I’ve always loved animations and cartoons. I have dabbled with a few little things over the years, but have recently been studying a few more techniques and processes online. This is an early effort with a hand-drawn animation that is based upon drawings by Preston Blair. It’s a very challenging art form, but tremendously rewarding […]
DesktopServer review
Regardless of whether you are a WordPress beginner or an advanced developer, DesktopServer from ServerPress is a powerful and convenient tool that can greatly speed up your website development process. Even better news is that the trial version of DesktopServer is free, runs on both Windows and Mac, and allows three WordPress sites to run […]
Australian decimal currency designs
Australian decimal currency banknotes have a fascinating design history. A 1968 Penrose Annual article by renowned graphic designer Alistair Morrison provides a detailed account of the working methods of the team of graphic designers who collaborated on Australia’s first decimal currency banknotes. In early 1963 the Commonwealth Government announced that a new decimal currency system […]
Here there be Tygers
I have a real interest in design history and I often find inspiration from early styles of graphic art. I recently acquired another copy of The Penrose Annual from a second-hand book store and as usual it contains a treasure trove of images and designs. I love this old advertisement for Kodak in the style […]
A Design Odyssey
State Election Guide 2018
My design for the cover of the Mercury‘s guide to the 2018 state election owes everything to the brilliant work of Mercury photographer Richard Jupe. Richard’s great talent for putting his subjects at ease, coupled with his extensive experience in lighting, composition and staging is clearly evident in this stunning combined portrait of Labor party […]
Drawing the Tasmanian tiger
The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a large native carnivorous marsupial that was driven to extinction in Tasmania. The tragic story of the animal continues to fascinate many people both in Tasmania and overseas, and although many unverified sightings have been reported since the last one died in Hobart’s Beaumaris Zoo in 1936, […]
The Penrose Annual, Volume 50, 1956
As an art and graphic design student I often pored over the Penrose Annual collection in the art school library. They were a treasure trove of printing techniques, typeface designs, advertising artwork and illustrations, and I would be enthralled as I turned the pages. I couldn’t believe my luck recently when I found a copy […]
Animals of Tasmania
Animals of Tasmania: Wildlife of an Incredible Island is a book that documents and describes a host of Tasmanian species, including the iconic Tasmanian Devil, the mysterious Thylacine, the magnificent Wedge-tailed Eagle and the endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. These animals and many more have their own stories of survival, tragedy and hope in one of the […]
Antarctic wildlife watercolours
In 1990 I completed a series of Antarctic wildlife drawings and watercolours. This series, called Southern Life, was purchased by the University of Tasmania for their fine art collection. Later, in 2007, they were on display in an exhibition at the University. It was a great honour to exhibit work alongside George Davis and Fred […]