EMELBI

Digital Artist and Illustrator

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Red Ed – Two Minute Time Lapse Illustration

9th February 2021 By EMELBI

This image was made as part of a new series of two minute time lapse illustrations that I am embarking on for my YouTube Channel. I’ve called this one Red Ed.

As part of this journey, I want to explore a variety of different mediums again and become a bit more exploratory concerning image making. Way back in 1994, I did my Art Foundation where we were encouraged to look at all aspects of creative processes and practices. From Fine Art, Printmaking, Photography, Costume Design, Sculpture…

The list is exhaustive. But it was brilliant and ridiculously informative in terms of enrichment and discovery. One process informed another and thus the understanding of materials became constantly enlightening and ideas flowed in abundance.

It’s extremely easy to get bogged down in one set of processes and stagnate. Due to the fact that I have been working with digital images for so long now, I feel that I need to get in touch with real hands on materials once again and explore mark making in a very real sense. Im looking forward to this journey of discovery and challenging myself to use materials I haven’t used before or indeed materials that I’ve not used for a long time. My aim is to explore a combination and variations of paints, inks, pens, collage, print and whatever other new and interesting materials I can get my hands on. I will still be working digitally and where applicable, I will incorporate the two processes.

Much of my digital artwork starts off as pen and ink drawings and many of the textures I use are hand produced and scanned before using them as part of the digital process. So I am used to creating with real hands on materials, but for many reasons I feel I want to delve a bit deeper into the word of illustration and image making by looking at new techniques and trying out varied approaches to creativity. All of which will hopefully inform and enrich my established creative process. Let face it, it can’t be a bad thing!

365 Sketchbook 2021

3rd February 2021 By EMELBI

I have decided to undertake a 365 sketchbook. An illustration/sketch a day for a whole year. No rules, multiple mediums and any subject. I will draw whatever comes into my head on each particular day. Just for the sheer love of drawing and for the exciting journey of exploration and discovery.

To challenge myself my first sketchbook has got recycled paper that’s quite thin and acts a little bit like blotting paper. This makes for some interesting ink spreading. When that sketchbook gets filled I will chose something a little bit different to carry on the project.

I will add new images to the gallery as and when I get time to post them up.

Chikket Imps

20th November 2020 By EMELBI

This scrumptious bunch of impish lovelies are part of an ongoing illustrative project. I am interested in the uniformity of the illustrations. I follow a particular set of rules in the creation of each of the characters so that they relate to each other in a very particular way. Also in the way in which they have been placed in the exact same environment. That said, my aim is to make them as different to each other as possible without straying too far from the set of rules I have imposed upon the process. They are a lot of fun to create.

I will be adding more imps as they are created, so check back here for updates, and see how this little family is grow. Each initial drawing gets cleaned up in Adobe Photoshop and converted to an .eps vector file in Adobe Illustrator, after which they all get coloured on Adobe Photoshop. I have made three videos showing the colouring process. These are up on my YouTube Channel. You can find them at the bottom of this page.

 

 

 

Super Quick Illustration

9th July 2020 By EMELBI

My wife asked me to do a quick continuous line illustration for a presentation she’s doing over Zoom. It had to be a self portrait and done quickly, almost without thinking. (Fig 1) She then asked me to take that initial drawing and embellish it with texture shading and form etc. Again, I had to make these graphic additions really quickly. (Fig 2) I then photographed the resulting image on my iPhone 11 Pro, sent it to my iMac and ran it through the usual clean up process eventually converting it to a vector graphic so that the line was nice and clean. (Fig 3)

Then in record time gave it my usual graphic, texture and colour treatment to get a finished outcome. Very rough, and extremely quickly. I quite like the outcome. (Fig 4)

This whole process was done in about 40 minutes.

(Fig 1)
(Fig 2)
(Fig 3)
(Fig 4)

What I most love about the creative process though, is that fact that this image didn’t exist when I woke up this morning. Out of necessity; helping my wife out with a graphic she needed, I now have this little illustration. I love what I do.

Here are some other versions of the finished image after having run them through the filters in the app RNI Films on my iPhone 11 Pro. Just for a bit of variety.

Created with RNI Films app. Preset 'Kodak Gold 200 v.4'
Created with RNI Films app. Preset 'Agfa RSX II v.2'
Created with RNI Films app. Preset 'Agfa Optima 200 v.3 Faded'
Created with RNI Films app. Preset 'Agfa Vista 100'

The Unusual Suspects – Nous Trois

9th July 2020 By EMELBI

During this lockdown period I have been getting around to one or two things that I have been meaning to do for ages. There seems to be a lot of stuff that one puts on the back burner until there is time to address whatever it is that needs addressing. Some of it is house maintenance, of which I have done a fair share of late, but also there is always a backlog of things that build up where graphics and file maintenance is concerned. This set of images being one of those jobs that I have eventually got around to doing.

These three characters were images that I painted on large panels of hardboard about 16 years ago. They were about two meters high. The paintings unfortunately are long gone. I don’t even remember what happened to them or whether they still exist in the world? Over the years I have sold stuff and given stuff away. I know these weren’t sold, but where they went is a mystery. Anyway, I only had a set of  low quality .jpeg photographs to prove they ever existed at all. (Fig 1).

I have always loved these three characters. Individually and together as a triptych, as they were meant to be at the very start. I have taken those low quality jpeg images and cleaning them up, running the graphics through Adobe Photoshop and then Adobe Illustrator, using the image trace function to bring them back into the fold so to speak (Fig 2). Now I have got high resolution digital versions of the very same images as they were painted all that time ago.

Not a big job, but time consuming nonetheless. But I’m glad that I got around to doing it.

‘The Unusual Suspects – Nous Trois’ – In Digital (Fig 3).

(Fig 1).

(Fig 2).

(Fig 3).

Beardyman – God Damn I Look Fresh

16th November 2016 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

A quick sketch of the Vocal Beatbox and Musical Noise genius Beardyman.
He posted a video this morning on his Facebook page running a little competition for fans like myself to get involved with. I freeze framed the video and made this image from the freeze frame.

Never heard of Beardyman. Why the chuff not? Check him out here… www.beardyman.co.uk

Art and creativity is everywhere. You just need to look for it.

Beardyman - God Damn I Look Fresh

Amazing Disgrace

9th November 2016 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

It’s not united, but this is the state of America.

Awakening

Sketch It!

22nd June 2016 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

Here are a recent collection of images. They are a mixture of hand drawn and digital art play.

Close - Closed - Open

Thaddeus Hibbard

Where There's A Heart There's Its Shadow

Talking Creativity

Secret-7 Cover Graphic

Mountains of Things

Mr. Scoper

18th November 2015 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

His name is Scoper.
He has just been hit by cupid’s arrow and is about to fall in love.
Maybe he will fall over first.
It’s hard to know.

Scoper

Nimble Line Bimble – 09.11.15

9th November 2015 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

Nimble Line Bimbles

Taking the pen for a walk.

Masham Mick (Sketchbook)

Scooner Booner Bird

JEnja JEnja

Nanard

MOON - Nimble Line Bimble

Bag Bandit B Boy

21st August 2015 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

Sketchbook image and some iPhone app trickery.

Bag Bandit B Boy (Detail)

Bag Bandit B Boy (Detail)

Bag Bandit B Boy

Hue Too

21st August 2015 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

Face illustration on A2 cartridge paper.
Berol Pen, Quink Ink, Posca Pen & Biro.

Berol Broad Pen, Quink Ink, Posca Pen and Biro Pen face illustration on A2 cartridge paper.
Berol Broad Pen, Quink Ink, Posca Pen and Biro Pen face illustration on A2 cartridge paper.

Hero Boy

29th March 2015 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

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!

Hero Boy

Into the Matrix

28th November 2014 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

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

EMELBI - Into The Matrix

Eco Warrior

13th March 2014 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

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

Eco Warrior

Cast Away Your Doubts and Fears

20th February 2014 By EMELBI Leave a Comment

New illustration.

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

Cast Away Your Doubts and Fears

Cast Away Your Doubts and Fears (Detail)

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