Little Mule

Little mule likes to paint ^^
This was a cute (perhaps over cute) attempt at a more stylized childrens cartoon. Simplifying animals is great fun to do, anyway, and seeing as I draw a lot of more grotesque art, its nice to keep the sweet side fresh.

Christmas Pictures!

One of these is a doodle I expanded on showing Awa the troll (hasnt he changed? :)) I was inspired during a great lecture and drew him. Never been in a lecture theatre like that, it was with individual desks, like I imagined they would be! Huge!
The horse one was an Equine Secret Santa gift on Deviant Art. I was really pleased with it - they look shiny and plump in the snow ^^

Wrath

A gift for Jessie :) I've been trying to do more tattoo based designs in the hope of making some money, seems to be working as I know a studio willing to take some designs on!

Guardian Angel commission

Another one of my 'crippled angels' as they have come to be known, though this one is less grotesque then normal. It was a commissioned piece so was a little bit toned down: this angel is protecting his human fiercely. It made me want to paint another concept; an angel fallen from grace because she fell in love with Eve (i.e. human sin and human ideals).

The sketch is of a troll - I've improved on trolls quite markedly! :D

Angel Studies

Further angel study for painting.

Crippled by the weight of human cruelty, this angel is blind and deaf. It's mind is simple, and it cannot comprehend the ways of man - yet like a child the angel continues regardless, immortal and loyal to a God it never sees, in pursuit of the elusive beauty of the world.

A more grotesque angel is more beautiful, don't you think? :) I really enjoy drawing angels because there are so many metaphors involved in them; they are different to everyone. I think I've improved by drawing them too ^^ Hopefully I will put this image into some sort of desktop background, when I have time. They refer to one of my short stories, 'Canary Factory'.

Kelp Dweller

A few concepts for a merman. This is a kelp dwelling merperson, far more shy then his rock bathing cousins. He hides in the ocean bed and remains camouflaged; I painted him with watercolour and neatened him on photoshop. You can see the process too - I keep records so that I can pinpoint mistakes later. You can see the change in his head pose and arm/torso pose. I think he turned out well!

Three Flying Donkeys

Happy Pictures over summer :)

Purge

Yay! My pitch, 'Purge' got through voting and will soon be into pre-production! Here are some initial designs. A new blog specifically for Purge will soon follow :)

Character Sketches

A bundle of character sketches, boys and girls.

Sweet Dreams

I always draw cute things when I am unsure what else to draw. So it is that Jimmy came to be; the little donkey/unicorn mishap who springs as a triumphant creature through the fields of the imagination. He dreams of being great and strong, and for those who aspire, it can be reached; allow yourself, for but a moment, to relinquish fear and doubt, and believe: it can arrive.

Archangel 2

Painted!

Kisses!

I don't normally do fanart, but I came across a sweet story on DA about a surfer who finds a mermaid on the beach and takes it home. The story isn't mine, it belongs to a user called Gaarasteddybear123 - it made me smile though. ^^

Morgan: The Grimstone Legacy

Yay a new wacom tablet! After messing around I made a concept for the cover of my first book. :)

Electric Animal Circus

Recently I worked as a concept artist for the theatrical project, Electric Animal Circus with Patrick Gleeson. It was great fun and the brief was to design a group of performing animals constructed from metal and junk - sort of a menagerie of steam punk, cyber punk and general circus whimsy. Here are some of the beasts as they turned out, along with a few sideshow performers. Hopefully in a little while the EAC will make it to a show near you :)

Archangel

After going to the Royal Academy I was inspired! As museums often inspire me, it left me drawing on the train all the way home. I only have an HB with me but it was great fun - one of the sketches I drew was another angel, a bestial one, kind of more animal than man as my angel's often are, a sort of half way point between holy beings and humanity. He's one of the angels in my story Canary Factory, and can't speak, following doggedly to complete his mission like a loyal pet.

Apathy

Red Heads

An old painting, I did this a few years ago but it still makes me smile ^^

Wishbone

Again, playing with paint. I started this picture as a digital one, but as it turned out, my graphics tablet isn't feeling so well. So I redrew it as a painting and then hopefully will come back to the speed paint version on photoshop.

It represents a lot of things, I love to draw angels not as beings of protection or holy ascent, but rather, like beasts: like a werewolf, perhaps. After all human beings are supposed to be too intelligent for their own good, and therefore corrupt - i imagine an angel to be more pure like a beast, or a child, and perhaps they suffer for it. Here, the angel's heart is literally stolen, his body ripped open by a demon/human action. It also started as a ref to one of my stories 'Canary Factory' which focuses on man's destruction and corruption and how it affects otherworlds. But I will come to that after I have finished the Morgan trilogy. :)

Pitch Work

Working lots on my pitch! I want to bulk it out as the best I can. I have to come up with a preferably two minute film, and present it up for vote. With any luck people will vote for me, and I will be able to direct next year: though the merits of being an animator for another film are also very beneficial. I shall just have to do my best and see what kind of films the majority want to see.

Here are a few preliminary sketches, though they will be more refined when I have finished the new ones. For a rough taster, its about a dog named Precious, who can see that which man cannot: this includes disease and death. However she can also see Death's true intentions - to help, not to harm the sick. She's a funny looking this, and I am hoping for something really stylized and quirky.

The Tree of Temptation

After meeting one of my favourite Artists at a local fair, Ed Org, I couldn't wait to start painting again - I love his traditional work but couldn't get my hands on paint whilst I was at home..but now I can! It's been ages since I have done traditional painting, but I love it. So I decided to something feminine like Ed Org does - and tried to depict the biblical story of Adam and Eve, as Adam is tempted by the serpent. While I don't believe poor Eve was to blame in this story, I like the idea of her and the serpent being one.

Got to keep working on anatomy in this one, I did guess a little, but it gave me a chance to think more about the arms which sometimes can be tricky.

Love is Free

Inspired by the legend of Cupid and Psyche, this is Cupid letting the butterflies free from their cage with his keys to the heart, the hearts being the locks on the cage. The butterfly of course, represents innocence and purity, and was the traditional form of Psyche.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out as i was going for a cartoon, still frame type approach. The background was fairly simple because I turned this into my Deviant ID picture, so needed room for text.

My next picture is going to be much darker though, much more speed painted. Hopefully that will give a completely different feel.

Mega Poster!

I finally finished a remake of my mega poster! Its so huge but i was so happy to do it, and see how much ive learnt over the last two years at university in anatomy and color. It holds most of the characters from my book series, and hopefully the second book will be done soon ^^

Back from China!

Wow, a long and difficult, but beneficial trip to China! I had the great fortune of working in an animation studio as an intern for a month, the Glory n Dream studio, and was asked to work as a concept artist for an anime, called Anima Warrior. It reminded me of my days watching and loving Beyblade, Digimon and so forth - the really 'kid friendly' animes. I learnt a lot about photoshop and following strict deadlines, and working on graphics tablets. Made me want a new one!

There isnt a lot I can upload from the anime on here, especially since it is the earliest parts of pre-production, and it would be very unprofessional of me to upload it. Maybe in time it will come up on tv and then I can? :) Its been commisioned for 48 episodes in China as it is, so we shall have to see.

Here are some designs from my zoo trip, and I've been doing more to improve my work, following artist studies and character concepts, as well as some sketches in China. hooray ^^

Alex Tomlin's Showreel

A short showreel of work in progress and work created throughout the first and second year of Animation at University.

Character Design revisited

This is Kobe revisited, from 'Red Locust'. His new turn around isn't done yet, but I drew him again a little younger this time. He definitely suits having a more aqua skin tone, the green just didn't work for him. Maybe he'll smile in the turn around...

Life Drawing and Character design: revisited

Remember Enda? Here is his full character sheet, with expressions, etc. I used it when I submitted my portfolio to China and was successful in gaining a month of work experience there, working on 'Return to the Sea'.

Recent Art