to see it enlarged but remember that all these images are strictly copyright. ©

•WALLY WOPPAPOTAMUS AND THE TREE OF SOUND










•WALLY WOPPAPOTAMUS AND THE TREE OF SOUND
I told you there's be more Wally to come and here he is proudly holding a horn from the Tree of Sound.
I'm hoping to work on more Wally images for the talented Helen Bonney, so watch this space!
At the moment I'm juggling the design of a new range of bottle beers and the first illustrations in my own picture book, more of which shortly.
Please double click any image to supersize but remember all my images are strictly copyright. ©

• MILK SPLASHES



















































• MILK SPLASHES
No 'supermarket' packaging work for quite a while and then three show up at once!
Following the chocolate coated fruits I received a commission for milk splashes on cereals and then this one for a new range of flavoured milk drinks. Here are 3 of 5 milk splooshes produced for FLB in Cheletenham.
Please double click and image to supersize it and remember that they are all strictly copyright. ©

• CHOCOHOLIC HEAVEN







• CHOCOHOLIC HEAVEN
Imagine being briefed to illustrate rich molten chocolate dripping silkily and smoothily over luscious fresh fruit. Then, dream about having blocks of the finest pure connoisseur chocolate delivered to your door for photographic research!
Well, none of this happened to me, I merely constructed these illustrations from various chocolatey sources and illustrations of fruit, and voila! you have strawberry and orange pieces covered in chocolate.
It did make me go out and buy a big bar and wolf it down,though.
Double click the pic to supersize but please remember that these images are strictly copyright©.

• WALLY WOPPAPOTAMUS


























• WALLY WOPPAPOTAMUS
Wally, as many people will already know, comes from Titan, a moon of Saturn.
I met Wally for the first time here on Earth, in Winchester last year, when we were attending the SCWBI conference. He introduced me to his creator Helen Bonney and I agreed to help bring him to life so to speak.
More notes will follow, but for now, say hello to Wally yourselves and prepare for his next visit to planet Earth - it promises to be a tumultuous one!
Please double click Wally to supersize him but remember that he's ticklish (and strictly copyright ©)

•RACCOONS AND SPLODGINESS



































•RACCOONS AND SPLODGINESS
I wonder just how many times this phrase has appeared on the www?
Do you ever do that? imagine the most bizarre sentence, crazy whilst still making sense, and then think that even though there are only 26 letters in the alphabet and billions of people on earth - that you are the only person to have ever come up with, say, "The most gregarious of all ginger Llamas are still quite insular by nature"???????
What? there is a web site dedicated to ginger llamas? I don't doubt it.
Anyways, enough of this rambling.
Here's a cute little Raccoon that will soon be helping American schoolkids with their Math. It's not easy resisting the final 's' is it?
The luscious paint and splodgy colour is for an utterly ingenious magic trick courtesy of Razamatazz.
Please double click an image to conjure up a biggie, but remember that they are ALL strictly copyright. ©.

•FRUIT SPLASHES



•FRUIT SPLASHES
Again this was a job completed at the very end of last year. It's not that I've been sat here doing nuthin all 2009 - I'm actually onto my 5th job already, and have recently invoiced Canada, Japan and Swindon!. It's just that some of the 'new' stuff is still under wraps and I still wanted to display my best work from the end of last year.
This Fruit Splash was part of a set for an agency in Southport, SMR Creative.
Please click on the image to supersize it but remember that all these images are strictly copyright ©.

• BRICKS






























•BRICKS
Happy New year to all!
I'm just about recovered from a bout of flu, back at work but half speed at the mo. These two giant, 48 sheet posters, were commissioned at the end of 2008 by Dig For Fire, for a client of theirs with more brick varieties than is strictly healthy. So they spend their time building rainbows and maps of the UK to demonstrate the wonderful colours and textures and asked me to capture some of them in Photoshop and Form Z.
Watch out for them around the streets of Yorkshire. Click on an image to supersize it and remember that they are all strictly copyright ©.

•SEASON'S GREETINGS





•SEASON'S GREETINGS
A late rush on Christmas images - particularly "e" cards for various companies, kept me busy right up until last week.
Here's an adapted design I did for for a major insurance company.
From Hot Frog Graphics, me and my invisible friend (I'd go mad without him) wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
See you in 2009.

• MMMMMY MAGNUM OPUS




• MMMMMY MAGNUM OPUS
Actually it's not a Magnum, it's a leading supermarkets own version of the cult classic. It tasted just as good tho, as I had to, just had to, eat 3 or 4 of them after photographing the product, as they dripped dollops of creamy ice cream and dribbled smooth milk chocolate. Read this in the voice of Nigella Lawson and you get the picture.
Not done one of these for a while so it was good to get back into some photo-realism.
Have you ever realised that, close up, there's no difference between the texture of ice cream and mashed potato!
Please double click to get an even more enticing view of the product but remember that an ounce past the lips is an inch on the hips - and it's copyright. ©

• BEERS AND BEES




• BEERS AND BEES
Another busy couple of months and a diverse range of work.
Some of the images that never made it onto blog fame featured a frog for a website in Hawaii, a bottle label design for a new range of beers, a children's game featuring turtle shells and a little polar bear character for a Croatian food company.
Here are some of the designs and illustrations that I would like to show you.
The three beer clips have been updated for Wentworth Brewery, and all being well, ie if they can stretch to the costs, these will be manufactured in acrylics and plastics to resemble metal and glass in full 3D. They should look fantastic.

The second posting is another little bee character, this time for a publisher in the States. It was intended for a set of math book covers but it came in second place to a much simpler, vector-style illustration. But I still like it and I'm sure we'll see more of it later.
Remember to double click an image to supersize it. All images are strictly copyright ©.

• ANIMAL SONGS CD COVER








• ANIMAL SONGS CD COVER

Once upon a time there was a purplish Hippo, a cheeky Monkey and a fine looking Zebra. They lived happily in the greenest, deepest, jungly part of the jungle. One day when they just happened to be passing through a clearing together - flash! Up popped a photographer who snapped their insanely smiley picture and then sold it on as reference to an illustrator thousands of miles away.
This follows the Car Ride Fun children's cd that I illustrated last year for Somerset Ent. in the States/Canada.
Not much else to say about this except it was fun to do, and 'more please'.
Please click on an image to enlarge it but remember that all images are strictly copyright and all my pixels are homing pixels and they can send an algorithm back to my Mac if they have been reproduced illegally! ©

• MUSICAL MELODY MAKER








• MUSICAL MELODY MAKER
These are a fun set of musical characters produced for an exciting children's game designed by Round Peg Ltd.
Jolly drums, trumpets, violins etc dance and jive to the beat, on the cover of a game box for Tomy.
Makes a change from animal characters but as you'll soon see my next job flew me straight back into the jungle.
Please click on any of these images to supersize them and remember that they are all strictly copyright ©.

• GO FASTER SNAIL




























• GO FASTER SNAIL
Hot off the Hot Frog press come these two photo/illustrations for a client in the midlands.
Obviously I was hoping for another frog to illustrate - I think I've turned out around 30 different ones so far - but nevertheless, really enjoyed working on these two hardbacked critters. Thanks for the great brief Marcello!
Click on them to supersize the images and please remember that they are strictly © copyright.

• MAGIC SWEET FACTORY


































• MAGIC SWEET FACTORY

I'm pleased to be able to post this wonderful job for Razamatazz Magic.
And it really works! I must have used magic pixels because as soon as I'd finished the artwork I was covered in barley sugars, fruit chews, chocolate eclairs etc etc.
I bet it goes down great in their act!
Please click on the image to magnify it - and if you wish for your favourite sweet at the same time, you never your luck!
Please remember that all images are © copyright.

• BOTTLE LABEL




•BOTTLE LABEL

It's going to look like HFG has been closed for part of the summer. I say that because there's a scarcity of new images I can post at the momente. That's down to HFG being closed whilst I went on holiday - BUT this was only for one week's surfing in Newquay. The rest of the time I've been beavering away on a fantastic new project that, unfortunately once again, I cannot reveal right at this moment in time.
Until the wraps come off that, I can upload this new beer bottle label for a Small Theatre in Sheffield, and that's about it really. I did do some sketching on holiday but that served really to assuage my guilt at not doing any 'proper' drawing, and is not worth putting up here. There are some exciting new illustrations for the Razamatazz Magic Co. and they will follow shortly. Byeeeee.

*THE SNOW IS FALLING






























*THE SNOW IS FALLING
... CUE SHAKIN' STEVENS ...

>Hey, don't you be thinking I'm a fan, It's just that these lyrics were jingling around my head as I worked on this brilliant job for Razamatazz Magic last month.
Following on from their Rabbit Rampage come this very christmassy Santa' Surprise.
I'm particularly pleased with the Polar Bear and Santa characters.
Now that I've got fur texture cracked (ever since the Airwick bunny) I can sketch out these fluffy furry creatures with confidence.
Please double click any image to supersize it and remember that all images are strictly copyright. ©

• GA GUNK
A froggy love story























• GA GUNK
A froggy love story
Regular readers of this blog (sic) will know that my abiding passion is for children's picture books.
I've worked on quite a few educational type illustrated books and last year produced the phenomenal five hundred plus pictures for the mini-magnetic ABC, Colours etc books, for Soft Play.
With this new board book, written by Susie Ramsey, it's the nearest yet to achieving my goal of my very own picture book.

Ga Gunk tells the simple story of how two little frogs meet by accident then fall in love one moonlit night.
I wanted a more painterly feel to the pictures and hopefully achieved this with some interesting painted textures applied in photoshop.
I have included the initial sketches with some of the finished illustrations as I've long thought about having some of my sketchbooks on display too.
Keep your webbed fingers crossed that this little book will soon find a publisher in the States.
Please double click on any frog to supersize but remember that all images are strictly copyright ©. Have I mentioned that before!

• HORRIBLE ABC























































• HORRIBLE ABC
Regular readers of my blog (sic!) will already know that my abiding passion is children's picture books. I've had a couple of story ideas going around publishers with no luck to date, and, despite me being able to claim that I illustrated 52 picture books last year alone, I still feel unfulfilled in this field. However, I have just finished a short picture book for a writer in the States - Susie Ramsey. Susie approached me with an idea for a board book featuring two frogs who fall in love one moonlit night. As you can imagine dear reader, I was hooked from the start.
During the illustration of those froggy pictures Susie also asked me to squeeze in illustrations for another book project which revolved around revolting dishes, again, it appealed to my tastes, so here are a few details of some of those pictures.
The final title has not yet been resolved.
In my next posting I'm planning to include some of he froggy images so watch this space!

• TONY TIGER

































• TONY TIGER
Another totally enjoyable commission, this time from Navy Blue up in Edinburgh.
Tony needed a pack for his new cereal bars which will only be on sale in duty free outlets.
So I can now add his portrait to my list of celebrity characters I've worked withh.
Please double click an image to supersize it, but remember that all images are strictly copyright. ©

• POP-UP PIRATES




















































• POP-UP PIRATES
I'm not sure if these little pirates have been anywhere near the Caribbean, but they were certainly fun to illustrate.
The electronic version was particularly wacky though that was probably due to it being a Japanese prototype that I received to photograph! The screaming instructions were hilarious.
Please double click any pic to supersize and remember that these images are strictly copyright. ©.

•QUACKSHOTS






•QUACKSHOTS
More games designs produced in collaboration with Round Peg who seem to come up with some excellent concepts which I thoroughly enjoy bringing to fruition. That's my second reference to fruit so I wouldn't blame you for thinking that there's some big fruity themed game coming up next - but there isn't, so don't know why I mentioned it really!
The visualiser that Round Peg employ, his name is Andy, is the best I've ever worked with. His marker visuals almost leap of the page and make my job of realising the illustration all that much easier.
Please click on an image to supersize it but remember that all images are strictly copyright. Did I say that before? ©.

• TUMBLIN' MONKEYS

















• TUMBLIN' MONKEYS
At last I can display some of the children's board games that I was working on towards the end of last year.
This first one was particularly tricky with monkeys cascading inside and outside the translucent plastic tree whilst skewers wizzed in front of, and behind them. Consequently the illustration ran to well over 100 layers in Photoshop.
The artwork for this game was developed from an original concept and design from Tomy's long-standing packaging
specialists Round Peg based in Leicester.
It's been a very fruitful partnership as you will see in future posts.
Please click on an image to supersize it but remember that all images are strictly copyright and monitored. ©.

•MAGIC CHARACTERS


































•MAGIC CHARACTERS
here's a bunch of new faces that you might see a lot more of in future.
They form part of a set of magic cards for a very successful magic company called Razamatazz.
Now my little friends can be treated to something better than 'the coin out of the ear' trick at future parties.
These images are strictly copyright © and can be enlarged by double clicking on them.

•LOVE HEARTS





•LOVE HEARTS
With the strains of the classic Scott McKenzie ringing in my ears I created a new series of mobile wallpaper downloads. Psychedelia never goes out of fashion!

• REJUVINATED RETRIEVER





• REJUVINATED RETRIEVER
Again another nice job to work on. Give an old dog a new life with either ArthriAid, or even easier using Photoshop.
Please click on the image to supersize and remember that all images are strictly copyright. © : )

• DIAGNOSTIC HEALTH KITS










DIAGNOSTIC HEALTH KITS
These are details from illustrations for a series of diagnostic health kits for a major supermarket.
I have been extraordinarily busy recently so there will be lots more work up here very soon. Watch this (cyber) space!
Not much else to say really, so please double click an image to supersize it but remember that they are strictly copyrighted. ©

•AIRWICK BUNNIES












•AIRWICK BUNNIES
Little bunnies now added (May '08)
The two game boxes completed since I returned to the studio this year are still embargoed until they have featured in the various toy fairs. It's a bit annoying not being able to post my latest work but as soon as I can show them off I will certainly be doing so.
Similarly with this recent job for Airwick - although I'm not going to show the full illustration (which included 20 little bunnies too), I don't see anything wrong with posting this close up of mummy rabbit.
I'm very pleased with this as it's one of my first serious attmpts at using custom brushes in Photoshop.
I know I could have modelled the whole creature in Cinema 4D (if I possessed such skills) but I feel I've come close to that kind of finish just withinin Photoshop.
Click on the large image to get an even larger view and remember that these are all strictly copyrighted. ©

• BOB THE BUILDER and ...

































• BOB THE BUILDER
Guess who I bumped into just before christmas?
No, go on, just a guess.
It's just a bit of fun really, just make a guess.

I was in B&Q, trying to find a roll of duct tape for under a tenner, when right there, rummaging through the reduced section, was none other than the great man himself - Bob the Builder!
Amazing I know, he looked a lot smaller in real life and I summoned up the courage to say hello. I told him that I liked his work and he was a really nice bloke. Down to earth and everything. Told me he was looking for a late pressie for Wendy, and then interestingly proceeded to list all the tools he'd bought her previously.
Then he mentioned all the tools he was using at the moment, demonstrating by showing me his impressive tool belt, and then moved onto his own tool wish list, this included the latest Japanese pull saw and a new sander from Germany that reduced clogging and incorporated revolutionary dust proofing filters.
To be honest he became a bit of a bore and I wished him a merry christmas as he was reaching for a new straight air drill with remote keyless chuck.
I hope Wendy likes it!
So, my final three jobs of 2007 were a homage to Bob for Egmont Publishers.
A children's car-journey-cd of singalong ditties for an American publisher, and a brand new children's game box cover which unfortunately is still under wraps until the spring.
Co-incidentally my first two jobs for this new year are also children's games, so more of these later.
All the best for 2008.