The Fleeting Nature of Time

Yet another meditation upon mortality.

The Fleeting Nature of Time, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 8.5".

The Feral Man

Drawing of a feral head.

The Feral Man, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Melancholy Ancient Head and Tower

Another drawing of an aged head:

Melancholy Ancient Head and Tower, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Poppy

I recently did some pencil illustrations for a book entitled "Poppy", a coming-of-age story set in upstate Michigan during the 1950s. It's a bit of a detour from what I usually do, but it was a pleasant diversion & reminded me a little of my own childhood in the north of England. Below are a few of the drawings that I produced for the book. More information can be found at the publisher's web site (Century Systems Publishing / Penny-A-Page Marketing) which is here.

Above: drawing from Poppy chapter 2

Above: drawing from Poppy chapter 3

Above: drawing from Poppy chapter 9

Above: drawing from Poppy chapter 14

Above: drawing from Poppy chapter 15—that's Poppy himself in the rocking chair

Above: drawing from Poppy chapter 20

I'll put up more info when the book comes out in print.

The Grail

Speaking of mythical objects of immense power...

The Grail, 2012, ink & acrylic on cardboard, 11" x 8".

The Visible Man

At first, I was going to call this the Invisible Man, but then I thought, well, he is very visible...

The Visible Man, 2012, brush & ink on cardboard, 11" x 8.5".

Primavera

It looks & feels as though spring is here...there has been virtually no snow so far this winter...

Primavera, 2012, brush & ink on cardboard, 12" x 12" approx. Below is a digitally tinted version that is actually closer to the true color of the cardboard:

A Strong Back

Sometimes the throwaway ones come out the best...my son gave me a scrap of paper, actually a paper place setting, to draw on:

A Strong Back, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 10" approx.

Stephen Harrison | Today Tomorrow

This just in...my old musician friend Stephen Harrison from Edinburgh (we were in his band Heyday together back in the 80s) just sent me his latest CD. The cover image is great. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I shall soon...

Here's a link to his web site.

Crepuscular

Crepuscular...that's a word I've been meaning to work into a title for a while...

Crepuscular, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

A Walk in a Great Forest / Hermit

2 new ink pieces from today:

A Walk in a Great Forest

Hermit

Both pieces are brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11", 2012.

Head of an Old Man

Inspired by all of those Old Master drawings...

Head of an Old Man, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Les Voyeurs

Another in the French title series:

Les Voyeurs, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Les Etrangers

Another drawing with a French title:

Les Etrangers, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Peut-être inspiré par Camus ... ou pas ...

Les Acrobates

From my new 'French' series:

Les Acrobates, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Les Invisibles

A drawing of three slightly nebulous figures...reminded me of Blake...Les Invisibles sounded like a good title.

Les Invisibles, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Shadow Bay review in Hudson Valley News

This just in:

And I quote:

"How to read a book if you don't understand what it is? I plan to email the author or illustrator, both of whom live in Rhinebeck, and ask them to tell me what a "noir visual novel" is. Meanwhile, I'll simply call it a graphic novel and that it's X-rated, so the kids don't get their hands on it.

"Shadow Bay", written by Donald J. Rothschild with over 300 illustrations by William T. Ayton (Epigraph, $17.95) has, as its anti-hero, David Fisher, a ne'er-do-well sportswriter for the local weekly newspaper — "the skinny little one" — and well-hooked bettor on the horses. He skips his meetings at Gamblers Anonymous, soon hooks up with a married hottie and fellow bettor, gets fired, loses all his money, and...yup, there's a murder. Follow this couple to Florida, where they open a restaurant and...oh, dear. "Life is a bitch with a harelip, and sometimes you gotta pucker up."

More on this one after I've spoken with the authors. Meanwhile, I wonder what other new and puzzling genres I'm missing out on."

From the "Good Stories" section by Ann La Farge. Hudson Valley News, Feb 8-14, 2012.

The Heart of Time & From The Deep

These are 2 new digitally colorized drawings. The orginal brush & ink pieces are 14" x 11".

The Heart of Time, 2012.

From The Deep, 2012.

Orpheus in Red

Another digitally colorized drawing of Orpheus preparing to enter the underworld:

Orpheus in Red, 2012, digitally altered & colorized drawing.

The Fisher King...digital pulp color

Here is a digitally enhanced & colorized version of the recent Fisher King drawing (original drawing size was 14" x 11")...the color is deliberately a little lurid, to mimic comic books (or pulp magazines) or also medieval colored woodcut prints, which is probably more appropriate in this case.

The Fisher King, 2012, digitally altered & colorized drawing.

Smoker variations

Here are 3 versions of the drawing "Smoker" -- the original brush & ink drawing (size 14" x 11"), the b/w Photoshop altered version (using the "stamp" filter to approximate a woodcut) and the colorized version:

Smoker, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11" (above)

Smoker, digital "woodcut" version (above)

Smoker, colorized version (above)

This is Nowhere

Another brush & ink drawing (14" x 11") digitally cleaned up & colorized. These 2 images (this one & the one in the preceding post) are for a specific purpose, which may be revealed...

Nowhere, 2012, digitally altered ink drawing. Below, the monochrome version:

No-One, again

Here are 2 versions of the same image. Both have been processed in Photoshop...the original "No-One" drawing was too large (14" x 11") to scan in directly, so to compensate for the loss of line quality, I ran it through a Photoshop filter (the "stamp" one, which simulates a rubber stamp or similar). The second image I added digital color to, on a separate layer, which has the added bonus of making it easier to try out color variations. It also gives it a kind of faux lithographic feel.

And in living color: