Posts in Graphic Design
Lettering / A Study in Scarlet

One of the most interesting - and most time-consuming! - parts of my Study in Scarlet project was the typography in all the adverts. Everything is based very heavily on historical advertising references from the early 1900s (I had a lot of fun with that research!) and I ended up drawing pretty much every letter by hand. There are so many delightful quirks in that vintage lettering, and I really wanted to capture as many of those characterful details as possible! Click through to take a look!

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Ballpoint Illustration / SS Sirius

I didn’t know much about the SS Sirius until recently, despite seeing its legacy all over Cork. If you visit Cobh today, you might pass the Sirius Arts Centre; if you wander around Passage West you might see a paddle shaft from the ship on display; it's even the reason Ballycotton has a lighthouse now!

I'll share its story below if you're curious, but the reason I researched and drew it in the first place was as part of an advert in my Scarlet project. I've used artistic license obviously, but it's a self-indulgent project anyway, so I drew my favourite instead of a more accurate ship 🤷 It felt like a good time to share the story too, as Sirius made its most famous journey in April. I’ve also been playing AC Black Flag lately, humming sea shanties while sailing around in my virtual ship. So, here's the (shortened!) story of a historic Cork ship!

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