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Working with KS2 art club I did a quick photo shoot with the children during their first session to get some source material for their illustrations. Once that was done we loaded all the images into the computer and started the creative process. Using Dazzle

The truth is, one thing leads to another.

New Illustration Cartoon line boy, a super hero boy, equipped with a cape he’s a gold tooth boy. He’s an out there boy, a real hero boy, a fine and dandy do it well and for the people boy!

A fun workshop working with Key Stage 2 children exploring drawing skills and character development. The children got to try many new drawing skills and techniques before starting on their final images. They were also able to experimented with vibrant coloured inks trying out different

Using Dazzle 3, the children at Rowley Lane JIN School explored portrait illustration using multiple digital layers. When they had finished their main images derived from their own photo’s, they made tome funky textured canvases in which to place their illustrated selves. The workshop was

Yep. That is the shape of my head. From a certain angle of course.

SPECTRUM The trick is to be one!

Pencil drawing and a little iPhone trickery via a couple of apps. A nod toward the Wachowski Brothers trilogy of films.

Development of some ideas. My 2 year old daughter decided to add a few of her own lines with red crayon. I think it adds a certain jenesequa. I love it when she joins in with the creativity.

In 2013, Salendine Nook High School won the Guardian Newspaper’s ‘School We’d Like’ competition and was awarded £5000 in prize money to revamp the Blue Tunnel, which is a key linking walkway between different buildings in the school. See the initial post from The Guardian…

iPhoneography and added digital graphic elements.

This was a lovely project at Rowley Lane. The children got to create lots of different illustrations using portrait photography as their starting point. Using textures, graphics and creative tablet apps to further manipulate the images, the year 2 – 6 children had some really

Working as Artist in Residence with young people at Bradford Academy recently in the production of funky graphics across four large circular boards. The design challenge was based on the Academy Value Contract (AVC) that students agree to adhere to. It is always great fun

I want one of these little cars. They look like they might be quite a lot of fun to drive.

I have been having some fun messing around with animated Gif’s. I think they still have their pace in the grand scheme of things.Good fun and quick to create! I will post some more soon.

New Illustration Messing with the tablet, textures and using a limited colour palette. This image is derived from a photo that my father took of me when I was about 8 years old.

Also a musician, juggler, stand up comedian, carer, culinary genius, father, husband, teacher and all round good egg!

JUST DRAW I have recently been working with a fabulous set of key stage 1 children at Gomersal Primary School. Together we have been exploring all sort of drawing techniques and having a lot of fun with creativity. Here are a handful of images that

Emerging artwork and graphics from the ‘I Can’ blue tunnel project at Salendine Nook High School, Huddersfield. There are some fabulous images being created, both in the form of digital graphics and hand drawn illustrations. I’m working with a great set of students who are

Gomersal Kingdom Project This was a fab project where a group of key stage one children got to explore drawing and painting techniques using a variety of different mediums. Exploratory drawing, fun with paint, charcoal sketching, felt tip creativity and much more. Making up animals,

New illustration. Continuing with a theme of images with positive messages, where the imagery doesn’t necessarily reflect the message.

More creativity with my new graphics tablet. I’m slowly getting used to how this great bit of kit works.

Here is a commission that I have just finished. These portraits have many significant messages hidden within the artwork. This one was great fun to do. Artwork printed as a giclée print onto a box canvas.

This is a quick tablet drawing/illustration of my little girl. She watches me like a hawk when I am doing anything arty or creative. We have been doing some artwork together which I will post up at some point. She’s really rather good too.

A positive state of mind makes all the difference! Keep it positive. Keep a smile. Keep being creative.

Art is in fact EVERYWHERE! When you take a good look around, you can find beauty in the most mundane of places. It’s all about keeping your eyes open and being willing to look at the world just that little bit differently. Here is some beauty that

Here is an article written by Hazel Saxelby, a teacher whom I have work closely with over the past few years at Batley Girls’ High School and Visual Arts College. ‘Graphic Artist Mike Barrett (www.emelbi.com) returned again in 2013 to support our students with their

I have recently been working with the Pupil Referral Unit at Bradley, Huddersfield, delivering a series of digital illustration workshops using photographic manipulation and computer aided illustrative techniques. The children created some brilliant images. Here are some of the portrait illustrations from the workshops. Some

Character Illustration workshop with Key Stage 1 pupils at Whitechapel Primary School. This was a fantastic project from beginning to end. The children worked extremely hard and were diligent throughout. We also had a lot of fun in the process. We set out to create

I do a lot of creative work in different schools over the course of each passing year and I am witness to some immensely fabulous talent on a constant basis. Young people have such magnificent imaginations and amazingly creative ideas. They generally pursue these ideas

During Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th July 2013 I ran a two-day workshop working with some fine young people form Bradford Academy. A competition that had been run in the school challenged young people to create a mural design that would reflected what their individual

A fabulous project creating Heroes, Villains and the City in which they dwell, with year 4 and 5 children from Battyeford CE(C) Primary School. The children were really engaged in this project and produced an enormous amount of work over a short period of time.

As part of North Huddersfield Community Arts Week I ran a series of mini workshops today working with young people from Ashbrow School and Birkby Junior School. The workshop was based on creating digital graphics that would work well on skateboard decks. Mostly working in

‘Oi!’ – Hand Tufted Wool Rug – Collaboration Artwork Not so long ago I teamed up with Andrew Warburton of Area Rugs www.arearugs.co.uk Andrew is a highly skilled and experienced carpet maker using hand-tufting methods in the production of his carpets and rugs. He has been

A group of Gomersal Primary School pupils from years 3, 4 and 5 have just completed a workshop creating digital self portrait illustrations with some very striking results. Based on photographic images of themselves, the pupils skilfully created these digital illustrations using a series of

I have just completed a lovely project at Battyeford CE(C) Primary School as part of the ‘Adopt an Artist’ programme in Kirklees. Working with 24 pupils, the project focus was on character development based around the theme of ‘Artemis Fowl’. From the outset the pupils

This project formed part of the celebration of Gomersal Primary Schools 100th year anniversary and also the pending move of the primary school up to the site of the middle school. This was a brilliant project that involved the entire school. Over the course of

Here are a handful of illustrations made by year 4, 5 and 6 children from Birkby Junior School. The project was to create digital character illustrations from simple beginnings and then to situate the characters in specific environments. In doing so each illustration took shape

This was a fabulous project to produce two large graphics that would form a permanent display within the school that celebrated the local community. Firstly I spent a day with two large groups of children and parents photographing the local area and all the places

Here are a series of digital images created by year 3 children from Ireland Wood Primary School in Leeds. Using a pen and paper the children were asked to draw recognisable objects such as a bowl of fruit, wine bottle or a vase of flowers