The Art of Scamps

Updated March 2025

Need scamps? You're in the right place.

Good quality scamps help win pitches.

Rough and ready quick drawings getting ideas down on paper. A lot of my output involves making scamp artwork. For production companies and collaborations with other creative agencies who need to generate visuals quickly.

Scamps are very similar to storyboards or mock-ups. They help frame an idea, giving an art director or advertiser something to see that can help 'proof' a good idea, pushing it to the next stage, or decide if they aren't quite working, to help find the right direction.

They're an important early part of the creative process where speed and clarity are more important than the quality of the image.

Note: I often work under NDA's (non-disclosure agreements). That means the work is not for public display, on websites or social media. Scamps are often only for private use and owned by the company they are created for. The examples on this page are from real projects, and I've been permitted to share them. Just in case you're production company looking for a scamps artist and are worried about privacy.

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Scamp artwork examples

These examples are from various projects I've worked on with leading production houses around the UK. From TV adverts to product design, it's often about facilitation, taking other people's ideas and converting them into images without being precious.

As you'll see in these examples, even at the early stage colour can be introduced a little, which often helps align with branding when presenting to clients. I've worked under direction with an art director to help achieve their vision, and I can offer ideas too.

Scamps happen at the very beginning of the process, and can on occasion stressful when they are created alongside conversations - that can go in different directions, but they don't have to be.

I have a background in comic art and improv comedy, and studied sequential art and communication design as a student. Learning the shorthand for storytelling and attention-grabbing that comics use so often really helps when it comes to composing images. Scamps can get messy quickly, and less is often more when it comes to choosing images for a presentation.

Get in touch for more info and rates.

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Meet working artists and creative professionals.

Creative networking in Manchester at Grit art studio

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/artwork-creative-networking-for-everyone-tickets-1347760360519

Join us for an evening of chilled networking, chat and idea-generating discussion.

The event helps businesses and entrepreneurs who want to work with creatives, and vice versa, by creating a super chilled atmosphere and frank discussion (it's hosted by a comedian). The aim is to help make networking an enjoyable experience for those who find it boring or intimidating and answer questions around working with creatives, chatting with professional working artists in the city.

Connecting movers and shakers with artists and makers, ART+WORK is a creative networking event for both local artists and creatives and Manchester’s vibrant business community, to explore ideas and create new opportunities.

Finding GRIT.
Grit Manchester is located just off Deansgate in the Great Northern Building. Access is from the Great Northern Warehouse car park entrance, to the right of the main entrance. See map for more information.

Creative networking in Manchester

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Motion graphics video with illustration

In this motion graphics video for drone security, the whole process was covered in-house. From script to screen, creating illustrations, motion animation and voiceover.

The illustrations were clean and functional while retaining a bit of personality and character. Instead of 3D or vector graphics, digital illustration was used to create the assets, images and backgrounds. This allowed for a quick turnaround, and as with all projects at Rockest Steps, nothing as outsourced, it's all in-house.

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*This is an edited version of the final video

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Motion graphics animated videos are great for engaging audiences. Using dynamic visuals, text, and motion to simplify complex information. They capture attention more effectively than static images or plain text, making it ideal for marketing, education, and storytelling.

Infographics, charts, and diagrams get your message across, and they are cost-effective too. You don't need expensive equipment or a day wasted on filming locations. This makes them a versatile solution for social media, websites and presentations.

Beyond engagement, motion graphics enhance brand recognition by incorporating consistent visual styles, colours, and logos. They are particularly effective in digital marketing, where social media algorithms favour video content. Increasing audience reach and interaction.

Additionally, motion graphics videos are much easier to update, unlike live-action videos which may become outdated. Their ability to simplify communication, boost conversions, and enhance storytelling makes them an invaluable tool.

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Great Northern Winter Trail

In late December I was invited to create poster illustrations for The Great Northern building in Manchester.

The brief was to make engaging visuals for a trail around the Great Northern's grand leisure and retail space in the city centre, also the home of Grit Studio. The client referenced some of my satirical cartoons (which are dotted around the art studio and other places), and I proposed some ideas, creating illustrations of winter-themed animals, poems, design and typography for 'The Great Northern Winter Trail'.

Each poster illustration has it's own humorous poem to go along with it. The Great Northern building is home to many different kinds of businesses, from bakeries to letting agents and the poems allude to some of these without naming any specifically, so no one feels 'seen', teased or left out.

Then taking it one step further I added a QR code to a web page where visitors can see silhouettes of each animal they're looking for. Helpful clues that don't show everything, to maintain the incentive to find them all.
There are also instructions on a small 'collect the letters' challenge for visitors to download an artwork montage of all the Winter Trail as a mobile phone or desktop wallpaper. A fun value ad that didn't take much time to implement.

The Winter Trail was a joy of a project with a lot of creative freedom to it. One practical aspect is that poster illustrations are a relatively affordable way to create engagement.

Mine isn't the only art on display in the building with some of the other studio creatives having work on display there. If you're passing through Manchester come and check it out.

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Better engagement with motion graphics

Motion graphics animation, and why you should use it.

Often folks use the term 'animation' when they want to add movement to make their content look more engaging or attention-grabbing. It could be a slide deck, a video or a social media post. This is fine, and to be fair I'm splitting hairs here but it's not entirely accurate.

Animation is closer to TV and Film, describing the movements of characters and scenes. Motion graphics can be anything, shapes, text and illustrations. Motion graphics are most often found in videos, presentations, and social media.

Why should you use motion graphics?

Well, an obvious reason is they capture attention quickly. They stand out when users scroll through a crowded feed, making them more likely to engage with your content.

Motion graphics are great for simplifying complex messages. They can tell a story to get the message across, use humour, or empathy and other emotive hooks to explain an idea more effectively than static images.

Like a good advert, motion graphics content is more likely to be remembered. Many social media platforms prioritize moving content over static, which can boost your visibility and increase organic reach.

Want to find out how you can use motion graphics? Book a chat or get a quote

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Here are some examples of work;

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Refresh, not rebrand.

In late 2024 my local running club, Manchester Road Runners, were looking for a new shirt design to celebrate 12 years of being a lovely active community. What they didn't ask for is a rebrand on the logo, but I'm always looking for opportunities and took the liberty of suggesting a very, very small refresh on their very established logo.

This is not a rebrand.

I think 'rebrand' gets overused in design and not always for the right reasons. There's no need to change something if it works, and with over 100 runners every week and growing, Manchester Road Runners don't really need an image change.

Sans serif?

I was reminded of the 'design trauma' stories of large brands going around the houses on wild varieties of different ideas to refresh a logo, then settling on something resembling what they already had.

With the 'MRR' logo, this is all I suggested. Remove the seriphs. Those are the little cross bars on the ends of letters that define a serif font, often used to define the difference between classical or contemporary style.
I rounded corners a little here, and added a bit more leading (space between rows) so the whole thing fits into a square easier for social media. Other than that this is still the original logo as designed by Chris ryder one of the founding members of my Manchester orderers and a good pal.

Just like the community at Manchester Road Runners who offer support new the runners who rock up every week, this logo refresh is just a gentle nudge of positive progress.

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Speed Portraits.

Now booking for Christmas 2025.

Get in touch for rates.

What is a speed portrait artist?

I prefer the term speed portrait artist to caricaturist. Here's a sample of my speed portrait work, capturing the likenesses of guests at events in my own clean-line graphical style. These photos were taken at various events, from awards ceremonies in Liverpool to Art Battle Manchester and other venues around the UK.

Speed portraits are about getting a likeness quickly, and I enjoy chatting to 'sitters' for the 5/7 minutes we spend together. It's not just about the art, it's about capturing a moment, putting them at ease and making them feel special.

Getting an event artist is a great way to give attendees something permanent they can take away as a souvenir. Weddings, conferences, conventions, etc. It's a quick win at any event. I'm available to book by half-day (evening) or a full day. All materials are provided.

I've got a performance background (in improv comedy), and use humour to help ease any nerves of those who want to sit and be drawn but are a bit apprehensive about it. In my experience, once the first brave few have been drawn, others are quickly drawn to ...bring drawn.

FAQ.

Q. How many people can I draw in an hour?
A. This can vary. A room full of bald-headed chaps would take less time than a room full big hair-do's and beards. Some faces have more lines than others. What can do is make sure everyone who is drawn feels like they've had a special moment.

Q. Do you work in colour?
A. My signature style is black and white, mainly to save time.

Q. Do you do draw pets?
A. I've done a few pet events but they are very tricky as pets tend not to sit still for long. Working from photos isn't the same as a live subject.

Q. Do you work from photos?
A. I can work from photos, however at events my guidance is that 'live' folks, those in the room, come first. a photo portrait can be created anytime, but at a live event the experience is best had by the folks in the room.

Book Cover Illustration

Need a book cover design? As a freelance book cover illustrator I can help with that. it's not always humour, though these covers generate the most interest when opening my portfolio. I can work direct with an author or publisher and I'm (at the time of writing) not represented by an agent, so I can offer value for money too.

Here are some examples of previous books I've worked on. I also do interior artwork, and the examples below have 10 black-and-white interior illustrations too, but you'll need to check them yourself to see that! All my book artwork is created traditionally and digitally by hand.

Got questions?

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Final Cover - Officer Crabtree's Fronch Phrasebook.

Here's a recent book cover illustration for 'Football's Tallest Tales' by Bryan Gibson.

Getting the cover right is important. In this case, nailing the humour and tone the author is after. Illustration is problem solving too. You'll see in this artwork in the background, on one side is the crowd is cheering, while the other is fed up as the ball whistles past the distracted keeper.

We could have had the fans in colour but after discussion, it was decided to keep them in shades of grey. Why? Well, imagine if one side was red and the other blue. It's important to make the book appealing to everyone, so if one colour was the losing team, that could put off a potential reader who supports a team that wears that colour. Make sense? These are the things I consider when doing illustration work.

For this book, I created illustrations for the cover and inside panels - but to see those you'll need to get the book!

Available from Waterside press

If you need a freelance book cover illustrator, get in touch for a chat;

Spring Clean - Need a website audit?

Once a quarter I do a website audit. What's that then? It's looking over all the pages of my website just to check that they are all optimized to the best they can be.

There are some great tools out there that can help check your website including Ubersuggest and Screaming Frog. Running your website through these will let you know how well your website is performing.

Knowing how well your website is performing is something that's become more important since the rise of AI content, as there's now SO MUCH content being created that not all of it, unsurprisingly is great quality or worth reading.
Moreover, Google recently begun penalizing websites that used lots of AI-generated content which can only be a good thing for quality, and humans.

With that in mind it's worth asking if you, or the agency you're using are creating AI content on your website, and if so how much of it?

As the metrics for search ranking change it's important to give your website a review. Make sure you're not piling on poor quality AI content that will help now, but tank your search results later.

If you're not sure where to get started with a website audit, or you just need help with your website in general, get in touch.

I'm a Generation One web designer, which means I've been around quite a while. I'm a website petrolhead, a massive website nerd who loves keeping websites well-oiled and easy to use.

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From cool-looking design to speeding up slow sites. If you need a new website or have problems with the one you've got, get in touch. I cover the full journey from idea to finished website and beyond. Helping you understand what your website needs.

Medical Illustration

Illustrating anatomy, science and medicine

Rocket Steps specialises in medical illustration (medcomms illustration) and motion graphics. Helping clients communicate medical and scientific information effectively through clear visuals and animation.

John's background in art, production and visual storytelling creates detailed and engaging medical illustrations for use in education and marketing. From anatomy to theory models, we can help you find the correct level of detail needed in your images to convey bodily structures and procedures clearly and concisely.

Catering for large and small-scale delivery, from one-to-one consultations to collaborations with other artists in the studio, John works with public and private medical healthcare organisations across the world. We assess project requirements and offer a variety of options to create visuals with precision and clarity that bring your project in on time and on budget.

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We provide medical communication artwork which can be turned into motion graphics animation to explain complex processes clearly. As well as animation we also provide graphic design for leaflets brochures and exhibition stands.

Create engaging communication for science and medical organizations
give clients new ways to engage with audiences
Aid clearer doctor-to-patient communication
improve patient satisfaction through understanding
Assist research, funding and sponsorship
Improve the overall educational process

We don't use AI-generated imagery, everything is bespoke and human-made. All artwork provided to the client is owned by the client on completion. We have a large bank of existing illustration reference images that we refer to to make projects cost-efficient.

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Healthcare Graphic Design & illustration
Medcomms illustrator
STEM Education
Science and Education illustration

Discussing the future of creative design at Grit

Since moving into Grit (Manchester) in December the studio has provided some amazing events and opportunities. I've met some unique creative folks and organizations and had meaty discussions on the why's and how's of making good design work.

In February we had a gallery show and this month two University events. One with students from Manchester Metropolitan's School of Art, and the other from The University of Manchester (Don't get them mixed up!), Creative Manchester and Digital Futures.

There was a lot of discussion on the subject of art, design & technology and how they influence learning and education. This connects strongly with my work, as I bridge the gap between the artistic side of design with illustration and the technical side of design with websites and coding.

The opportunity to speak to the students and also listen to their plans and concerns was insightful. Of course, the subject of AI came up, as well as the purpose and the practicality of finding work that we want to do versus the work that we need to do, and finding that balance.

Client work and passion projects don't always need to be separate. As designers and creatives, any work that improves our skills is time well spent. We can bring our best work to potential new clients where we can create scenarios where both win.

With more events planned, there's a bit of a buzz, and it's great to be at the heart of it.
Massive thanks to John and Sophie for their work so far in making this such a great space.

Links;

Digital Futures
Creative Manchester
Manchester School of Art
Turing Innovation Catalyst

Find me at GRIT Studios Manchester

Announcement! I have a base at GRIT Studios Manchester, an amazing new art studio in the city centre.

It's a new community of creative professionals from all different arts, design and crafts backgrounds, with years of skill under their collective belts.

This is where clients can come and chat about live art, illustration, design, motion graphics, websites and all the things I do, and also soak up the creative vibes. It's early days at the moment but I can already feel the buzz, with creatives joining and setting up their spaces.

Where is GRIT Studios Manchester?

Located in the Great Northern building, just off Deansgate, the studio is based upstairs in the old Barclays Bank RISE business incubator suite where I taught workshops many years ago!

This is the second GRIT, the first one being a very popular space in nearby Stockport. Big thanks to John and Sophie at People with Grit for making it happen.

It's not forever. As John Macauley said when I went to take a look at the space, "it’s not your forever space, but it is your forever community.” The whole building will be redeveloped at some point in the future, and that's fine. In the creative industries, change is an inevitable part of the process.

Connect, create and embrace this amazing opportunity as it's happening, right now.

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Animated explainer videos

Animated explainer videos. Telling stories with illustration and engagement.

I recently worked the the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership, a department of the NHS that helps autistic people access healthcare. For this project, I animated two stories, those of Robbie and Helen, capturing their experiences in illustration and animation (motion graphics).

Chatting with Robbie, Helen and the team, I listened to their stories and put together visuals to add movement to, I guess you could say I took on the role of art director. Working in subdued colours and subtle image transitions, It was a deliberate choice to make the vocals the primary focus, letting the story of lived experience inform the flow and tone of the visuals. I'm really proud of this work.

Both videos had slightly different considerations. The audio has been edited, to keep the videos short for social media, while keeping the message of the story clear.

Massive thanks to Robbie, Helen, Sharon, Lesley and team. This was a great project to collaborate on. While the illustration, video and animation are all my work, this never felt like a solo project, and that's the mark of a great client.

Looking for animated explainer videos for your project?

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Candid autism strategy

More animation and motion graphics