•CLOWN CHARACTER

•CLOWN CHARACTER
Yet another crazy character created for Razamatazz Magic. This colourful clown will feature in their Potty Paint machine where a blank piece of card miraculously transform firstly into a black and white image and then finally into a full coloured birthday card. Magic!
Please double click to enlarge but remember that all images are strictly copyright. ©

•JUNGLE JAMBOREE

•JUNGLE JAMBOREE

This fun set of magic game cards was illustrated for my favourite children's magicians - Razamatazz Magic. Check them out at www.razamatazzmagic.com they have some fantastically wonderful games and tricks and it's a veritable showcase for Hot Frog too.

Please feel free to supersize these images by clicking on them and remember that they are all strictly copyright.©

Hot Frog @30!
www.hfg30.blogspot.com

I can hardly believe it myself but I have now been in the business of illustration for three whole decades! 
To celebrate I've created a new online blogfolio to showcase some of my best efforts.
Here's the blurb I've been sending around clients etc.
2010 is the 30th anniversary of Creative Review, also of Walker Books and Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

It's also 30 years since Paul Morton created Hot Frog Graphics.

As the world lost John Lennon, the UK lost the sixpence and the first fax machines appeared in Japan, Paul started his (non-digital) illustration and design studio in the centre of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and has never looked back.

If you've heard the name, but imagine that you're not so familiar with the artwork of Hot Frog then you might be surprised to learn that some of the best known illustrations on thousands of chocolate packs originated from this busy studio, along with countless postcards, greetings cards, advertising posters, characters, children's games and beer labels.

As a successful 'airbrush artist' in the 80's with top notch clients of the day, such as Athena, Scandecor and Verkerke, Paul says ...

"I've never given up the pencil, but making that digital switch and swapping paint for pixels was the best decision I ever made - I now move light around for a living.

These days commissions arrive from across the globe and it's always exciting to hear from new clients in Dublin or Dubai, across Europe to the USA, Australia, Turkey, Japan, Hawaii and many still back home in Yorkshire.

What is the top most frequent thing that I'm asked to illustrate?

Easy, it has to be fruit. Every supermarket carries thousands of packs featuring fruit whether it's cereals, yogurts, soft drinks, sweets, washing powder or medication, and you can bet there's orange, strawberry or blackcurrant in there for sure. I thought I'd illustrated most fruits, and yet just last month I was asked to illustrate rhubarb for the very first time, featuring on a yogurt crumble.

So if you ring and find yourself speaking to my answerphone I'm either hard at work pushing those pesky pixels around;  or, because I get to sample all those cakes, cereals, chocolates and sweets, plus gallons of beer and soft drinks -  (and if the weather is favourable) -  I'll be out working even harder pushing mountain bike pedals, as I desperately try to burn off some of those calories!"

Paul has now showcased a broad selection of Hot Frog's most entertaining  work spanning his ongoing 30 year career, with examples ranging from posters for rock bands, campaigning fund raising postcards, mini-magnetic children's books to board games, advertising campaigns and also featuring a peak into his personal collection of hundreds of sketchbooks.

You can enjoy it too at  www.hfg30.blogspot.com

•SMALL WORLD
Here's a nice job.
Take the existing logo for the 2nd World Festival of Animation, and give it some 3D 'ooomph'.
So I went to town on this little fella, Globo, and I'm very pleased with the results. Especially so, since the festival takes place in my very own Barnsley.
Now off to study the programme, 80 films in 3 weeks, it's going to be tight fitting them all in!
Please double click any image to enlarge but remember they are strictly copyright. ©

•OLD YEAR / NEW YEAR



•OLD YEAR / NEW YEAR
Happy New Year to all. A little late I guess, but still January!
Plenty of work was done at the end of last year including a fantastic game called Discovery Garden for Forrest Pruzan in Seattle.
It afforded me some brilliant illustrations to complete, including the box cover, sides, inner box and gameboard.
Here's a section from the incredibly detailed game board and hopefully I'll post most of the other artwork up here too.
As I type this I have various jobs stacked up in the InTray - beer labels, greetings cards, cheese labels and another game.
It's promising to be an exciting year especially since it's a 'special' year for Hot Frog. But more on that later.
Please click on the image to make it huuuuge and remember that all 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. ©

•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.