Prelim. sketch for a medieval Punisher…

Rosie the Riveter for #sketchdailies 

Not too keen on how this one turned out but we learn and move on.

First attempt in a long time of doing a self portrait from life, hope to do more in the future!

The absolute lad, Sir Francis Drake for #sketchdailies 

Really quick #Ironfist trying to get back into doing more #sketchdailies ! Hopefully more to come soon.

Quick sketch from a Sartorialist photo. 

There Captain is alive!…#motionportrait #moving #illustration #portrait #sketch

Sketching from reference… #sketch #sketchbook #illustration

the-strongbox:

Entry 006- Rich Kelly

Rich Kelly is an incredible illustrator, who mostly creates wonderfully detailed and exciting posters. 

His work has a strong sense of narrative and his colour palette, line weights and mark making create some of the most interesting pieces. His posters are always beautifully composed and designed. The characters within them are wonderfully energetic and playful. Please check his work out if you create posters and want to see fresh and intricate designs. 

Rich Kelly’s work can be found all over the net from his:

Website: rfkelly.com

Blog: rfkelly.tumblr.com

Instagram: @therichkelly   

Twitter: @therichkelly  

Shop: richkelly.bigcartel.com

Sketchbook sketching… #sketch #illustration #artistsoninstagram

the-strongbox:

Entry 005- Ashley Wood.

Ashley Wood takes the next spot and I probably don’t need to introduce his work to a lot of you out there. So let’s just bask in his painted wonders.

I first came across Ashley Wood’s work through the Metal Gear Solid graphic novels, if you haven’t checked them out yet please do! They are intense and dynamic and tell Snake’s story beautifully.

The majority of his work is oil paint, it’s densely atmospheric and has great texture to it. He has worked on many different story books including Lore and my favourite World War Robot.

Find out more about Ashley Woods work here:

Blog: ashleybambaland.blogspot.co.uk/

Instagram: @ashleywoodart

Go be inspired, and create!

the-strongbox:

Entry 003- Jon Klassen.

The next entry into the strongbox is Canadian writer and illustrator Jon Klassen. 

Klassen’s work is incredibly rich in texture and character. His use of shape and colour is masterful in telling wonderful stories. The stories and illustrations Klassen creates vary from incredibly elaborate, detailed scenes to simple (sometimes one frame) snapshots. 

I can’t stress enough how inspiring Klassen’s work is to me. For anyone wanting to tell stories through their art, please take a look through any of the books Jon has illustrated including: I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat, Pax, The Dark and House Held Up By Trees. They are truly a feast for the eyes, drawing you in with wonderful texture and blowing you away with endearing characters. 

Find out more about Jon’s work by following him on this here tumblr: jonklassen.tumblr.com/  or on that there twitter: @burstofbeaden

Go be inspired, and create!

the-strongbox:

Entry 001- Benjamin Bjorklund. 

 The first entry into The Strongbox is Swedish painter Benjamin Bjorklund.

Having only recently discovered Benjamin’s work, I’ve been completely blown away by it and thought it more than deserved the first spot in the blog.

Benjamin’s work is for the most part figurative and focuses on simple compositions to portray the emotion of his subjects. His use of colour and broad brush strokes in both oil and watercolour describe the light in his paintings beautifully. Anyone who can make a pig’s head look so elegant is a boss in my book.  

Some of my favourite pieces are the ones featuring Benjamin’s dog and muse, Solomon. These are wonderfully emotive and the use of shadow in a lot of them give the Great Dane king-like grace and elegance.  

You can check out Benjamin’s paintings of our future canine king and his other works via the links below.

Website: www.benjaminbjorklund.com

Instagram: benjaminbjorklund

Now go be inspired, and create!

the-strongbox:

Entry 002- John Singer Sargent.

The second entry into the blog is a very self indulgent one, as John Singer Sargent is one of my all time favourite artists. His work has inspired me for many many years, from his wonderful compositions to the way his brushwork leads the eye, Sargent is definitely one of the greats in my opinion. John Singer Sargent was an american painter born in 1856 and was considered to be the leading portrait painter of his generation. 

If there was just one thing to take away from Sargent’s work it would be economy of line and using the smallest amount of paint to tell the biggest story. A great example of this is one of my favourite paintings, ‘Lady Agnew of Lochnaw’ (6th image above) The number of patterns and textures described in the painting is extraordinary and yet the eye isn’t overwhelmed or distracted from Lady Agnew’s face. In fact we are lead to her face because this is where the greatest number of details can be found.

 Please go and seek out as much of his work as you can, you will not be dissapointed. 

His complete works can be found at: johnsingersargent.org

You can find out more information about the man and his work at both the Tate and National Portrait Museum websites.

Now go be inspired, and create!

Houdini warm-up sketch from yesterday #sketchbook #illustration #houdini #sketch

Octo close-up! #illustration #ink

Testing out some ink and dip pens! #beard #illustration #sketchbook #sheffield

Meet Alf the gnome! #storyidea #characterdesign #gnome #sketchbook #sheffield

Chit chat #sketch #illustration #sheffield #sketchbook