San Luis Obispo
2021
Ink drawing over a map of San Luis Obispo, California.
Original sold.
Prints are available from my new studio store.
Just want to say a huge thanks to all of you ordering prints of Dublin!
Two different sizes went live in my studio store yesterday, and pictured here is the smaller size. As always my prints are limited in number and they often sell out, so it's worth having a look if you're interested. See the top of my profile for details.
We also added prints of Gulf Stream Currents of the West Atlantic, which I'll show in a separate post. Not a very catchy title, I know - and usually my works are easy to name - but it's a unique geodetic survey map covering the east coasts of Canada, the US, all the way down through Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean - so very difficult to name in short!
Thank you again, hope you're all having an excellent week 💙
22 hours ago
Dublin prints go live this week 🗺️✨
Sign up to my newsletter if you want to be notified! Earliest orders receive the earliest edition numbers.
4 days ago
TOMORROW I'll be offering my newsletter subscribers a short tour of my map collection 🗺️✨ I also have a date for the Dublin prints! It's not long now. All info will be in your inbox tomorrow. If you're not on my mailing list and would like to be, check the top of my profile for details
1 week ago
Contemporary Figuration opens today! It's a group exhibition at @abendgallery bringing together fifteen artists working across the full range of figurative art. There's some incredible work on show and I'm delighted to be in such good company.
My second artwork featuring Buffalo will be part of the lineup, and it's the only original artwork I have available right now so if you're in the Denver area and would like to view my work in person this is a rare chance to do so.
All enquiries to @abendgallery
1 month ago
A small drawing in ink over an old map of Beckenham and Bromley, London
2 months ago
A closer look at some of my drawings.
Last week I fell off a paddle board over shallow water. Fortunately I draw with my right hand, not my left, so the inability to bend my fingers is more of an inconvenience than a problem. Hoping to regain full finger function soon.
Back in the studio today 😁👍
2 months ago
For the last 14 years and counting I've been transforming my collection of old paper maps, line by line. These are a few of my favourites 🗺️✍️
2 months ago
I've seen lots of new followers here lately so just wanted to say welcome and of course thank you for joining me on this journey, no pun intended (is that a pun? maybe it's not a pun)
Anyway I also wanted to add a quick final reminder that you have until MIDNIGHT TONIGHT to sign up for my newsletter, if you want to be included in the draw to win a special hand-embellished print of Oxford. See my previous posts or top of my profile for details
2 months ago
I hope you find this crosshatching compilation calming, perhaps even a little mesmerising.
Just a quick reminder that I'll be giving away a special hand-embellished print of Oxford (shown here in this video) in just a few days from now! The winner will be selected at random from my mailing list.
If you'd like to enter the draw you just need to sign up to my studio newsletter; take a look at the top of my profile for details. It's free to join, it only takes a minute, and I only send the occasional update so your inbox won't be bombarded. If you already receive my newsletter, you don't need to do anything, you've already entered!
I run a prize draw every so often and I love notifying the winners. Admittedly it's sometimes difficult to send a "you've won" email out of the blue, it comes across as unbelievable, but really... there's always a winner 😁
3 months ago
Dublin / Baile Átha Cliath 🇮🇪
Fountain pen and pigment liner on paper map, 28" X 28" approx.
3 months ago
I'm giving away a one-of-a-kind print of Oxford! The original map is without a compass, so I've taken a proof print and added one in ink in the upper right corner (shown at the end of this video)
If you'd like a chance to win this special hand-embellished print, you simply need to sign up to my newsletter - which of course is free - using the link at the top of my profile. If you're already on my mailing list, you don't need to do anything, you're already in the draw.
I'll be selecting a winner at random shortly after July 13th, when the draw closes. Thanks and good luck!
3 months ago
Zero7, the music I chose to accompany this reel... I used to listen to their music on the train home from college. Norwich to Diss, a 20 minute journey. It was such a relaxing 20 minutes and the day was always so long that I'd often fall asleep. Somehow I never missed my stop.
3 months ago
One of my most popular artworks according to the internet: a portrait drawn over an old map of Paris (ink on paper map, private commission, 2022)
Busy with commissions at the moment, wrapping up one or two things and wondering why it's basically winter in June
4 months ago
Around this time last year I spotted my portrait of Adrian Scarborough, commissioned by UKTV for U&Drama, on the TV in my living room.
Sitting down with a coffee and seeing my work by chance almost gave me a jumpscare, although I can't quite explain why. Of course I knew the portrait was being used as key art for the series; it was the whole point of the commission, and the exact usage had been discussed before any work had started - it was all in the brief - but there's just something about seeing anything I've made in the wild that gives a split-second feeling of "what's that doing there" followed by "hey, that's cool."
I'll be curious to know if other creatives ever have the same reaction?
4 months ago
Crosshatching between the streets of Rome (2024)
If you've ever wondered why I press my index finger close to where I'm hatching, it's to stop the paper lifting up and down like a trampoline. If I were to draw on a brand new sheet of paper fresh from a pad, I probably wouldn't need to do this, but working with old maps means that the surfaces are rarely perfectly smooth and flat. No two paper types are ever the same, which is both a joy and a challenge.
4 months ago
Locations up and down the Thames, from Oxford to London ✍️
Apologies for the radio silence lately, I've been busy with commissions but I've also had a few things going on outside of the studio. Regular posting and new work will resume soon.
I hope you're all enjoying the weekend. If you're in the UK, remember that tomorrow is Sunday 2.0, and the weather's nice too 😎
4 months ago
Do you have a ritual when you start a new piece?
"I usually warm into a new drawing by working into less critical areas, or parts of the portrait which I know will be heavily toned at the end. It allows me to move my hand and get a feel for each particular map.
A relaxed, focused state of mind is important - and while I've found that the work itself feeds into that frame of mind, I often need something to set the tone at the very start, like a spark plug starting an engine or tinder lighting a campfire.
I've found listening to professional snooker matches puts me in an excellent headspace. I'm a huge fan of snooker; it's the only sport I enjoy watching. While I can't exactly watch it while working, I find the sound of the commentary to be calming, along with the cracking and potting of the balls, punctuated by a silence thick with the intense focus of each player"
A very warm thanks to everyone at @beautifulbizarremagazine for this in-depth interview, found in last month's issue 52
5 months ago
Inking the contours around the craters of the Moon (Chaplygin Crater, 2017)
This is a bit different to the crosshatching you usually see here, but still follows the same concept of turning maps into portraits.
I follow every contour line, changing the weight of each line to create a tonal range: thick, dense lines for shadows, light lines for highlights. See the last slide for a brief demo. I've not used this technique for a while, but with nothing new to share just yet I thought I'd post a little throwback.
This particular map is - quite literally - out of this world. It's an original NASA orthophotomap which I acquired from a map dealer some time around 2014, maybe 2015.
I sometimes use a brush for this technique, and every time I wonder, when does a drawing become a painting?
6 months ago
I visited my local gallery after lunch today, and was reminded of just how special it is to be able to see every detail of every painting up close, in the flesh.
These are close-ups of some of my favourite works from recent years (pinch + zoom for an even closer look)
There are plenty of imperfections... places where my pen has run a millimetre too far, or where I've used a scalpel to lighten an over-toned shadow. Imperfections can feel like major errors at the time, but in the end they're all just a part of the bigger picture.
7 months ago
From Plymouth to Edinburgh... crosshatching compilation, UK edition 🇬🇧
All ink drawings over old paper maps. Some of these are available as limited prints, although others are not as they've sold out! Whether you purchased a print yesterday or last year, I'll always be grateful. Thank you.
I've noticed lots of new followers here lately - and I think a lot of you are from the UK - welcome!
As always if you have any questions about my process, feel free to drop a comment below.
Have an excellent week 💙
7 months ago