Recent Graphic Commissions

composite of children watermarked 2

girls watermarked 1

Commission from Papermania

Several years ago I had a small art shop in Prestwick, selling art materials and occasionally my own paintings and drawings. The shop eventually was hit by the recession and I had to close up, but a year before we closed I was asked down to London to show my drawings to the design team at Papermania or Design Objectives, as it was also called. They were impressed with the drawings and they produced several different products for card making and printing. The drawing that first impressed them was my illustration of a young boy with his home-made kite and his small Jack Russell terrier. See below;

Boy with kite wooden stamp. This is based on my original drawing that started me off designing for Docraft. The idea was based on a memory of a time when my brothers; Jim, Hugh and I made hand-made kites using cane, brown paper and string. My brothers and I were always doing something adventurous.

The fist commission involved my producing several drawing of boys and girls in a variety of activities. These products sold in tens of thousands, all over the UK and also in Europe. Here are the final products. Later I also produced drawing of men and Vintage cars too. All seem to have been successful and sold in their thousands as well. The finishing and packaging was done in China. Recently I looked to see if I could get a pack of these cards on Ebay and was surprised that they were asking three times the original retail price. Perhaps I should have kept some in their original packaging!

sheet 178 packaged nostalgia decoupage pack 2

A set of decoupage cards using the ‘Girl with Satchel’ image. Also includes the ‘Rainy Day’ girl.

Girl with satchel wooden stamp.

sheet 177 packaged nostalgia decoupage pack 1

The boy with the kite decoupage card set. This pack also included the wee boy footballer.

The ‘Rainy Day ‘wooden stamp.

An Excellent variation on the rainy day stamp. This is so professionally finished. I particularly like this design. The embellishments are well chosen.

Another great variation of a card makers design using the rainy day stamp

Rainy day card makers excellent design, using interesting embellishments

Boy blowing bubbles stamp

Very good example of how professional card makers cards can look, when all the extra pieces are added

A card makers decoupage birthday card. This design was ready cut out and just needed mounted and stuck on to the blank card. Sentiments are the designers own.

The ‘Girl with the Gift’ stamp

A card makers design for a birthday card using the wooden stamp of the ‘Girl with the Gift’

These are some of the initial drawings I completed for the commission from Papermania. The theme was of men’s activities.

Some of these drawings were not used. In all cases the men’s faces are obscured from the viewer. The faces being hidden helps when the card designer is making a card for a particular person