Currently... I have returned to painting and have no plans for any new illustrations in the old style.
Longsummer
...is just me. I've used the name for some time because, like the illustrations, it conjures up clear sunny memories of beautiful places; and it can be a good name for many things.
Working as a designer and artworker for small firms, originally with paste-up and pens, in 1992 I started using the AppleMac. At home, I would occassionally paint. Playing around on the computer, this illustration of Bournemouth flats (below) was done in 1997 and this approach gradually became my chief artistic pastime. Though my own style, I am a fan of the paintings of the golden age of travel posters from the 20s-60s and the clean, bright approach of artists such as Frank Newbould.
In 2009, I decided to live my dream of moving to Bournemouth and started up Longsummer as a business. I traded at Lymington Market from 2011 to 2024.
VeloCityPrints
...was set up in 2020 with David King, a friend from markets, where he sells poster reproductions. A cycling enthusiast, he had the idea to create cycle posters, initially of the classic Grand Tour climbs. He felt my style would stand out in an already crowded market and so we set about designing and creating the range we have today. At the same time, I became an enthusiast too, recently climbing Mont Ventoux and catching the Tour de France at Puy de Dome.
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The illustration process
I drew using Adobe Illustrator on the Mac (the early ones used Macromedia Freehand). A typical illustration took about 30 hours (the Taj Mahal was about this time).
Because they can be altered, some bulk printed postcards
differ to their current prints. For example, I updated the balloon in Lower Gardens when its design changed.
With a chosen subject,
I took plenty of pictures, which I then adjusted, to set up my prefered design.
 
I created an editable palette of minimal and bright colours. With my adjusted photos on a base layer, I built up the illustration over a few layers, drawing point by point with the mouse.. |
