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I was asked by Prog magazine to create an image for their Album Review page. It was featuring Neal Morse’s new double concept album The Similitude Of A Dream, based on his born again christian take on Pilgrim’s Progress. It was more or less an open brief with the request that the band members be included and to ensure that Morse himself be dominant.

I liked the idea of using elements from an early interpretation of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and updating it with Morse himself and other modern references.

Alas, no sooner was the work submitted then Prog and it's publisher Teamrock went into administration:(

A new piece for Prog magazine. Accompanying the lead review for a new album by Dream Theater, 'The Astonishing'.

The imagery was to be based on the main concept of the album:
'After a great calamity precipitated a gradual societal collapse, medieval-like feudalism has re-emerged. In the midst of this dystopia a lone voice heralds the arrival of a reawakening in human consciousness - to stir the hearts of the people and shake the very foundations of power.'

As usual, the band are required to be featured, so here they are in the swirls emanating from the guitar head.

Below you can see the progression of the image from the initial thought through to a more accurate pencil drawing. As usual colours are then developed while working at artwork stage.

This was an illustration for Prog magazine. It was a feature illustration to accompany a review of a state of the art re-mastering of Rogers Waters (ex Pink Floyd) third solo album 'Amused To Death'.

I was given a free hand in interpretation. The album content is conceptually ambitious and somewhat prescient as it is concerned with a dystopian future and its' screen obsessed society. It follows a monkey randomly flicking through TV channels which was just too good an image to
pass up.

One of the requirements of the job was that the artist be included in the illustration so the screen was the obvious place to include Waters himself.

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This was an interesting piece. Prog magazine contacted me to illustrate the debut album review for noted band Headspace. Their new album 'I Am Anonymous' is strong on concepts, specifically;
"It is about you and your relationship with humanity, ultimately the battles fought within the mind from child to man. Through Kubler Ross’ model of impending death, with reference to war, the turmoil leads us to peace and acceptance, only then to swing straight back around to chaos.” !



I was given a free hand on the image, the only stipulation being that the band needed to be included somewhere. They had strong album art of a girl walking towards a war zone and my approach was to try and keep to the same aesthetic which suited the way I like to work.



I focused on the theme of war and the development of child to man - life breaking through in a war-torn environment. The band were included within a cracked picture frame. Although the sketch was liked there was some concern that it may appear too medical so I added a gas mask which re-inforced the war theme whilst also suggesting survival.

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