The Science of Magic

This week I received copies of the finished Illusionology book, soon to be
published by Templar in the Spring.
It has one of the most lavish covers I’ve ever been involved in, with 3D
animation, jewels, embossing and foiling – every trick known to man (and
printers). Look out for it in the shops and be awed (or horrified, if you
are not given to excess).
I was responsible for a good number of interior illustrations – here’s my
favourite, the disappearing moth woman. As revealed in the photographs, the
spreads are packed with pull-out tricks and things, as well as other
pictures by Levi Pinfold and Tomislav Tomic.
Despite the Steampunky cover, the book concerns real-life magicians and the
art of illusion, particularly the late Victorian period and early 20th
century.

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Rook Music

There’s an excellent tree nearby that I’ve been meaning to incorporate into
a picture for a while. I finally had an idea and popped down to get a better
look and take some photographs; unfortunately the poor old tree had been
battered by the recent gales and its lovely sculptural branches were lying
in forlorn heaps on the ground. My original concept was redundant, but
almost immediately this idea appeared.
I don’t know whether this chap is an 18th century minstrel, or someone who
has watched too many Adam Ant videos, either way I wanted to do something
dark…

Below are the various stages of creation. I’ve put the original rough and a
print up on Etsy, along with a couple of other items.