Harry Potter
My illustrations from the original Harry Potter books.
Details of their creation accompany the images along with other related imagery and some of the preparation rough sketches sent as faxes (yes, it was before the days of emailing!) to the publishers for their comments.
Only a few of these roughs exist - I am not one for creating a lot of preparation, preferring to keep things as spontaneous as possible for the final watercolour,
so they have become somewhat valuable and a number have been sold to collectors.
A few are still available as listed and I am always open to offers...
Also pictured here are some examples of private commissions.
Similar commissions are always considered.
Please do contact me to discuss.
Private Commission - painting Stewart and his family
in a flying Ford Anglia.
(Commission 19 in the gallery below).
'I cannot recommend Cliff highly enough - he was very easy to deal with throughout the whole process . Upon agreement of the commercials (a painless process) we agreed the scope between us. Subsequently Cliff put together a sketch so we could agree what the final version would look like and also assisted me in putting together photos that were needed. He was very amenable to my desired tweaks, pointing out what would and would not be possible, with items only falling into the latter category when they were literally not feasible. With the photos Cliff helped in terms of what was needed as well as giving excellent advice (“the better you can get these, the better the final painting, so it’s worth spending time getting them right”)
and being candid when what I had provided initially was not quite what was needed. Following this Cliff kept me up to date on the progress and when he sent through the final painting
I was blown away by how good and accurate it was. I had an
idea in my head, so upon opening the picture I was cognisant it would not be as good as this - how could it, Cliff had never met me or my family or seen the area he was painting - yet despite
this, it was even better than I had imagined. Then to top it off, Cliff was prepared to hand deliver the painting to ensure it arrived in one piece. As a result, I’m left with a unique,
fantastic painting that will take pride of place.
Thank you Cliff! '
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Original Pen and Watercolour. The final painting for the original book cover. This was cropped slightly differently on the printed book cover. The original painting was lost by the publishers Bloomsbury, shortly after publication of the book.
Original Pen and Watercolour. The final painting for the original book cover. Actually this image is made from two different paintings. The car (without background) was commissioned separately for use in shop window displays. This was then overlaid on the original cover painting by the publishers - permission was not saught and the reason for the change remains a mystery... Original of the car Sold. Original background image with original car available.
Original Pencil. A sketch to help understand leg movement in particular, with the help of a friend's willing horse. Gathering reference for Buckbeak on the Azkaban cover. Wherever possible I will always aim to make reference sketches from life. Original available.
As you can see, some thoughts from the publishers on the back and front cover preparation sketches thus far submitted.
Pen and Pencil. The process of creating the cover paintings was the usual one of making preparation sketches like this one for discussion with and approval of the publisher and author. A mid stage rough considering head angles for Buckbeak. Original Sold.