In contrast to my last post and the hijacking of map contours, here's another short selection of crosshatched works, mostly in pigment liner or dip pen. The first image is (still) unfinished from earlier this year and now sits in a corner in my studio.
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My hatched/crosshatched approach to topography utilises a different information set – usually roads or railway lines. Images are from 2016-2021.
5 days ago
It's so good to break out the brushes again! Lately my time in the studio has been dominated by lots of tight crosshatching so the rhythmic flow of hills and mountains has been a welcome interlude. This is a private commission in ink hijacking lines of elevation around Austin, Texas. For some reason I always imagined the whole of Texas to be super flat but boy was I wrong.
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For this map I used a @penteluk brush pen loaded with @drphmartins black star ink over a USGS quadrangle. With this sort of approach, individual line width is not important – tonal range depends on line width in relation to neighbouring line width. It's a trial-and-error process which involves lots of backing up, lots of squinting and the odd mistake here and there.
1 week ago
Ink drawings over distance charts of the UK and Switzerland, and one plat map of Deaf Smith County, Texas (2020-2021) – two completely different sets of information approached with the same technique. A very short throwback for today.
1 week ago
Throwback to this wall-sized map commissioned by Fenwick in 2017, later revealed to HM The Queen during a visit to Bracknell in 2018.
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The drawing was designed to fill a specific space in the new Fenwick store. The original was one of those pieces which filled my desk, although it wasn't the first time I'd worked on such a large scale – I produced my first wall-sized works way back in 2013 for Nike.
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My studio is reasonably spacious, but whenever I need extra desk space for those more ambitious projects I extend my workspace by attaching an additional table or two, usually with G-clamps around the legs. I use sturdy but inexpensive "Melltorp" tables from Ikea. They're perfect for my studio as they come in square or rectangular formats, so it's possible to arrange them in all sorts of ways – they're almost modular in that sense.
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A few years ago I made some modifications to one of the tables, adding an extra tabletop and fixing the inside edges on one side with a set of door hinges. The resulting setup was one large, functional drawing table which can be propped up at any angle. It's also possible to unscrew the hinges and remove the top tabletop, if I ever want to revert back to a simple flat table.
2 weeks ago
I noticed that I've not shared any contoured maps lately so here's a selection of wavy works on a Wednesday afternoon (that's awful alliteration, sorry)
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Hijacking lines of elevation is very much a manual process. Sometimes I use a brush, sometimes pen, sometimes both. It's loosely a form of op art, or optical art – this is most apparent as you shift your viewing distance closer or further from each piece.
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Images: Untitled IPA can (2021), Ashford (2019), Dover Straits (2019), Lünersee (2014), Bristol (2020), Denver Southbound (2015)
3 weeks ago
Details of Philadelphia (2021)
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I'm approaching the end of a busy period of commissioned work, and I'm looking forward to getting back to some of my own self initiated projects. I try to keep a regular balance between the two and plan my availability accordingly, however the last few months have presented several exciting opportunities out of nowhere – often the case with commissioned work – which I just couldn't turn down.
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Fellow artists – how do you balance your workloads when it comes to commissions vs. self initiated work? Do you have "slots" or planned openings? If so how do you deal with last minute opportunities which you absolutely don't want to turn down, for whatever reason? I work with lots of brands and commercial clients who usually have tighter deadlines than private clients, so I often just play it by ear.
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These are preview shots (plus a short process video) of Philadelphia, a private commission in ink which I worked on over the summer months. I approached this map with two techniques – crosshatching for delicate spots and middle tones, and the application of ink with a fine modelling brush for the darkest areas.
3 weeks ago
Selection of locations from around the UK.
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These were all crosshatched in ink except for the last image, which I created by following and altering the width of contour lines, also in ink.
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All of these works were produced using original maps from my collection – mostly folding pocket maps but there's a couple of atlas pages here too.
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Images: Aberdeen Harbour (2021), Norwich (2013), Swindon (2017), Chingford (2017), Richmond (2020), Denholme (2020)
3 weeks ago
Bordeaux prints are now live! Thank you to all of you who have expressed an early interest in these. There are 50 signed and numbered prints available through my Big Cartel store – see the link in my bio for details. Prints are archival quality on 230gsm matte Hahnemühle stock. Tracked international delivery is included in the price.
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Original is crosshatched in staedtler pigment liner over a map of Bordeaux, commissioned by Bordeaux-based architectural firm why.archi.
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Other prints in this post include Shropshire, Edgware and the Lake District National Park – all available through my Big Cartel store.
4 weeks ago
Details of Cambridge (2012) – a throwback to some very early map work crosshatched and painted in ink over a pocket plan of the city.
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I remember working on this in my old studio. The 'X' of the railway line intersecting the main road is what caught my attention – I loved the near-perfect symmetry. It offered a starting point and framework for the rest of the composition.
1 month ago
I'm releasing a limited number of Bordeaux prints this Friday (29th) at 5pm UK time – that's 6pm Central European time, 12pm Eastern Time. These timed releases have been popular in the past – it seems a lot of you appreciate the chance to acquire an early edition number which I totally understand!
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There will be a total of 50 signed and numbered prints available through my Big Cartel store – see the link in my bio for details on size and price. Prints are archival quality on 230gsm matte Hahnemühle stock. Tracked international delivery is included in the price.
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Original is crosshatched in pigment liner over a map of Bordeaux, commissioned by Bordeaux-based architectural firm @why.archi
1 month ago
This time last year I had just started an ongoing series which I've been adding to ever since.
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These trench map miniatures are so satisfying to work on – not just the actual drawing, but every stage of the process. Perhaps it's the scale I enjoy the most. A small square composition is always a welcome break from the larger maps that seem to take up half the time and space in my studio.
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These drawings are crosshatched in ink (usually @copic_official or @staedtler pigment liners), with finer details etched using a surgical scalpel. The works are then cropped and mounted over birch plywood, before a light treatment of @liquitexofficial matte varnish is applied.
1 month ago
Portrait of Charles Dickens, a private commission crosshatched in ink over an original AA road atlas of the UK (specifically a double spread of central London)
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My ink selection is rather special – as well as using a standard @staedtler pigment liner, I've also applied an all-natural 'knopper oak gall' ink over the darkest areas. The ink is made by @londonpigment using (highly) traditional methods and British ingredients. As much as I feel I shouldn't say this, it smells delicious – like a worcestershire sauce with herbal overtones (think Lea & Perrins plus peppermint)
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Like so many of the old maps and atlases in my collection, this atlas contains a little surprise – a small handwritten note from a previous owner, more specifically, a (somewhat unusual looking) rough map of Poole Harbour.
1 month ago
I've been particularly busy behind the scenes lately – nothing new to share just yet so for now here's a throwback to Keswick, UK (2013) – some of my earliest work with topography. These are some close up shots of a larger figurative drawing, which sold at an exhibition in Denver (also 2013). Feels like such a long time ago.
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I drew this using a set of @fabercastellglobal isographic pens, which I still pick up occasionally but nowhere near as much as I used to. They're fantastic for "off road" drawing, by which I mean any drawing over rough or grubby surfaces (often the case with old maps) – they can also take my usual @drphmartins black star ink without clogging, which is a bonus.
1 month ago
'Shropshire Hills' (1/6) – a portrait of my partner, Viola. One of three OS miniatures created between 2019 and 2020.
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'East Woodburn' (4/6) is also part of the series, and was featured in a recent interview with @white_paper_by – link to the full interview is in my bio. Note that the interview has been translated from English into Spanish (and back to English again for these screenshots)
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All works here were drawn using @staedtler pigment liners over various contoured maps.
2 months ago
San Francisco has such incredible geography. This is a map of the city commissioned a few years ago by @rmhc (Ronald McDonald House Charities) – the work was later featured in xyHt magazine, a publication for geospatial professionals.
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The original drawing was crosshatched over an enlarged atlas map, with additional paper cutting by Bobbie Jo.
2 months ago
Edgware (2018) – portrait crosshatched in ink over an original vintage map of Edgware, London. This is very different to what I posted yesterday, and highlights just how varied maps can be.
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"Edgware utilises the road layout of the map, with the aim of preserving the shape of the network of roads and streets, by working in the spaces between. The idea is to compliment the general composition created by the network"
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Excerpt from a short interview with mappery.org, a collection of maps in the wild. Special thanks to Steven Feldman for the feature.
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Edgware was drawn using my usual @drphmartins black star ink, paired with an antique telephone nib. I have hundreds of antique pens and nibs in my tool collection, dating from as far back as the mid-1800's. Telephone nibs were called telephone nibs because of their flexibility, smooth touch and ink retention, making them ideal for jotting notes during a phone call – this was long before the days of readily available ballpoint pens. If you enjoy hunting for antiques and learning about old implements, it's possible to find these sorts of nibs either individually, or sold in their original gross boxes (1 gross is 144, or 1 square dozen)
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Edgware sold a while back but a limited number of prints are still available – see the shop link in my bio for print listings.
2 months ago
Fountains Earth (2019) – map contours hijacked using @drphmartins black star ink paired with a fine brush. The base map is an original 1:25,000 scale OS map – one of many from my collection.
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"Fountains Earth is a prime example of the technique I've coined 'topopointillism' – a direct combination of topography and pointillism. Like any kind of pointillism, perception of the subject will change depending on how closely the work is viewed. At close range, the viewer is unlikely to see a portrait, but will see the map details – when viewed from a distance, it's the other way around. Lines of elevation are used as the pattern base, or vehicle for the subject. Line widths and proximity to one another are altered to create a tonal range."
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Excerpt from a short interview with mappery.org, a collection of maps in the wild. Special thanks to Steven Feldman for the feature.
2 months ago
Selection of crosshatched works.
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Crosshatching is my favourite and most commonly used technique – I just love creating a tonal range with a positive/negative media. Lines either exist, or they don't – there is no in between. There's a huge satisfaction that comes with forming the illusion of breaking that basic restriction.
2 months ago
Throwback to a selection of stamp related works. I should probably explain a few of these images!
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Back in 2011 I created a series of puzzles for the postal service here in the UK – at the time I was an art student using the mail system as a creative medium. My favourite mailed item was a Rubik's Cube, which had to be solved in order to reveal a delivery address. Each face of the cube contained a different part of the address. I jumbled the cube, placed it in a clear plastic bag labelled "solve me" and dropped it into a postbox. To my surprise the recipient received it a couple of days later, with a knock at the door. The postal service didn't solve the cube completely, but they did narrow down the address to two possibilities, the recipient's address being one of them. When it was delivered, the bag was covered in trial and error – possible postcodes noted and crossed out, new postcodes written underneath, and eventually a road name and possible house numbers.
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Looking through this old project brings back a lot of memories. As a student I also mailed other puzzles including a drawing of a recipient's address instead of a written address, and a dot-to-dot puzzle, with the recipient's address hidden within the dots.
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I also mailed illustrated envelopes (just drawings, paintings and collage, nothing to solve), and to satisfy my curiosity, a plethora of unusual 'naked' objects including a potato, a single cigarette, a slice of toast, a CD (remember those?) – it was always fun to see what made it through to the other end.
2 months ago
Shades of blue. High scale miniature maps of Denver, Colorado (both 2020, both sold)
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These are small 5" x 5" drawings over original USGS topo maps, matte varnished and mounted on plywood. The frames are wrapped by my partner Viola. She designs and adjusts each net, using the same map as the central artwork – so the frames essentially extend the landscape within.
2 months ago
Selection of contoured maps from 2017 – a year of (mostly) intense colour.
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The first image (an original NASA orthophotomap of the Moon) is painted in my usual @drphmartins black star ink. All other images are painted in various hues of liquid acrylic. It has the perfect consistency for following lines of elevation with a brush, and is also highly convenient – it's an intermixable, waterproof, lightfast paint which behaves more like an ink.
2 months ago
Details of Bordeaux, France, crosshatched in @staedtler pigment liner. Commissioned by Bordeaux-based architectural firm @why.archi
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I'll be offering a limited number of prints soon – keep an eye out for updates!
3 months ago
Throwback to Deutschland featured in German national newspaper Die Zeit, June 2016.
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Scroll for details of the original image, drawn in pigment liner over a pocket road map in October 2012.
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Deutschland was the first map I ever worked with, purchased by chance from a charity shop for just 20p. I often think of it as the best investment I ever made. All of the maps I work with now, every drawing, every commission, every exhibition and every day in the studio all stem from that impulsive buy.
3 months ago
Details of a private commission in ink over San Luis Obispo, California.
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For this sort of map I use a @staedtler pigment liner on the finer details, and a very particular (hard to find) Pilot pen for broader areas. It's a needlepoint rollerball pen with a pigment based ink. Because they're so hard to come by I usually purchase them by the boxload whenever I see stock anywhere.
3 months ago
This one follows you around the room.
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Blush Trench (2020), a favourite from my ongoing trench miniatures series. She was sold as part of a trio – Blush Trench, Blunt Trench, Bolt Trench. It's nice to know they're all still together somewhere.
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I'm excited to work on more of these later in the year. At the moment I'm particularly busy with commissions and other gallery commitments, but I've got some time pencilled in for some smaller work before the holiday season starts. I'll also be releasing the next installment of my Collier's US cities series soon, so keep an eye out for updates! Just out of interest, which US cities would you like to see added to the collection?
3 months ago