Author Archives: AJAiken

All In Gesture – John Smith

I’ve been drawing, but not posting – here are some recent sketches from Todd Bright’s All In Gesture workshop! The theme was John Smith from Pocahontas. My sketches veer between attempting the character and following the model, and have ended up not much like either …

Sketchbook 2019-2022

I’ve added a new Sketchbook pdf to my Gumroad page. It’s got 54 pages of life drawing, gestures, and animal sketches in a large square format – higher quality than on this blog! For £1 you can own your own copy. Buy it here.

Kinsey’s Sword Sneak Peek

A young queen falls ill at the beginning of her reign. Initially unable to leave her bedroom, she fights against fear and hopelessness in her dreams. But as Kinsey grows strong she remains in the dream world, avoiding the kingdom she left behind … Take a peek inside: I’ve shared bits and pieces from Kinsey’sContinue reading “Kinsey’s Sword Sneak Peek”

Creating the Title Page for Kinsey’s Sword

Here’s a look at some of the process I went through drawing the title page for Kinsey’s Sword. As it was the first spread I painted for the book I was still trying to capture the style of the illustrations. Initially I’d thought I’d add a lot more detail and move further away from theContinue reading “Creating the Title Page for Kinsey’s Sword”

Toad & Friends

Over the last year I’ve been storyboarding on Toad & Friends, a new CG children’s series based on Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel The Wind in the Willows. It’s just been announced (you can find out more about it here) so it’s very exciting to finally be able to share it with you all!

All In Gesture – Travelling

Today I dusted the cobwebs off my pencil and newsprint pad and sat down to do some gesture drawing! Todd Bright’s weekly All In Gesture class gets recorded, so I was able to take part at a time that suited me. It was so much fun to do, despite being very rusty.

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

For the last six months I’ve been a storyboard artist on The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, working for Wild Child as part of an amazing team. The series is based on Liz Pichon’s bestselling Tom Gates books. The first episodes are now on Sky Kids in the UK, either as part of a SkyContinue reading “The Brilliant World of Tom Gates”