Making Self Promotional STUFF!!

Yes, I know it's sad, but I am really, really, REALLY excited about finally getting my own self promotional material.  For those of you who don't know, self promotional material is exactly what it sounds like, it is material that you have produced which helps to promote you as a creative practitioner.  This could be any number of things but the most common form of self promotional material is the humble business card.

Well I've been busy recently making my own self promotional material, I have business cards already printed from moo printing and on their way to me (hopefully to be delivered today), badges of my more interesting illustrations, a little concertina portfolio book and a matchbox...yep, a matchbox. 

So, here are some images for you to have a mooch at!  (Please note that this set of self promotional material is still in development and is likely to change, this is just my initial prototype):

Playing with Lino Prints!

Thomas Gomes "Junk Ship" (Lino Print) 2014

Thomas Gomes "Junk Ship 2" (Lino Print) 2014

Here are a couple of Lino Prints that I've been doing as part of my college work.  I absolutely love the way that the print isn't perfect, I intentionally left behind some "bits" in the background to add a little bit of texture.  I enjoyed the process and I am really glad that it was possible for me to digitize the entire piece.  I even went as far as making notebooks that have original lino prints on them which will be sold as part of a "Stuff Fair" hosted by my College:

Thomas Gomes "Junk Ships" (lino print notebooks) 2014

Anyone have any interest in Pinterest?

Hi all!

Just a quick post to say that I now have a Pinterest page, which you can follow if  you like!  Click HERE to have a mooch!

Long Absence - Busy, busy, busy!

Hi all,

First of all I would like to apologize for my long absence from the blog, I've been really, super, duper busy recently with my degree.  The upside is that I have generated a LOT of Illustrations.

Also, it is worth posting that I have a new website which I will be using as my portfolio!  Click here to visit it.

Okay!  So, here is some of the work that I have been doing:

Sequential Image Making

Thomas Gomes "Moth in a Bottle" 2013

My first foray into the world of comics and sequential images.  This is a story about a moth that becomes trapped in a bottle and cast out at sea.  I'm really please with the results of this comic, I love the colour palette and character.  My favourite part has to be the underwater panels.




Editorial Illustration

Thomas Gomes "Gadget Editorial" 2013

I have shown my interest in Editorial Illustration on this blog before, however I never explored it to the extent that I have with my degree.  Bellow are some illustration I have done for some articles (not real commissions).  Each one had its own set of problems to be solved.  Through all the stress I found out that I have a genuine LOVE of editorial illustration! 

Thomas Gomes "Net Generation Editorial" 2013

Thomas Gomes "Net Generation Cover" 2013

Thomas Gomes "Omid Editorial" 2013

Thomas Gomes "Privacy VS Facebook" 2013

 
Observational Drawings

As you might have noticed from my editorial work, my illustrations are following a very particular style, this is something that I am currently exploring with my work.  I have used this style of illustration on a couple of observational drawings:

Thomas Gomes "Apple Observational Drawing" 2014

Thomas Gomes "Tiger" 2014

For those of you interested in buying a canvas, t-shirt or ipod case of the "Tiger" illustration, you can go to my Society6 Page.

Phew!  Hope you like all the illustrations and I hope this update finds you all well in the New Year!

Illustration - Guitarist (Colour My World)

Thomas Gomes "Guitarist (Colour My World)" 2013

With the new release of Rocksmith coming out very soon, I thought I would make an illustration to show how music can colour your world.  It doesn't matter what kind of music you listen to, as long as you enjoy it and it makes you feel happy!

So, as usual, this illustration started as a simple sketch which evolved into a final piece through the use of INK!  I then used a combination of the layer types and some clever masking to create the effect you can see.

I really like this illustration.  I've been trying to push my style of illustration to the limits and, so far, I think it's working well.

If you are interested in using this illustration then please use the "Contact Me" form on the right (below the blog archive).

Also, if you would like this design on a t-shirt, iphone case or as a print, then please visit my Socity6 Page

Illustration - Alternative Travel

Thomas Gomes "Alternative Travel" 2013

I've had this idea for a couple of weeks now and ended up scribbling it in my sketchbook of; a boat being pulled along by a balloon, almost like an alternative to sails.

Anyway, so I had this idea sitting in my sketchbook and came across it yesterday, I really liked it and wanted to develop it into a full, completed illustration.  I did what I usually do, making a pencil version on thick paper and then overlaying it with black ink before scanning it into the computer and editing it in photoshop.  I did have a problem with the ocean.  I wanted to have a texture which complimented the rest of the illustration, but also linked in well with the ocean.  I found a photo texture I had taken a couple of years ago of some rocks and added it into the illustration using the "Overlay" layer mode.  I'm very pleased with the result and would be happy with any feedback people could offer.

If you would like to use this image then please use the "Contact Me" panel on the right side of the blog.  Also, if you would like this illustration on a t-shirt, laptop skin or as a print on canvas then go to my Society6 page here.

Stock Image - Feet

Thomas Gomes "Feet" (Stock Image) 2013

So I was working on a logo design for my Dad's reflexology business and wanted to create a pair of feet as a background or even as the logo for the business.

Ultimately he wanted to go for a different logo design but I still really loved the look of these feet.  Originally the feet were just black and white with a blank background but, seeing as I was putting the design up on my blog, I wanted to edit the illustration in my style.

I consider this sort of illustration as a "Stock Image" in that it can have several uses in various situations and doesn't have a specific meaning or idea to convey.  For example, if you wanted an image for a leaflet about caring for your feet or, like my Dad, you wanted to have a design of some kind for reflexology.  The illustration is designed to be used by different people with different needs.

If you are interested in using this image please use the "Contact Me" box on the right of the blog.

Also, just a general update, I'm going to be returning to my illustration degree course at the end of September so it might be a little bit quiet on this blog for a while.  However I do intend to update the blog as much as possible with the work I have made on my course.