Dennis Severs House

These images are a selection of rooms from a project intended as a book, but they also have the same qualities as background art. I really enjoyed creating the scenes, using the same process as in animation- composition sketches, rough layout, then neat line and final colour. It involved a lot of research too, which is always something I love. The style of interiors from 'The Illusionist' and 'Belleville Rendez-vous', and the 1960's Disney films have always been an inspiration; I adore the pencil line of the layouts and the huge amount of detail and eccentricity. Dennis Severs House is a recreation of an 18th century silk weaver's home in London, made to look like the owners have just stepped out, giving a Marie Celeste quality. The rich detail and magical atmosphere fascinated me and I was inspired to start drawing some of the rooms. During lockdown in 2020 I decided to draw every room, and bring them all into one book. You can find more information about the house here - dennissevershouse.co.uk Instagram @dennissevershouse

Spitalfields 1740

This is the view for the start of the book showing the area's layout. I did a lot of research to be as close to how the streets would have looked 280 years ago, using old maps of Georgian London, street elevations and old photos of buildings no longer standing. I used the map to build up a 3d view for a rough layout. Then I started on the line work with a rough pencil, blocks of colour with pastel and finally painting the textures and details with a rough pastel brush. The black and white image at the end is the mask layer for sunshine highlights; it's an interesting drawing with a spooky quality that looks like another world.