Chris Dunn Illustration/Fine Art

Hedgehogs Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:07:00 +0000

I've made a start on the next in my series of whimsical-animal-based-fantasy watercolour paintings (I need to think of a better title).

I'm really trying to push the warm and cool colour relationships in this painting and I'll have to be careful when I'm painting the snow, I've never been much good at that.

Badger Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:52:00 +0000

I've started the colour work which is just about all you can see as my mobile phone camera is too blurry.

Badger Underpainting

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Here's a little under-painting I completed today. On to the colour tomorrow.

Royal Crescent Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:44:00 +0000

Hurray! I finally finished my 6ft long painting of the Royal Crescent in Bath. Below you can see a stitched photograph which will have to do for now until I scan it properly.

Now let me get some sleep.

Online Security

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:15:00 +0000

Here's a spot illustration I did last month for Public Finance. It was to feature alongside an article about the ever changing battlefront that is online security.

It's completely different to my usual style but with it's retro feel I quite like it. The texture was actually taken from an older illustration of mine - reduce, re-use, recycle!

The Actuary Cover 'Planning A Prosperous Retirement'

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:59:00 +0000

Last month I worked on the cover for The Actuary magazine. The brief was to draw a man in his mid forties with the top of his head taken off so you could see all the wonderful things he is planning to do in his retirement. These activities include sailing, cycling, drinking champagne, throwing money in the air, all the things we hope for but might not necessarily achieve. I suppose showing pensioners with bad backs and arthritis isn't so inspiring.

I'm really chuffed to say that cover junkie picked up on this illustration, click here to view it as it's supposed to be seen.

Spectrum 20

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:53:00 +0000

A list of successful entrants into Spectrum 20 has been revealed. I'm incredibly pleased to announce that this year my watercolour 'Autumn Scribe' will be one of the hundreds of images in the pages of the annual.

For those new to Spectrum visit the website. If you're a fan of fantastic art (Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Historical, Surrealism) then the annuals are a must for your bookshelf.

Brave New World Competition Entires Pt.2

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:24:00 +0000

I have previously posted two pieces of artwork I created for the House Of Illustration 'Brave New World' Competition. Below you can see the other two images that went with my full entry. The first is a watercolour showing Linda as she succumbs to a soma induced oblivion. The vast majority of this painting was done in Paynes Grey to maintain a blue cast to the painting. The other image is dominated by Cadmium Red to suggest the red lighting used in the Solidarity Services.

Two Hedgehogs And A Badger

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:26:00 +0000

No the post title is not the opening line of joke, it is simply a description of the next two watercolours I will be working on. I have recently received a very exciting commission for five watercolours that depict whimsical scenes involving animal characters. The brief was to base them on the world of 'The Wind In The Willows'. Below you can see the first two approved sketches.

All the paintings will be 24x31cm. So far I have the final pencil work completed and I'm now ready to move in with the paint.

Royal Crescent Progress Pt.4

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:51:00 +0000

I'm still going but I think I'm on the bend just before the final straight. There's not much more I can say apart from I'll keep you posted.

Illustration For Financial Director

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:59:00 +0000

Here's a small spot illustration I completed recently for Financial Director magazine. It suggests the financial cost of absent employees to employers.

The final artwork was produced with watercolour and pencil crayon.

Royal Crescent Progress Pt.3

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:25:00 +0000

The painting has been put aside this week due to other illustration commitments but I hope to be picking up a brush next week and starting to work into the mass of grass. I'll then be able to view the painting as a whole and start adjusting contrasts and colours.

Brave New World Competition Entries

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:11:00 +0000

I received an email in the last few days informing me that my entries for the House Of Illustration & Folio Society Competition to illustrate 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley were unsuccessful. You win some, you lose some.

House Of Illustration had over 500 entries, they have picked a top 25 which can be seen on their website here. It's certainly very interesting to browse, the standard is very impressive and most of the illustrations are a mixture of traditional and digital media which is fitting for the story.

Below you can see two of my entries (two more to come). The first is a rough book binding design, created with ink spatters and pencil put together in Photoshop. The bleeding ink in the baby's head is a photograph I took using a full water jug and ink dropper. The second illustration is a watercolour painting based on John's encounter with a reporter.

Interview for HOW Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:30:00 +0000

I would have posted this much earlier but I didn't know the interview was published, I must check earlier next time. To read the short interview click here.

Royal Crescent Progress Pt.2

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:56:00 +0000

I'm still painting it! The sky packs more punch and the Royal Crescent houses are starting to emerge from the shadows.

Royal Crescent Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:08:00 +0000

I have recently started a mammoth watercolour painting of the Royal Crescent, Bath. It is so big my stretcher board is a 6ft door. Every once in a while I shall post photos so you can see the gradual progression of my painting.

BBC Wiltshire, The Sue Davies Show

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:27:00 +0000

I've just found out I am going to be interviewed LIVE by Sue Davies on BBC Wiltshire Radio Monday 18th Feb 2.45pm. You can listen to the show on the BBC iplayer under local stations.

Cripes, wish me luck!

Public Finance Cover 'One Nation?'

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:25:00 +0000

Over a fortnight ago I created a cover for Public Finance magazine. The Art Director, Gene Cornelius asked me to execute his concept based on a letterpress design, which I gladly did. In the end I did lots of different versions and learnt a lot in the process. Below you can see the illustration that was used and some of the other designs.

This was a fantastic job to work on and the cherry on the cake is being highlighted in Cover Junkie, you can view the page here.

I hope to get more jobs like this in the future because it's great fun to experiment with printing inks.

My New Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:15:00 +0000

I might not have posted in a while but I do have a good reason. Over the past month I have been moving into my new studio at the Pound Arts Centre (Studio 2), Pound Pill, Corsham, SN13 9HX. I am delighted with it, now I have more space than I've ever had with excellent lighting and heating thrown in. Not to mention it is part of a thriving arts centre in which I have already made new friends and contacts. But wait, here's the best bit, I'm open to the public every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so if you are ever in the area just drop in and you can have a look at my current projects.

I am now able to offer private art tuition based in the studio. The tuition centres around what type of art the student wishes to pursue, I then help them to improve in that area and hopefully introduce a few new inspirations along the way. Tuition is available for all ages and abilities in a friendly and relaxed environment.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:39:00 +0000

Last year I had the pleasure of working for Facility Management World Magazine. The brief was to create an illustration made up of 13 reasons to look forward to 2013 if you work in the facilities sector such as, award winning developments, the momentum of the Olympics and renewable energies. Each reason had to be illustrated and then group together on a (nearly) isometric platform. I had a lot of fun with a pencil working out how to group everything together into a coherent composition and by the time I had a suitable drawing the Art Director decided he wanted it to go on the cover. Smiles all around and then the thought, I hope I can pull this off!

I powered up Adobe Illustrator on my laptop and got to work tracing out the platform, painstakingly trying to keep the perspective tight. After that it was into Photoshop to add colour on separate layers so I could adjust the colour schemes easily. I ended up with orange (above) and green (below, just in case you're colourblind).

Next came the figures which I sketched out in pencil then finished off in Photoshop and then arranged with the appropriately coloured shadows in the illustration. In the end I had four versions to show the magazine, orange, green, orange with sparkly bulbs on '2013' and green with (you guessed it) sparkly bulbs on '2013'.

In the end FM World went with the orange illustration with bulbs on and I think they made 2013 black. I now know if I get asked to do something similar again I won't have any problems.

Competition Deadlines

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:17:00 +0000

January seems to be a very popular month for competition deadlines. Here are a few that might be of interest:

Spectrum 20, deadline 25th Jan. For Sci-fi, Fantasy and Imaginative Realism artists

Royal Watercolour Society Competition, deadline 18th Jan. Anything type of water-based painting, the finalists are exhibited at the Bankside Gallery in London.

House Of Illustration/Folio Society Book Illustration Competition, deadline 22nd Jan. You may have seen previews of my entries for this competition to illustrate 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley. I wish I had known about the previous two competitions.

Art Renewal Center Salon, 21st Jan . Multiple categories and huge exposure. The finalists are a who's who of contemporary realism artists.

International Artist Magazine 'People & Figures', 16th Jan. There is a different competition every other month, finalists receive editorial exposure in the magazine.

There And Back Again

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:22:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Put simply, the main reason I work in watercolour is John Howe.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:13:00 +0000

More Brave New World Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:33:00 +0000

I have finished my second illustration for Brave New World but it's probably best not to release the completed artwork until after the competition. However to appease everybody's curiosity, below is a photo of the second illustration in progress which I took last week.

The next image is my tonal study for the final interior illustration. If you have read the book you'll know what is going on here, if you don't know - read the book!

It's time to start painting...

Spectrum 19...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Dunn) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000

And I'm in it!!!! It's such an honour to be featured in a book alongside artists like Sam Weber, Michael Whelan, Jean Baptiste Monge, James Gurney and Dan Dos Santos, I could keep going. I have a strange mixture of emotions right now but the overriding one has to be excitement.

I picked up my copy of 'the best in contemporary fantastic art' annual from the post office yesterday after I missed the initial delivery - sorry Mr & Mrs Fenner, I really do want the book.

Can you spot 'Jacques' Rest'? It's on page 264 if you happen to have a copy yourself.