A few years ago I decided that is was time to take a close look at my lines. For an illustrator, the heart of the style is in the line. To be honest, after 20 + years of ligne claire, I was ready to try something a bit bolder.

I had always been a fan of japanese brush art, so I picked up a brush, loaded it with ink and started drawing in a new way. I wanted the colour to be bold, but flat - so I went digital (but ssshhh, don't tell anyone. I still try and make it look like paint).

I've been very pleased with the new look - and clients like the Globe and Mail and Scholastic seemed to like it too. The bolder strokes lend themselves more to simple graphic images, like whales, a boy in a field, or even a big chicken!

Click the thumbnails below to see some of the applications of this style.