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I was contacted by Gina at Education Week as they were planning a Special Report on AI. A cover and interior illustrations were needed. The report was looking at the big questions now raised for schools on how to evaluate and respond to the proliferation of AI. How to determine what role AI should play in education, how to develop a better understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of the technology, and then to leverage it to improve teaching and learning and the management of schools.

To help schools reach those goals, a number of aspects were examined from teacher training to deepfakes, assessment and special needs. The tone of the reporting was to be focused on solutions, so positive, hopeful imagery was requested.

Accordingly, for the cover I loved the idea of using a digitised butterfly. It works both as a symbol for transformation but also relates to the ‘butterfly effect’ idea and how everything is deeply interconnected.

Ideas for the interior illustrations sprang from the texts. Here are some of the published pages and proposed concept drawings.

New designs based on the Autumn theme. Experimenting with composition, collage, ephemera and abstract figures. (click for enlargements).

Jennifer from American Educator was in touch with an illustration request. Their Ask The Cognitive Scientist column was featuring an article about disruptive behaviour in the classroom. The only specific requirements were that Rodin’s The Thinker was to be incorporated into the opening illustration (a regular thing) and that no violence was to be depicted.

Seasonally-inspired image, merging hi-tech and lo-tech collaging techniques.

I like to depict different ways of displaying drawings or unfinished artworks. This is a new take with the addition of a mysterious viewer.

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Walking through the park I spotted a tiny piece of curled string which caught my interest. I've used it as a basis for creating some abstract figure forms.

This is an illustration made for Case Western Reserve University. A wraparound cover image for Think magazine. The story revolves around Anirban Sen Gupta’s quest to develop synthetic, life-saving blood. A project he has been working on for years, securing grants, including a $2.75m award this year from the U.S. Department of Defense. He’s also a key member of a University of Maryland team that recently was awarded a $46.4 million federal grant to develop a freeze-dried blood substitute that, if successful, has the potential to save thousands of wounded soldiers’ lives - and civilian lives, as well.



Above, the finished illustration.



The printed version, Fall/Winter 2024 issue.

This was a challenging job in a number of respects. A lot of content was required and mostly of a very technical nature. This involved liaising with Sen Gupta who supplied various references to the cellular structures and nanoparticles involved in the project. With so many elements to be included I was keen to avoid a multi-coloured look so settled on a limited palette which suggested both medicine and the future of biological development.



Above are the original concept drawings. Instead of focussing on creation, as in the first two drawings, it was decided instead to feature Sen Gupta himself, the project leader. Bottom right is the approved concept sketch.



For accuracy, photos were taken of Sen Gupta. My objective was to simplify his features while still maintaining a good likeness. Above are some of the process stages.

More from an ongoing series/project, Masked & Anonymous. At some point I hope to collate the series in a small volume or perhaps issue some individually as prints.
The collection here are printed small and mounted on the front of matchboxes .

Experimental image, merging bits of drawing, text and ephemera.

More sketchbook pages. Whatever else is going on I like to keep these 'unconscious' drawings on the go. Although they are the polar opposite of more considered work they often contain the seeds for new projects.