Calling The Doctor

Some new artworks developed from some doodles I did a few weeks back showing different stylistic takes on the same character.  My illustrations here show the present version of the Time Lord in a caricature style with three variations and in a more dramatic comic book take.  It was a challenge to take such a recognized icon and try quite different looks.  

As often through my career as an illustrator working on different commissions I try to offer up different ideas and solutions to a project to create an image that works within the context of its use.  These creative challenges can push you out of your comfort zone and if successful can develop and further you skills in what you can offer a client.  Personally they can liven up your day to day experience and freshen you outlook and style of work so that your skills don't become slave to a certain kind or type of work.

Left: Madman with a box and Right: Mr Clever

Something Stolen

The above variations of Doctor Who in caricature style were inspired by aspects of his character and reference to his history and recent episodes.  Its was also a challenge to draw the prior incarnations of the Time Lord on the wanted posters of the titled Something Stolen variation. 

The Doctor Comic Style

Lastly my Comic style above complete with Sonic screwdriver and twirly whirly timey vortex. 

Visit my website or get in touch here

Adventures in Thorpe Park.

This illustration below is the most recent version of the Thorpe Park Map.  Every year since the artwork was first commissioned new rides and features are added on site and the map needs to be altered to that visitors can plan their day.  It features on the Thorpe Park website, printed large scale on billboards in the park and a handy fold out version to fit your pocket.

With an illustration like this its almost a work in progress due to the changes at the site, when a new ride is added  it is heavily themed, for example  The Swarm ride is set around an alien invasion complete with devastation and themed ride car styled to look like an outer space fighter craft. Another themed ride is Saw, based on the Saw movie series and has a horror vibe with blood, guts and gore.

The illustration itself is drawn to work at the large A0 scale and for smaller print and web sizes.  All the features are drawn individually and placed on separate layers of which there about a hundred or so.  That's many different components, all very handy if you need to change, remove and replace things. 

Map artworks are very fun to do and some can be more challenging than others to get right recently I've illustrated a Highland Park map and over the years map artworks for Universities, Country Homes and Educational resources.
The artwork is vectored and shown here in context Design by LMC

Click here for more of my work. 

Thorpe Park Map 2013, Dylan Gibson Illustration

Lost for Words

One of my recently completed illustrations for an editorial commission to accompany an article about being prepared for a meeting.  

I played a little with the perspective of this image to give it a quirkier look and feel, distorting it to exaggerate to close up and faces of the two characters each side of frame.  The idea was to make the viewer or reader of the article feel they were the ones being eye balled as the people in the illustration are all paused waiting for the presentation or witty remark to be said.

Sure most have us have all been there at a meeting, pub or at home struggling for something to say.  We all hope when it comes to our retort or just plain answer to something it's relevant or witty, usually what we want to say comes latter sometimes much later.   Maybe when we're driving home it strikes or when we are talking about it later with a significant other or friend the once missing words flash into sight.

What you looking at?

Visit my website to see more artworks like this here.

New Work: Mark and Dave go shopping

Just finished of some illustrations for the lovely people at Umbrella Design.  A large part of the project consisted of character design which is always fun to do, my figures were to be based loosely on two real people Mark and Dave.  My illustrations are to feature in their blog a diary of adventures in travel and shopping. The Mark and Dave go shopping blog offers a unique perspective from the duo, tips on what to buy and where and a little culture too.

Dave left and Mark on the right.

These are two trendy guys and designing such happening fellows can always be a stretch when you don't consider yourself to be trendy having a much different definition of the word.  Thankfully however I got a nice run down of their likes and what they wear.

Let me introduce you to Dave…

Name: David, but all his mates call him Dave.

Age: 29 ish. He's kinda geeky, and wants to thought of as really cool... in fact beyond cool. Of course he isn’t, he is in fact a bit of a twat, but nice, really nice in a bloke sort of way. Likes women who have an oriental twist, but always keeps them at arms length. I call them 'mysterious girls', cos they drift in and out of his life and none of us ever actually meet them. We only know about them by the morning smile of his face!

Where he shops: Carnaby Street for trainers, Ted Baker for shirts, Urban Outfitters, and surprisingly, Acne, which is uber cool. Some vintage bits from Brick Lane and Spitalfields, especially sun glasses and picture frames.

Jeans: Cheap Monday 

Watch: Vintage

Boxers or commando: Calvin Klein Boxers

Interests: Cool pubs and restaurants with friends. Sunday league football, gym... only when necessary. Pop-up Art Galleries, street art, photography, gigs headlining up and coming bands, such as: The Black Keys, The Cribs, Twin Atlantic or The Maccabees.

Job: Graphic Designer 

Loves: Geeky gadgets

Favorite Drink: Great beer

Drives: No need, Dave lives in London, but would like a vintage Triumph.

Personal Head Space: Need to make a change and find stuff that inspires him! 

Dave as a finished illustration.

And now on to Mark…

Age: early 30’s, trapped in the wrong era, should have been born mid 1800's then could have been a poet riding an old bike round a village green, a romantic at heart, yeah I know, I am a twat!

Where I shop: Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fenwick Men’s, Diesel, Paul Smith. Some

Vintage bits from Notting Hill, especially furniture.

Jeans: Diesel

Watch: Tag

Boxers or commando: Diesel Boxers

Interests: Out door stuff, cycling, cricket. Love great coffee with mates on a Sunday morning. Play occasionally in a band and open mic nights with guitar. Sketching (belong to urban sketchers).

Bands: Keane, Band of Skulls, Muse, Paul Weller, Florence and The Machine, Elvis Costello

Job: Furniture Designer

Favorite Drink: G&T

Drives: BMW Motorbike

Personal Head Space: Looking for direction and want to go and see great stuff! Like Dave, I need some ideas to guide me to my next project in life, what ever that might be.

Mark in all his illustrated glory

As the blog progresses we get to see more how they both develop via the travels and adventures in shopping they have.  

Mark and Dave's adventures in Brighton.

Good luck to Mark and Dave I hope they continue to trek around the country with their wallets ready and shopping bags full.  Visit Mark and Dave go Shopping blog here.

Go to my website for more illustrations.

 

Starting the Day

I don’t have to commute to work, I’m quite lucky in that regard.   I still feel I need to get out and do something before I start work so instead of a lengthy commute I go walking the dog with my wife after breakfast in the rain or shine or like this week in the freezing cold fully wrapped up with layers of clothing that take ages to peel off again. The walk helps wake me up, gets my mind and body functioning again, especially useful on the mornings when it feels like I hardly slept at all.  

I used to be a morning person, a fact that I’d forgot until my wife reminded me of recently.  Somewhere down the line my factory setting seems to have fallen into disrepair, replaced by grouch overdrive mode that seems to be my current default.  Some mornings it can be hard shaking off the sleepy head, If I’m still not awake after my morning regime and my head feels like it’s running some sort of start-up check complete with virus scan I try to reboot by visiting the local deli to get the best coffee in town.  If I haven’t booted up sufficiently I will indulge myself in the delight that is bacon roll with red sauce and a good strong coffee.  This I might remind you would be a second breakfast, a feeding regime that the hobbits of the shire would certainly approve of.

It’s a fine place and one that I often frequent, a  ritual of waking that will get my creative mind going if first breakfast and walkies don’t cut it.  I get that necessary social interaction and people spotting that is sometimes missing from my day.  I enjoy that little bit of small talk, asking about the day ahead, passing the same people walking to work or getting the paper, saying hello and chewing the fat before work calls.

The Scottish Deli is a little place that helps me wake up and serves me my second breakfast when needed.  It offers lots of foodie delights that will brighten up your fridge, store cupboard and eventually your dining table.

The Scottish Deli, Pitlochry. Click for website here

Just for fun!

Another self initiated illustration, my take on a poster for the film Drive.  Rendered in pen and ink this illustration was just for a bit of fun and a little diversion from my usual projects I hope you likely.

The rough-work below shows the development of the image, I've taken three images to show though their was lots of other bits an pieces to work on to flesh the illustration out.  

A series of sketches showing the  poster development.

Finished poster!

Visit my website to see more.

Or follow me on Facebook.

Self Initiated Work

Self initiated projects are an opportunity to draw something I do not normally get commissioned to do.  It’s good to fill gaps in my portfolio and expand the breadth of what you can do as an illustrator.  If its not in the folio a client will not commission you do do something similar, so its important to keep the work fit and healthy by adding new things and trimming the fat.

Their is no reason it has to be a chore it can be fun and you can get to draw things that are interesting.  I love dinosaurs and all things prehistoric from lost lands long ago, I've quite bookshelf on the evolution of life, fossils and lovely glossy picture reference books on the subjects too.  It is a wealth of material for the mind to imagine upon, so I decided to get prehistoric.

The below images show the Tyrannosaurus and horned Triceratops placed in a dummy layout to give them a bit of context. Both pen and ink illustrations are the kind of illustration that I hope is attractive to children’s book publishers.

The line art illustration is created from pencil sketches and then coloured on the computer.  For the Triceratops illustration I worked from the fossil remains shown in books only as a challenge and then put flesh on the bones and skin and patters from reference images of animals that exist today.

The mighty Tyrannosaurus, for this I placed my illustration in  a dummy  page layout  to  give it a little context.

The horned Triceratops in dummy layout.

You can see these images and other commissioned work by visiting my website 

Follow me on Facebook