Artists & Illustrators Feb 2017 // Pocket Painting Guide

This month's issue of "Artists & Illustrators" includes a free pamphlet full of art-improving tips - featuring artwork by me! I was asked to create a cover design for the little guide and had free rein to have fun and add my own "flair" - obviously it turned out to be very enjoyable to do.  

I was provided with a basic colour theme to follow of warm, feminine colours which would eventually translate onto the main magazine cover itself.

The idea was to create a messy, busy and energetic front cover reflecting the contents to be bursting with creative tips and tricks. I illustrated each element as an individual object before scanning and reassembling the design digitally. The single illustrations were also used as chapter headers.

The guide is beautifully designed and is indeed bursting with helpful advice - I've already discovered a few things I didn't know and plan to keep it handy for future reference.

Some of my favourites:

The Artists & Illustrators February 2017 issue featuring the Pocket Painting Guide is available NOW in Tesco and Sainsburys stores around the UK!

All artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2017 do not use without permission

For more of my work please visit www.amyholliday.co.uk

Cancer Treatment Centres of America // Cancer Fighters Thrive Magazine: A Place to Call Home

My work is featured in this month's "Cancer Fighters Thrive" magazine! A quarterly magazine distributed by Cancer Treatment Centres of America. The magazine is designed to inform and empower cancer patients, their friends and families.

I was asked to illustrate the article "A Place to Call Home" which discusses ways in which patients make their stay at the centres more homely. After reading the article I submitted lots of idea sketches. The favourites were then selected and painted for the final illustrations. This was a very lovely and enjoyable commission.

Read the article online here.

Better Homes and Gardens: "Live Well" // Photo Frames, Car Keys and Swimming Pools

The second of the two articles I worked on in the July issue of Better Homes and Gardens US magazine. For the "Live Well" section, I contributed four small spot illustrations to accompany the content.

As with the Better Health illustrations, these also required a consistent colour palette to compliment the page theme. I love those fancy "fine art" photo frames! Here they are as they appear in the magazine:

:: Process and Roughs...

Here's a variation on the car keys that didn't make the final cut.

If you missed yesterday's post on the Better Health article, you can find it here!

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

All artwork is (C) Amy Holliday 2014 please do not use without permission.

Better Homes and Gardens: "Better Health" // Medical Clinic Illustrations

I can finally share with you my illustrations for Better Homes and Gardens US Magazine's July issue! This is one of two articles I illustrated for this issue. For the "Better Health" section, I was asked to draw four types of convenience health clinics.

They included a retail health clinic, online consult (including apps), an urgent care clinic and the emergency room. I needed a street view of the numerous clinic selection, as well as each clinic's individual front door.

This project required more research than usual as the American health care has quite a different look compared to the UK equivalents.

A consistent colour palette of blues, greens and teals was required to compliment the page theme, as well as some extra paint textures to use as page backgrounds. This main "clinic street" illustration in A3 in size.

I was thrilled to be asked to illustrate for Better Homes and Gardens. The client was so pleased with the illustrations that I even received a complimentary copy of the magazine along with a thank you card which was really lovely.

:: Process and Roughs...

Preliminary sketches for the designing of the clinics:

Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! :)

All artwork is (C) Amy Holliday 2014 please do not use without permission.

Celebrating Germany's Spargel (White Asparagus) with the Brandenburg Gate // b.there! Magazine for Brussels Airlines

I was asked to illustrate Berlin's majestic Brandenburg Gate...but not as we know it...for Brussels Airlines in-flight magazine "b.there!".

The article discusses Germany's annual white asparagus obsession, as it becomes the traditional dish of the spring season which is enjoyed all over the country throughout the springtime months.

The main aspect is of course the asparagus, but I also wanted to highlight the glory of the gate itself - grand architecture can look even more stunning in certain light, so I chose to show it off with a golden sunrise.

I am very surprised to have been asked to draw something so quirky. Obviously my favourite part of the whole gate is the horses on top...

The article in b.there! magazine - (right click > open in new window to view)

:: Process and Roughs...

The overall idea was for the columns to become the asparagus, but I began with a few ideas which helped to decide how far the asparagus theme could be (or should be) taken.

All content and illustrations is (C) Amy Holliday 2014 do not use without permission.

4G British Isles Map // for O2 UK Magazine October 2013

In August I was absolutely thrilled to illustrate for UK telecommunications brand O2.

O2 required a watercolour map in their signature brand colours, to show their 4G coverage in England, Scotland and Wales. I also provided the sea background as well as they pink and blue markers, leaving O2 to then added the labels.

This is a full page illustration which features in this month's magazine, available to pick up free in stores all over the UK, I've already got my copy!

 

 

 

 

 

All images are (C) Amy Holliday 2013, please do not use without permission.

SEWE Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition // Save the Date Illustration for U.S. Magazine

In July, I was approached by a US magazine who needed an illustration to open up their calendar of events section.

They wanted to depict the Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition which is held annually in Charleston, South Carolina. The exhibition celebrates all things wildlife and there is a huge focus on different mediums of fine wildlife artwork.

The brilliant concept they presented me with was "a fine art frame with different flora and fauna emerging from it"
As you can imagine, this one illustration was a lot of work but a dream to work on. I first needed to research South Carolina's wild plants and animals. Bears, foxes, deer...eee! Once I had established that I was working with the correct species, I was ready to work on placing them all inside the frame.

Also held at the event is a Dock Dogs competition, where sporting dogs run and jump into water to retrieve toys, competing for the title of farthest jump. I was therefore asked to also include a dock dog in the mix. (I had not heard of the amazing "Dock Dogs" this brief, and I loved what I learned so much that I ended up creating more work on this just for my own fun, (not to mention practice), more on this in another post).

Below is the progression of the project from concept sketches to finished illustration.

Concept progression from first roughs to final drawing in three stages:

The final illustration:

 

This piece was so much fun to work on, can you tell that I was enjoying myself!? That said - I also learned a lot from it. You can see more rough/sketch work for this project on my Facebook page here.

Details:

 

All images are (C) AmyHolliday 2013, please do not use without permission.