AIRBRUSH PAINTINGS

Here are some examples of the original airbrush paintings I did over the years for a wide range of clients.  The earliest of them were painted in 1969 for book covers in the United Kingdom and the last one was painted in 1995 for a US book publisher.

I learnt how to paint with an airbrush by myself through trial and error.  I saw the illustrations of Alan Aldridge and Harry Willock, both of whom did great work for the Beatles and other major clients.  I was mostly impressed with the smooth transitIon of one colour to another, and the pureness of mixing colour.  I saw this form of paint application ideal for the ideas I had in mind.   For those who are familiar with the art of airbrushing, it is highly technical and requires planing ahead each move.

THE BEGINNING

Here are examples of my earliest airbrush paintings.  These early works were painted very crudely as I would start a painting using the airbrush but be forced to use colour pencils and conventional brushwork in order to complete the work.  Many of the artwork you see below were done while I was still the art director at Corgi Books and some were done later at my design studio, SOLUTION.

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IN THE USA - INSTANT MESSAGE

I had to change my whole approach to mass market design when I moved to the US as the market was quite different from Europe.  I discovered quickly that clever aesthetics played a lesser role to instant graphic impact in America.  If an image was to be successful it had to be literal and loud, and communicate on multiple levels fast.  By the time I started working in America I was quite proficient with the airbrush technique.  Before coming over, I had already studied the works of many top American airbrush illustrators.  American illustrators were the best in every way when it came down to advertising art.  Right from the beginning I wanted to blend my approach to the established ways I saw.  You will see below many of my illustrations have a central focus point where a message was conveyed instantly.  My intent was simple, reach the consumer directing in two ways, consciously and subliminally.

Click any image above to see a larger size or see a slideshow