How to...

I thought some people might be interested in how I create my illustrations, so here's an technical overview using a page from the Lion of St Andrews as an example:

Stage one - Drawing. 
I use a hard, typically HB, pencil to lightly sketch out the composition. I then draw the detail in with a technical pencil. I usually don't use references for my drawings, but in the book I included several real St Andrews locations.  For this image I used a reference photo of the castle.

Stage two - Colouring. 
I then colour the image using Photoshop and a drawing tablet (Wacom) with a pressure sensitive pen. I scan the image into Photoshop and set the layer to "linear burn" and then do the digital painting on a separate layer underneath, which allows me to see through the drawing while colouring. This is how the digital colour looks underneath the drawing..

...weird!

And this is what the final image looks like. In this example there is some digital collage I added (the musical notes) using a layer mask. 

And if you are around St Andrews this month, I should be doing a live demonstration of this colouring at my book launch in J&G Innes on 30th. In the meantime look out for news on the new Facebook group or the official Lion of St Andrews website.