Within the next few pages, I aim to share some of the tricks I have learned during my time as a professional illustrator. The style I have developed as a delivery device for my illustration work leans heavily on the look and feel of printed material from the forties, fifties and sixties. By using a style that is reminiscent of a long gone era, but often dealing with modern subject matter and personalities, I've been able to find a way to approach a story in a more timeless way that (hopefully) engages the reader.
I use Adobe Photoshop to colour most of my pieces, although I try to ensure that this modern, digital technique doesn't make my work appear too slick and computer generated. I guess it could be described as digital collage. I take a real-world work (most often an ink drawing or gouache painting) and adding layers of textures and colours from my library of digital resource material to create a cohesive piece. It's retro warmth meets sly modernity. Well, that's the idea anyway.
