Just finished this illustration entry for the Serco Prize for Illustration 2014. Got to say thanks to my good pal James W Hunter, who told a group of us about this competition via Facebook, as I wasn’t aware of it, so cheers! With the competition, the brief asked illustrators to illustrate London stories, real or fictitious, within a poster format.
As it was a brief which allowed you to be quite imaginative, I began researching into past and present London stories, and came across ‘Billy Brown of London Town’.
The character was used as cautionary posters during World War 2, warning against walking across the road during black out, and peeling off cautionary tape on the London Undergrounds windows .etc.
Billy Brown was an enchanting character that I just couldn’t get away from, and I had to make him part of my London story.
After thinking again of possible compositions and ideas with him in, I thought of the idea of paying homage to the character, and bringing him into a modern day setting in London. As I think we would be proud of how London has shaped up as one of the best cities in the world.
So below shows the final illustration, incorporating both the character, advertisement and passengers on the bus, having a great time. The brief asked creatives to be colourful and playful, which hopefully I have conveyed within this illustration. I had a lot of fun producing the artwork, and I hope you like it! Fingers crossed that the judges like it also!
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Billy Brown of London Town Poster Illustration
17th October 2013
