ALICE DRAWS

Suit of Armour

2012-01-30T13:20:00.000Z

From a while back. No purpose at all.

Head Worms again

2011-11-10T11:21:00.000Z

Coloured this drawing - doing this sort of thing makes me feel as though I'm phoning it in a bit. Maybe sometimes it's necessary to not challenge oneself.

digital life drawings

2011-11-07T11:18:00.001Z

Thank you to everyone who came down last night, I enjoyed myself immensely! Here are some of my drawings. It took me a while to get into a good rhythm (first third was pretty much a write off as I got used to drawing in public..). Thanks also to the life model, who was excellent as usual!

Life Drawing

2011-11-05T14:33:00.001Z

Here's a thing I'm doing tomorrow evening, that is simultaneously exciting and terrifying! A little while ago I was asked to come up with a theme for a life drawing session, with the possibility of also doing a workshop. I wasn't really sure about the workshop part, so instead I suggested that I just make some work during a life drawing session and project the process on to a wall. The poses will have a roughly illustrative focus, with some props and accompanied by text.

It's upstairs at Leaf Tea Shop, on Bold Street (in Liverpool) and it's probably going to be pretty fun. Basic drawing materials will be provided, and it's usually a very relaxed and informal session with all skill levels in attendance! For more info on the group, see http://lifedrawingliverpool.tumblr.com/

BUG 5

2011-10-28T22:16:00.001+01:00

The Iliad

2011-10-26T16:21:00.000+01:00

I mentioned Kubla Khan a while ago, but since I'm digging around in files from the summer I wanted to also share some panels from the snippet of the Iliad that I adapted. I found it a great struggle to get to grips with the story, despite a great love of the source material, and so spent an embarrassing amount of time procrastinating with different styles of working instead of actually writing the thing. Above is one such experiment in style. I think it looks great, but found it too time consuming and complex to do the whole thing like that. Below is how the first page of the final thing looks, a misty semi-monochrome. This is some work that I'm only half happy with, it was a pure slog to finish and really pushed me to the limit of what I can do in a limited amount of time. But it was a great learning experience - I just hope that I get the chance in the future to put some of those lessons in practice!

Aliens

2011-10-26T13:50:00.000+01:00

Here's some work from earlier in the year - ALIEN PORTRAITS (and one human, in ineffectual disguise). For Kerberos Productions. I think these are a little bigger than will be in game (if used - always difficult to tell what will actually make the cut). I became interested in illustration in general because of evocative portrait and background work in games back in the late 90s, so I think it's great that smaller companies and online developers still put it into the finished product, rather than just having behind the scenes concept art. These were loosely based on pre-existing drawings from a previous game that needed updating.

Head Worms

2011-09-23T17:15:00.000+01:00

Your guess is as good as mine.

Couple of editorial illustrations

2011-09-21T12:45:00.000+01:00

Here are two illustrations for Swiss business magazine Bilan. Fairly unsavoury subject matter (claiming prostitutes as non-taxable business expenses. Don't know what the slant of the article was, but the AD was very keen the illustrations featured sexy ladies!) but hey. I have to eat. They're not the most dynamic illustrations I've ever done, but as they were completed in around 20 hours of work, I'm pleased with how they turned out. Also, I think they are probably my first bit of editorial work! Milestone!

Kubla Khan

2011-09-21T12:12:00.000+01:00

Here's the first page of an illustrated version of Coleridge's weird little poem about Kubla(i) Khan. I completed this when feverish and ill (probably self inflicted thanks to colliding deadlines) so it looks a little crazy to my healthy eyes (what sane person would pick THAT green? What's up with the trees? Why is the wailing woman so small? etc). It's going to be in the first (or maybe second? unsure) volume of The Graphic Canon, along with my attempt at adapting book 3 of the Iliad!

DWELLINGS

2011-09-15T12:39:00.001+01:00

Here's a recently completed project - the wrap-around cover for the band Cormorant's next release. It was an epic undertaking, the band were very clear that they wanted a medieval style tower packed with illustrative interpretations of the songs on the record. With a snake. And a war. And creepy angels. And a flying machine. And a screaming mob. And... you get the idea. There were times I thought it was impossible. I think I'm most pleased with the text treatment of the title - those calligraphy classes in college finally paid off! Looking forward to seeing how it looks on a CD!

If you want to know more about the band, or the release, the official page is here.

Life drawings

2011-09-05T16:42:00.001+01:00

sacrifice

2011-08-14T10:04:00.001+01:00

Soot

2011-08-08T10:00:00.001+01:00

Stalling to avoid doing actual work.

Coat of Dust

2011-08-06T21:32:00.003+01:00

Here's a speedy painting from today: I think I'm secretly looking forward to winter.

NELSON

2011-08-04T15:14:00.003+01:00

Here's a drawing of a special lady: Nelson!

that dulcimer again

2011-07-15T19:13:00.003+01:00

The hammered dulcimer: not interesting but very difficult to draw.

This illustration has been frustrating me for weeks - conflicting descriptions in the source text, my own refusal to commit to a particular style for the project, accidentally locking myself in to the dull colours I sketched it in etc etc. I declare the frustration over! It's fine as it is.

trojans

2011-07-05T11:40:00.002+01:00

Man, I hate this guy!

I am flailing around, trying to find a less time consuming process for a project - it's quicker but I can't seem to resist the temptation to fill the canvas.

dulcimer 2

2011-06-28T23:26:00.001+01:00

That other drawing wasn't working.

pleasure dome

2011-06-23T20:02:00.001+01:00

River Alph

2011-06-23T12:35:00.001+01:00

double left

2011-06-22T17:03:00.004+01:00

This drawing started off as two left hands, something I didn't notice for over three days.

Dulcimer

2011-06-22T16:46:00.002+01:00

Lovecraft Anthology - Dagon

2011-06-12T14:12:00.008+01:00

Last year I was invited to illustrate a short story for Self Made Hero's Lovecraft Anthology volume 1. Obviously I leapt at the chance. The book is available now! It's pretty good.

WAR

2011-06-07T18:18:00.003+01:00

some things

2011-05-09T13:29:00.003+01:00

I wanted to mention that I have an Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/aliceduke) in which I am listing old work, proof prints, sketches, under drawings - basically a bunch of stuff that would otherwise be sitting in a drawer slowly decaying. There will be some things you've seen, some things you maybe haven't.

In other news, the Gorilla Artfare artbook is now available and it's all killer no filler. I saw all the proof pages and there is nothing rubbish in the whole thing. It's page after page of quality art and illustration. If you want a copy, you can buy it from the CFSL shop!

Mystery Solving Pre-Teens

2011-05-05T23:15:00.003+01:00

I felt the unusual inclination to do some fanart - Mildred, Shauna and Lottie from Bad Machinery
I've been reading Scary-Go-Round for a good 7 years now, it was my gateway drug into the wider world of comics on the internet.

It was very important that I draw Mildred wearing what seems to be her favourite shirt.

BUG 4

2011-04-27T15:19:00.000+01:00

This one makes even less sense.

BUG 3

2011-04-25T23:20:00.001+01:00

BUG 2

2011-04-22T09:53:00.004+01:00

Totally inspired by the terrifying monsters in Windwaker.

BUG

2011-04-20T22:48:00.000+01:00

Tedious day / fun evening drawing. Want to do more.

2011-04-18T16:04:00.003+01:00

I've been dying to participate in the artorder challenges for a while now, I love the 'challenge' of a casual brief. The ultimate fighter challenge was too fun to pass up, here's my (not very ultimate) entry.

2011-04-10T10:58:00.003+01:00

I spend a lot of time thinking about lettering, but not a whole lot of time actually doing some. I took advantage of my website host disappearing from the internet by using the downtime to redesign my website. I think this'll be the header.

2011-04-01T22:17:00.002+01:00

I find that the upside to spending 48 hours recovering from computer failure is sorting through old files and deleting the rubbish that is.. well, rubbish, and airing out old work that seems alright with distance. This is a rejected (can't recall if I rejected it, or the art director did) drawing for an illustration that actually turned out pretty badly. I am unsure what is going on...

pig face process

2011-03-22T19:55:00.007Z

By sort of request:

This is the original scan, it was done in one of those moleskines with the thin paper (I can't bring myself to buy the ones with the thick paper - not enough pages) hence all the visible writing. The contrast has been pumped up, and on an overlay layer I scribbled in some colours. It's always red, muddy yellow and green. Always. It's like the bottom half of the spectrum doesn't exist.

On a multiply layer I've blocked in some brown, trying to work out what the hell I was trying to describe with those pencils.

New layer, no special properties. I just picked out a few highlights, trying to visualise some form and detail. I made a bit of an attempt at surface texture.

I always knew the background would have to go, so on a new layer (just in case I went over something I'd want to restore later) I blocked in some white. There's some more rendering, some decisions being made on what the hell those ears are doing and general noodling. This stage took a lot longer than I wanted so I set it aside for a few months.
This is an image at 100% pixel size. I'm in the habit of making work for print (just in case!) so there's a lot of room for detail. My general method is to just move around the image, filling it out. Most of the colours are there already so my finger is just hovering over alt to colour pick with each stroke. The aim is to make sense of all the chaos introduced by the previous steps - edges are blurred or sharpened, rough textures are smoothed out and shapes are refined. After a few hours of nit-picking and noodling, it's done. More process posts can be found here (they all say pretty much the same thing...).

pig face

2011-03-22T19:11:00.003Z

Some day I plan to create work that people will like, and find pretty, and want to hang on the wall of their home. Today is not that day. Enjoy the pig dragon heads while you can.

night & day

2011-03-09T23:49:00.004Z

I was trying to do that thing with perspective, where there's two vanishing points. That path? Totally straight. I got confused in the middle.

bird boys

2011-03-08T11:43:00.002Z

Well, I have no new work I can show, so have these pencils instead.

polishing

2011-02-28T22:05:00.002Z

I put on twitter a wee while ago that I was revisiting old portfolio pieces that have lost their lustre with time - this is the first. For comparison: the original generic male vs. evil genie

old old old

2011-02-17T21:07:00.004Z

This is the kind of thing that I find and think WHAT. Was great fun to draw. Think its from 2009.

ROCK ON

2011-01-30T14:27:00.001Z

Love drawing rocks. SO EASY.

Forest Living

2011-01-23T17:17:00.003Z

Bam bam! I'm just knocking them out! (at a rate of one a year - this is another one that was started well over a year ago, see the work-in-progress posts here and here and here for conclusive evidence that my 'method' is to make a big mess and then kind of tidy it all up).

Pop-Up

2011-01-22T14:01:00.001Z

feathers

2010-12-01T21:25:00.003Z

Okay, okay, bit of a lame post here:

It's my new twitter background. Here's the thing tiled:

ancient

2010-11-21T16:32:00.003Z

Been rifling through old work, deleting unecessary files and I came across this little oddity. Don't think I really posted it anywhere, probably because it's kind of rubbish. There's parts I like though.

The best I've got

2010-10-28T11:58:00.003+01:00

2010-10-17T12:38:00.001+01:00

okay okay

2010-09-29T23:19:00.004+01:00

So I probably shouldn't be posting this (yet!), but I put the work in progress up a while ago and wanted to share the final too. The changes are minor- mostly just directing the focus and highlighting shapes - but it makes a big difference.

just chilling

2010-09-27T20:47:00.001+01:00

Chillin' in my boat...

relaxing

2010-09-16T16:53:00.003+01:00

So I'm trying to loosen up with my drawing. As you can see... I'm not really getting it. Yet.

in progress FOREVER

2010-09-13T20:05:00.003+01:00

It feels like forever but I think it's just (?!!) been a year since I started this. I keep chipping away at it, but I always lose interest - possibly because of the lack of deformity or tentacles. It's also so huge that it causes great amounts of lag on my juddering laptop. I do intend to finish it, I think it will make a lovely print, but MAN do I need to just get it done.

cassette

2010-09-13T10:22:00.002+01:00

Vectors, for work, from ref.

FSSH

2010-09-12T18:41:00.000+01:00

What a hunk!

I hear your footsteps on the stairs

2010-09-10T21:56:00.003+01:00

Sketch from that Fees Divers project I posted about a while ago: just found it while looking for something else. Obviously this particular pose/idea didn't end up getting used, still like it though.

toad

2010-09-10T20:35:00.000+01:00

From the same project as that turtle I posted - a toad/human shape-shifter sketch.

Alpha

2010-09-08T21:36:00.002+01:00

Might turn this into a personal logo - unsure

blerg

2010-09-08T13:59:00.002+01:00

Stuff from work - posting mostly so I don't forget about this blog! Pretty much all from ref - various degrees of use.

cgw magazine

2010-08-30T20:02:00.007+01:00

Last week I recieved a package from China - exciting any time, obviously, but EXTRA exciting when it's a copy of CGW magazine! The fact that there's a wee feature on me in there is kind of beside the point, it's full of great stuff. Here are a few gloomy photos of my interview, including my original answers in English on the final page (I have NO idea how they've been interpreted in the rest of the article, but does it matter? Let's just hope the pictures speak for themselves....). The interview is worth taking a closer look at for the questions alone - talk about charming translations!

turtle

2010-08-20T10:38:00.002+01:00

Here's a little (rejected) concept of a shape-shifting turtle/person thing. I kind of like it.

drawing for a short comic

2010-06-20T16:52:00.000+01:00

100 posts

2010-06-15T15:55:00.004+01:00

I just noticed that I have 200 followers! Amazing! Thanks guys! It's pretty boss that 200 people are that interested in my ramblings. Also, this is my 100th post. ROCK ON! Here's some more illustrator stuff I've been toiling on (yes, I thought my brand name changes were hilarious).

vectorisation

2010-06-14T11:31:00.001+01:00

Some illustrator practice for work - geeeeeeeeeeeetar!

landscaping

2010-06-10T16:28:00.003+01:00

More of the same!

death in folklore

2010-06-06T16:14:00.004+01:00

Here's a cover I did a little while ago for Fées Divers magazine. Featuring some harbingers of death - the banshee, the white lady, the washerwoman who'll break your bones in her laundry and old Ankou himself. Here's my personal fave in a close-up!

making progress

2010-05-25T13:26:00.005+01:00

Been working on some landscape/environment sketches and thought I might share some of the process here.

OKAY - so, this first sketch was constructed from the image at the top (which is for the same project - what better way to keep the same mood/colours than to work from the same source?). It's just been rotated, duplicated, different layers set to darken, stretched - generally abused.

Needed more light, so I added in some duplicate dodge layers. Getting a bit murky...

On another layer I've drawn a rough layout of the environmental elements needed in there. The background has just been faded out a little so it's not too distracting.

Rendering time. See you in a few hours.

come see me

2010-05-17T22:16:00.003+01:00

I'm going to be taking part in the Screenadelica exhibition as part of Liverpool Sound City this week, so if you are in the area get down to the old Rapid Hardware building at the top of Bold Street on either thursday, friday or saturday. I'll be there, probably molesting people with my business cards or trying to make a quick buck on the prints I'm exhibiting.

If you can't make it down but want to know about buying - I also now sell a few prints at INPRNT. Cold check it.

the second pangram

2010-04-10T21:40:00.003+01:00

Been doing a little bit of experimenting with type...

boom!

2010-04-01T22:26:00.002+01:00

I really dig the whole east european dancer look. So much so that after spotting this moody teenager mooching around hardman street I wanted to pretend for 30 minutes that I'm a fashion illustrator. Don't quite know how this has been lurking around on my hard drive for so long.

hot damn

2010-04-01T21:47:00.008+01:00

Here's some more year old stuff for this. I feel like I should post more. Don't hold your breath guys! I think I posted some in progress images of these illustrations earlier on in the year. The first one is of a domovoi cleaning while it's host sleeps. House spirit that comes out to be either nice or naughty. I originally wanted to show another aspect of it, that would attempt to wake sleeping children that were somehow in danger but that just came off as super creepy. The other illustration is of Yggdrasil, the world tree - obvs!

phoenix down

2010-03-19T17:52:00.003Z

I'm going to drop a phoenix feather on this sketch from a couple of years ago and re-use the background for something else. Like it like this too.

apparently, there's more.

2010-03-05T21:48:00.005Z

Cipactli for incubator games. Sketchbook pages included for your personal amusement. I can't believe that's actually how I work. Bipedal crocs are hard, alright?!

while i'm in those old folders...

2010-03-05T21:19:00.005Z

...have some more illustration work from last year! I was about to write that I have no idea if these were ever published, but actually it seems like it's just been launched! Might post some drawings from this project later.

old work

2010-03-05T20:37:00.010Z

Last year I did some fun fantasy illustrations for online card game the far wilds. Look out for the terrible bouguereau rip off.

reject

2010-03-03T23:21:00.003Z

some [rightly] rejected client work... Kind of like it though, and I'm still at the stage with illustrator where all effects are shiny and new.

baldy

2010-02-23T20:18:00.003Z

Super quicky to warm up for some client work that may end up being somewhere along these unfamiliar lines.

IFX

2010-02-10T15:52:00.004Z

I've been interviewed in this months ImagineFX magazine. I haven't recieved my copy yet so I don't know how painfully embarrassing the answers to those interview questions are going to be - I imagine I'll be reading it at arms length wincing to myself. But look at the lovely pictures! I'm excited about seeing those in print.

photocopying finish

2010-01-27T16:59:00.001Z

photocopying

2010-01-27T15:31:00.002Z

Yeah, massively wonky but I'm digging the metallic flesh tones. From a photo found at grass doe

foresty

2009-12-23T12:24:00.003Z

I'm just trying to pretend I've actually been doing something.

Over at GORILLA ARTFARE there's been a small but rad trend of colouring in some lines that Clo posted, check mine out here!

more jungle

2009-12-07T12:46:00.002Z

boo - hoo

2009-11-26T22:06:00.003Z

on my desk

2009-11-25T08:17:00.004Z

jungle

2009-11-24T16:08:00.003Z

Snatching bits of time on this here and there in work - it's at the stage I like to call 'a giant mess'.

nothing new

2009-11-22T15:07:00.005Z

found these guys and kind of liked it. Think it must be from a couple of years ago, just before I started this blog - 2007!

it's voodoo-hoo-oo

2009-11-04T20:15:00.003Z

This is from way back in, like, February. I was always kind of disappointed with this illustration, it had such great potential (phantoms! animal transformation! new orleans! smoke! magic!) and then just fell short of the mark. I'm cool with sharing it though, it's not like its completely terrible or anything.

This post from 04/02/09 contains a pencil drawing from it, if you are interested in such things.

recycling

2009-10-23T16:41:00.003+01:00

I've been recycling old work and making it appear shiny and new. I was aiming for rainbows but they didn't really happen.

gurgle

2009-10-22T16:07:00.004+01:00

Was feeling unstimulated by rectangles at work. It's a bit derivative.

fishin

2009-10-12T14:25:00.003+01:00

castling

2009-10-08T11:14:00.003+01:00

Another section of what I posted yesterday. Does anyone else get obsessed with the castling move in chess and consider a game 'won' if they do it?

houses

2009-10-07T14:34:00.004+01:00

This is a small section of something I've been sneakily working on at work when I can't face what I'm supposed to be doing. Actually I just want to take advantage of my hot new pc. Going home at 5 every day to my aging laptop is so bittersweet now.

I've been playing Professor Layton recently, it's totally influencing my colour scheme.

racer and his horse

2009-09-29T16:28:00.004+01:00

I should stop posting stuff like this, or no one will ever hire me again!

I have spent some time getting to know cghub today, my name on there is predictably alice

sorry

2009-09-15T11:56:00.004+01:00

I didn't really want to post this emo looking study on its own, but it's all I've got to show, so have it. It was to work out some lighting for something else entirely (the something else is work related and un-bloggable). Sometimes I find it useful to make a quick drawing completely unrelated to what I am working on to figure out shapes/atmosphere/colours/lighting, it removes the pressure, helps me loosen up, and is an excuse to work on something fun. Sometimes those drawings turn out nicely, sometimes they turn into sad emo soldier in the rain.

cosmonaut

2009-09-01T20:59:00.004+01:00

I do wonder sometimes...

dirty sunday sketch

2009-08-30T22:41:00.001+01:00

posted over at Gorilla Artfare for the DIRTY SUNDAY theme: some light vector nudity

Air guitar was accidental.

illustrator

2009-08-27T09:31:00.005+01:00

I have to learn how to use illustrator and it is not going well. Since I am an illustrator and it's an industry standard I think I should probably have learned how to use it earlier, but I put it off until absolutely necessary. I am immensely enjoying making swooshy lines with the calligraphy brush tool though.

the internets

2009-08-04T16:58:00.004+01:00

So you know, maybe blogger isn't your preferred method of digesting information. Or you just like to spread yourself over the internet. Or you REALLY want to stalk me. Either way, I am now available to stare at on twitter and flickr. There may be content, but I cannot guarantee it's quality. I've started uploading photos of work and stuff to flickr and I'm considering inflicting some of my other ...uhhh let's call it "photography" on the world. I have no idea what to do with twitter but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

You probably weren't, but in case you were wondering: that photo was taken at the airport in Ljubljana. There were other equally awesome neon signs but I ran out of film after taking this one, which was my personal favourite. The view would have been immense if the clouds had had the decency to get lost.

pride and prejudice final

2009-07-21T17:11:00.003+01:00

The deadline has hit but I still want to work on this some more, get some nice regency furniture going on in the background and refine everything a lot more (and make darcy stand in a less boring manner). But for now, here's the finished thing.

work FOREVER

2009-07-18T18:43:00.002+01:00

Nrrrg.

bennet vs darcy

2009-07-17T15:20:00.004+01:00

Finally, some personal work! For character of the week. I need to make Elizabeth look less dopey I reckon.

creepy delights

2009-07-12T14:11:00.002+01:00

When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

If I Had A Heart from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

I love you Karin Dreijer Andersson