Here’s a glimpse from my office window. Sometimes the view is so beautiful I take pictures instead of working …
Author Archives: AJAiken
All In Gesture – Swing Dancing
I’m gradually working my way through the archives of All In Gesture and this workshop is definitely a favourite. Lots of dynamic poses with the added challenge of two figures!
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 …
Sketching Morna
I first shared some sketches of Morna here, and I’m finally diving back in to developing her design. There are lots of things still to nail down but I’m pleased with how she’s coming to life!
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 ÂŁ1 you can own your own copy. Buy it here.
Happy New Year – 2022?!
Digging through my drawings from last year, I uncovered some from a year ago that I never posted. So here they are!
All In Gesture – 1940s Baseball
And here are some more recent drawings! Makenzie was the model of these ‘A League of Their Own’-inspired poses.
All In Gesture – Hula
I drew these back in May? June? I can’t remember now. Anyway, here they finally are! Anna Rose modelled these fantastic Hula poses for Todd Bright’s All In Gesture class.
King
I doodled this king a few months ago and just now found him hiding in my folder of sketches. Still strange to think there is now a king, not a queen!
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!
Looking for Work
Sadly the project I’m a Storyboard Artist on at Wild Child is coming to an end in September, so I’m looking for work from mid-October! If you’d like to work with me, or know of a project coming up, please email me at ajaiken90@gmail.com Also, take a look at my updated portfolio here!
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.
Sketch Club: Wizard of Oz
Wild Child’s sketch prompt this week was ‘The Wizard of Oz’. My choice of character was Toto, played by a Cairn Terrier in the 1939 movie.
Sketch Club: Fairytale
This week’s prompt was ‘fairytale’. I was inspired by the birth of my nephew and drew a scene from Thumbelina.
Sketch Club: Road Trip
Wild Child has recently started a weekly Sketch Club with a prompt. This week’s was ‘Road Trip’. I had a lot of fun doing research and creating this little image of a family on the Oregon Trail.
Gorilla Sketches
A colleague took a video of some gorillas while visiting his local zoo, and I asked if I could sketch from it. The interactions between the gorillas were fascinating to study.
Light
This character jumped out while I doodled today. I’m not sure who she is or what she’s holding, but she seems a bit worried about it.
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”