Based on Imtiaz Dharker’s love poem, ‘The Trick’.

Concept art for my future comic, ‘The Seal’s Gate’.

Genre: Mystery/Supernatural/Mythological

Age Range: Teen/Young Adult

Synopsis:

Twenty-one-year-old Marly moves to the island of Sealygate to start a new job in a heritage and folklore museum. She is in for more than she bargained for, however, when a mysterious neighbour shows an interest in some of the artefacts on display. After the neighbour explains some long-forgotten myths regarding some of the objects in the museum, Marly must decide whether to betray the trust of her new co-workers in order to find out more about the nature of the island’s history.

Will mythology unravel into the lives of the islanders as past and present crash together?

Based on the Aikey Brae recumbent stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The trees have now been cut down but, when there, they created an interesting shelter around one half of the circle. In the shining sun, the stones reflect the light and appear bright white. This created a striking effect against the trees - strongly contrasting against their dark background.

In this painting, I wanted to convey the beacon-like presence of the stones, cloaked in their woodland veil.

Available to purchase in my online shop.

Based on the recumbent stone circle at Midmar church, Aberdeenshire Scotland. Before the circle was incorporated into the churchyard, it was surrounded by trees - I wanted to convey this more naturalistic setting in my artwork, so used the inspiration of James Ritchie’s 1902 photograph of the site as a source for the woodland.

Available to buy in my online shop.

‘Pictish Aberdeenshire’ is an illustrated guide book of the ancient symbol stones of the North East of Scotland. The Picts were the earliest-known inhabitants of Scotland, but since they have no surviving written records, there is very little information left about them today. However there are many symbol-stones and stone circles scattered all over the country that do survive, which allows us a tiny glimpse into their world.

This project is a twelve-page concertina book with illustrations of a selection of eight stones from the region, a map, and information regarding the stones and where to find them.

Available to buy in my online shop.

Based on Emily Dickinson’s love poem, ‘Wild Nights!’.

Promotional illustration for the BBC TV series, ‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013-present).

I wanted to make artwork showing the formidable gangster, Tommy Shelby’s intense love, longing, and vulnerability when it comes to his tragic love for his wife, Grace

Based on the love poem, ‘The Good Morrow’ by John Donne.

“…My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest…”

(extract from ‘The Good Morrow’).

Character profiles for my future comic, ‘The Seal’s Gate’.

Marly

Age: 21.

Marly is the main character, and the story follows her as she starts her new life on Sealygate Island to work at a historical museum. She is friendly, but quite naïve and trusting, seeing the best in people – sometimes too much for her own good. She loves to learn about history and tradition, which is why she feels this will be the perfect job for her. She is wearing her work uniform. Her duties include landscaping/gardening, tending to the site, tourist advisor etc. She likes to draw in her spare time.

Edmond

Age: 23

Edmond works at the historical museum with his grandfather, Hector. His family have worked at this site for generations and he works there because he feels a sense of duty. He isn’t too keen on his job, however, and finds the island dull and boring. He can be sarcastic and slightly pessimistic, but is good-natured at heart.

Hector

Age: Around 73

Hector works at the historical museum with his grandson, Edmond. Unlike Edmond, Hector loves working at the museum and is passionate about conserving historic artefacts for the future. He believes that the museum is an integral part of the community. He is jolly and light-hearted.

Dana

Age: Unknown

This character will appear later in the comic. She is a ‘Selkie’, or ‘seal-person’ that eventually gets summoned from ‘The Otherworld’ to Sealygate Island by Hanson and Marly.

Stay there, stay there,

Let the moonlight bathe you.

Reflect the night’s cool waters

Upon your glistening eyes.

Designs for a book cover and interior illustrations for Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle.

Illustration based on William Boyd’s novel, ‘Sweet Caress: The Many Lives of Amory Clay’.

The book follows the account of fictional documentary photographer, Amory Clay. From time spent in Berlin nightclubs in the 1920s to her later years living on a Hebridean island, the various twists and turns of Amory’s career and love life are described in both flashback and diary-entry styles.

Poster for the 1968 Pier Paolo Pasolini film, ‘Teorema’ (‘Theorem’), starring Terence Stamp.

Comic describing my visit to the ‘Aikey Brae’ recumbent stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Available to buy in my online shop.

Illustrating Shakespeare’s Macbeth: After Macbeth tells his wife of the claims of the Three Witches, Lady Macbeth tries to convince her husband to murder King Duncan so that he can be King in his place.

‘Little Brother, Little Sister’ is an illustrated concertina book based on the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. It is a ten-page booklet and features four full-colour illustrations and four black-and-white line illustrations to accompany the text.

Available to buy in my online shop.

The Shakespeare Collection is an ongoing project in which I will be illustrating various works of William Shakespeare. So far there are two works: ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Macbeth’, and both are available to purchase as prints in my online shop.

Based on the Loanhead of Daviot recumbent stone circle in the North East of Scotland.

Available to buy in my online shop.

Illustration for J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan.