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BBC (UK)

Cleopatra - Proms

Neale Osborne

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the full figure image of Cleopatra was printed in a program for one of the series of classical concerts for the BBC Proms, 2019

Neale Osborne (2019)

Neale Osborne

illustration of caricature of the English ballerina - on pointe (and in a puddle) - as Odette from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’
illustration of portrait of the 20th Century American writer, with a ‘view’ of the New York city skyline
illustration of I couldn’t resist incorporating all those lovely Art Deco designs - the winged throne, exotic headdress and saucy costume - from the 1934 movie ‘Cleopatra’ - into this caricature of the Oscar-winning actress (for Bridgeman Images, 2018)
illustration of ‘70s style’ caricature of the British rock band (from left: drummer Roger Taylor, bassist John Deacon, singer Freddie Mercury and guitarist Brian May)
illustration of Beardsley’s Art Nouveau illustration work was such an influence on my own black-and-white style that I couldn’t resist this stylized depiction of him
illustration of caricature of the French actor-director, depicted as his famous comic persona Monsieur Hulot
illustration of caricature of the jazz clarinettist - in something of a jazz-age cartoon style
illustration of stylized caricatures of the four stars of Billy Wilder’s 1950 movie ‘Sunset Blvd.’ From left to right: Erich Von Stroheim as Max Von Mayerling, William Holden as Jon Gillis, Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, and Nancy Olson as Betty Schaefer.
illustration of caricature of the ‘silent’ Hollywood vamp
illustration of caricature of the great Russian-born composer - for my ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition at Symphony Hall, Birmingham
illustration of portrait of the great 20th Century Russian composer depicted with a hint of a Soviet poster. Originally drawn in black-and-white for my ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition (at Symphony Hall, Birmingham), this re-vamped digital version has also been used on the cover of a CD of Shostakovich concertos.
illustration of cover illustration for the Times Literary Supplement, depicting one of the lesser-known members of the Inklings (the literary group that included CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien). The portrait required the inclusion of various masonic and religious symbols associated with Williams’ mystical writings, while also reflecting his connection to Rosacrucianism.
illustration of portrait of the Mexican artist - one of my first pieces for Bridgeman Arts, 2018
illustration of caricature of the Polish composer and pianist - as a piano
illustration of caricature of actor Albert Dieudonné as Bonaparte from the classic 1927 silent epic 'Napoleon' (directed by Abel Gance). The triptych nature of the picture - with its background of eagle, cannon (with its 'wheel of destiny' motif), Lady Liberty and battlefield - refers to the famous final sequence of the film which is split into three screens, like the French tricolore flag.
illustration of Dorothy and Toto on the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City; self-promotional piece depicting characters from 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by L Frank Baum
illustration of self-promotional image of a character from L Frank Baum’s ‘Oz’ books
illustration of created as part of a set of self-promotional images called ‘The Land of Oz’
illustration of self-promotional illustration on the theme of L Frank Baum’s ‘Oz’ books
illustration of from a set of self-promotional images called ‘The Land of Oz’ - based on characters created by L. Frank Baum
illustration of British soldiers at the battle of the Somme - from a series of picture library images created for the centenary of the First World War; here the idea was to portray the 'doomed' infantry men, and depict them almost as spirits walking through a mustard gas cloud, or even a ghostly cemetery of crosses
illustration of cover designs for two books in a series of self-penned fantasy novelettes - 'Spring in Time' and 'Autumn Nightmare' - one with an evolutionary theme, featuring prehistoric mammals (including a wooly rhinoceros and megatherium), woodland creatures, and dinosaurs galore; the other a creepy Hallowe'en-themed tale with giant insects (moths, mantids, spiders, grasshoppers), black magic pumpkins and lots of black humour (!)
illustration of from Igor Stravinsky's ballet / based on the costume design by Leon Bakst. Color version of the original black-and-white image that was part of my ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition. I also used this picture on the cover of ‘Sweet Art’, a self-published paperback, from 2015, collecting twenty years of my illustration work
illustration of front and back cover designs for my own children’s chapter book - the second in the series ‘The Seasonal Dreams’. This particular story fuses classic video computer games (and a villain in the shape of a virus bug) with seaside imagery (sandcastle teleport posts, and a holographic Punch and Judy), desert creatures (scorpions, tarantulas, eagles) and various summer sports.
illustration of complementary cover designs for my pair of food-themed children’s novels: the sweetie world of ‘Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum’ and the spicy, Arabian Nights-inspired sequel ‘Lydia’s Golden Drum’ (Oxford University Press, 2009 / 2013)
illustration of the original black-and-white jacket illustrations (before coloring) from my debut children’s novel ‘Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum’ - for Oxford University Press, 2008 - showing the various confectionery themes, the truffle forest, biscuit strata, pear drops, ice-cream and jelly mountains, the tea set city and sweet-trees and fauna of the Mixakoko jungle - oh, and Lydia in her hooded cloak
illustration of An illustration for ‘The Golden Cockerel’, the satirical opera by Rimsky-Korsakov (to a story by Alexander Pushkin). The image formed part of my month-long ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition, created as a celebration of Russian music to coincide with a series of concerts (at Symphony Hall, Birmingham) by the Mariinsky Orchestra and Opera under the direction of maestro Valery Gergiev
illustration of image from Stravinsky’s ballet ‘The Firebird’, used in a concert program for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
illustration of the title character from ‘Eugene Onegin’, the opera by Tchaikovsky (to a text by Pushkin) - here shown facing a quartet of female admirers with suitably aristocratic airs, not to mention eccentric hair. The complete image is three times as tall, and goes right up to a decorative chandelier; it was created for my ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, in 2006
illustration of decorative, almost abstract poster image for my ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition, a celebration of Russian music, at Birmingham Symphony Hall, in 2006
illustration of 2005 poster commission from UK design company the Taxi Studio depicting their many achievements and awards. Amazingly, no computer was used in the making of this image, as it would be at least a couple of years before I got into the ‘laptop habit’ - so, it was just me and my little dip pen and paintbrush (!)
illustration of another ‘Mariinsky’ exhibition piece depicting the ‘star-crossed lovers’ in their famous balcony scene from Prokofiev’s ballet (and William Shakespeare’s play)
illustration of These were two of four images commissioned by the Birmingham Royal Ballet that were used as back projections for performances of Sir Frederick Ashton’s ‘Divertissements’, a quartet of short ballets that included ‘Tweedledum and Tweedledee’ - hence the ‘Alice’ imagery. The heraldic crest was for a ballet set to the Habsburg-era music of Johannes Brahms.
illustration of Father Christmas on a gift-laden sleigh, with an elf holding a lantern as he flies over the moonlit rooftops delivering presents - Christmas card commission from the UK employment agency Pertemps People Development Group
illustration of my own stylistic re-working of an archive image of ‘two midinettes dancing on the beach, to the music of a gramophone’, a 1929 French illustration by 'La Vie Parisienne' artist Georges Pavis; I greatly exaggerated the gramophone horn and the elegance of the figures, giving the illustration a more Art Nouveau look, while stressing the attractive patterns of the parasol, the ladies' hairstyles and swimming costumes, plus the stave-like waves of the sea.
illustration of portfolio image - later given a colorful digital ‘makeover’
illustration of Wagnerian opera character Brunnhilde - complete with winged helmet, shield, spear and big brass bosom - ‘singing’ her aria out on a storm-swept, lightning-lashed mountaintop - BBC Proms Program, 2020
illustration of image for the paperback cover design of my own novel 'The Castle of Desires'
illustration of portfolio piece from a series I called the ‘Neale O zodiac’ - fashion-themed images depicting the twelve star signs
illustration of a ‘retro-modern / vintage-digital' image of a woman with a bobbed haircut wearing jewelry
illustration of illustration of Alice in the Queen of Hearts’ rose garden; one of a quartet of mugwrap designs for Whittard of Chelsea, for their ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ range
illustration of scene inspired by Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' - March 2021
illustration of composite illustration, commissioned by Whittard of Chelsea, depicting a whole host of characters (the cook, frog footman, the hatter and march hare, the dodo, white rabbit, knave of hearts, flamingo, parrot, Bill the lizard, the caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, the dormouse in a teapot) from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ - for use on biscuit tins, tea trays etc.
illustration of one of many illustrations, for Whittard of Chelsea, on the theme of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party; this image of the White Rabbit went on the side of a mug (with Alice chasing him on the other side)
illustration of one of dozens of images for ‘Whittard of Chelsea’ on the theme of ‘Alice in Wonderland’; this was one of my favorite illustrations of the set, yet I did so many extra images for the client that I don’t think this one was ever used.
illustration of caricature of the British actress - from the 1935 movie ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ directed by James Whale
illustration of caricature of the 19th Century German composer - portrayed as Wotan, King of the Gods, from his famous ‘Ring’ cycle of operas
illustration of caricature of English writer Charles Dickens for his bicentenary - and my momentous first cover for the Times Literary Supplement!
illustration of caricature of the English composer, most famous for his orchestral suite ‘The Planets’. This image was used in a concert program for the NDR Sinfonie Orchester, Germany
illustration of caricature for the Times Literary Supplement, to accompany an article about Calvino’s wartime memoirs and his time as a guard in the Italian army
illustration of caricature of the Greek-born soprano (for Lebrecht Music + Arts)
illustration of caricature of the maverick American composer - with reference to Ives’ New England background, plus his stylistic innovations fusing marching band music, church hymns etc - commissioned by ‘The Gramophone’ magazine
illustration of caricature of the avant-garde Franco-American composer - famous for his dissonant music
illustration of caricature of the Welsh-born actor - as Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus in the film by Julie Taymor (which happens to be my all-time favorite movie)
illustration of caricature of the American actress Sigourney Weaver, as Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror movie ‘Alien’ - looking ominously at the ‘HR Giger spaceship’ in the background
illustration of caricature of the American composer, somewhat in the spirit of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld (a jazz-age contemporary of Gershwin)
illustration of caricature of Hollywood actor Errol Flynn (for Lebrecht Music + Arts)
illustration of caricature of the English writer - published in the Daily Mail
illustration of caricature of the English writer, commissioned by the Times Literary Supplement. I did prepare another version of this image with Ms T Warner holding a pen - but, I guess the TLS were happy to keep the cigarette (!)
illustration of caricature of the Russian ballerina (for Lebrecht Music + Arts)
illustration of caricature of the Australian rock musician, for the premier issue of Mojo ‘the Rock n Roll magazine’ - first published about a quarter of a century ago!
illustration of caricature of the American horror writer, with ‘Cthuhlu’ tentacles writhing round his shoulders - published in the Times Literary Supplement
illustration of caricature of the British Field Marshall, in army uniform - from a series of First World War leaders to commemorate the recent centenary
illustration of caricature of the singer and member of heavy metal band Black Sabbath - Ozzy is not only my namesake, but he also hails from my home city of Birmingham!
illustration of caricature of the great Finnish composer, depicted as younger man, with a woodland backdrop, in reference to his orchestral masterpiece 'Tapiola' (for Lebrecht Music + Arts)
illustration of caricature of the author of ‘The Jungle Book’ - complete with snakeskin tie
illustration of caricature of the 20th Century British writer, published in the Mail on Sunday
illustration of caricatures of Chico, Groucho and Harpo Marx - from a series of (fairly) early Hollywood stars
illustration of caricature of the Nobel-prize-winning German author, with reference to his books 'The Flounder’, 'From the Diary of a Snail’ and, of course, 'The Tin Drum’. It was this 1957 book that was to be the initial inspiration for my own children’s novel ‘Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum’.
illustration of caricature of the famous English playwright with a ‘background’ of Elizabethan London and the Globe Theatre (for Lebrecht Music + Arts)

Profile

Neale Osborne is best known for his expressive ink drawings - though he has also worked in various graphic techniques. His pictures have appeared in such publications as Country Life, the Times, the Gramophone, the Daily Mail, TLS and Mojo, as well as in concert programs for the BBC Proms, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Mariinsky Opera. There are also many years’ worth of work to be found in his various book projects, most notably 'Lydia's Tin Lid Drum', published in 2009 by Oxford University Press. Neale's portfolio often reflects a love of early cinema and classical music, and his images can be licensed from the prestigious Bridgeman Arts picture library.

Style/Techniques

Abstract, Black & White, Calligraphy, Caricature, Cartoon, Collage, Design, Digital, Figurative, Graphic, Line, Line with Color, Mixed Media, Painterly, Pen & Ink, Silhouette, Stylized, Watercolor, Decorative, Whimsical, Film/Entertainment

Subject/Specialties

Humor, Action, Adventure, Animals, Book Covers, Celebrities, Children's Books, Editorial, Fantasy, Fashion/Cosmetics, Food, Greeting Cards, Historical, Holidays, Landscape, Music, Nature, Packaging, People, Political, Portrait, Posters, Religious, Romance, Science, Sci-Fi, Sports, Toys & Games, Wildlife, Americana, Food/Beverage, Lifestyle, Vintage / Retro, Feminine, Masculine, Financial