Jacob Courtney
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jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Jacob Courtney
@jacobcourtney.bsky.social
6 followers 19 following 27 posts
Illustrator and Artist from in the UK

jacobcourtney.co.uk
instagram.com/jacobcourtneyillustration
jacobcourtney.bigcartel.com/products
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jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Sketching from films to understand light and colours and things...

#illustration #art #digitalart #inthemoodforlove #wongkarwai
A digital sketch of a still from Wong Kar-wai's 2000 film 'In the Mood for Love'. The sketch depicts a woman and a man with their back to the viewer walking down a street at night, illuminated by street lights.
November 14, 2025 at 5:17 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Part three of an intermittent personal project to create an illustration for each track of the 1994 album 'Dog Man Star' by
@suedehq.bsky.social

This is my response to the third track, 'Heroine'.

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #painting #digitalpainting #digitalart
A young man lays awake in bed, illuminated only by the light from his phone, which he is holding above his head and looking at with a slightly vacant look. The young man on the bed only makes up a small part of the composition of the image - the rest of which is taken up by darkness and empty space - highlighting the young man's loneliness.
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
More work from this feature
A double page spread depicting a woman in a bookshop is browsing the shelves. Along the bookshelf are small spherical lights, one of which is just above the woman's head - reminiscent of a lightbulb above a character's head to suggest they have come up with an idea or realised something - in this case, the woman has found the perfect book for a gift. At the top of the page on the left we see the books are not actually on the shelf but rather floating in front of it in an unordered, slightly chaotic manner. As we look from left to right the books become more orderly, until by the time we look to where the woman is standing we can see that the books are neatly ordered on the shelf. Below the unordered books at the top of the page on the left is some of the text from the feature 'The gift of words' by Katie Caprino, featured in Breathe magazine issue 77. Two women are sitting in a field with the early evening sky behind them. As the sun sets the woman on the left gifts the woman on the right with a book, wrapped in brown paper with a red string tied around it. The image depicts illustrations surrounding some text. The illustrations depict people at a book fair/market/sale, browsing and reading the books on offer. In the centre of the page is some of the text from the feature 'The gift of words' by Katie Caprino, featured in Breathe issue 77.
October 27, 2025 at 3:45 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Some of my work for issue 77 of Breathe magazine, accompanying an article by Katie Caprino about how to choose the perfect book for someone as a gift!

#illustration #illustrator #artist #art #editorial #editorialillustration #digital #digitalart
A woman in a bookshop is browsing the shelves. Along the bookshelf are small spherical lights, one of which is just above the woman's head - reminiscent of a lightbulb above a character's head to suggest they have come up with an idea or realised something - in this case, the woman has found the perfect book for a gift.
October 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
It'll pass

#illustration #art #digitalart #digitalpainting #autumn #fall
A woman walks down a foggy street with trees on both sides of the road. She walks away with her back to the viewer, approaching a pedestrian crossing with some traffic lights. The sky is overcast and the leaves on the trees are turning yellow.
October 24, 2025 at 12:32 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
'Come to the point then and be done with it. Some of us have work to be getting on with.'

An illustration inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro's 1989 novel 'The Remains of the Day'.

#illustration #art #digitalart #digitalpainting #drawing #painting #kazuoishiguro #theremainsoftheday
October 7, 2025 at 11:45 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
I'm very excited to share my cover artwork for 'Beacons' by Jack Restall, the new album which is out now!
jackrestall.com

#illustration #art #digitalart #digitalpainting #album #albumart #albumcover #music
October 3, 2025 at 12:26 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Prints of my work are now available! They can be found at jacobcourtney.bigcartel.com/products

They are A5 (148 x 210mm) prints on Fotospeed Matt Ultra 240gsm paper, featuring illustrations created during my time at the @royalcollegeofart.bsky.social

#illustration #art #artwork #prints
September 16, 2025 at 12:40 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Other versions
September 4, 2025 at 5:49 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
The man next door
#illustration #art #digitalart
September 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Alleyway

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #digitalart #digital #digitalpainting #digitaldrawing #drawing #painting #landscape #landscapepainting #street #streetpainting #alley #alleyway #cardiff #wales #southwales #city #houses #garage #wall #brick #bluesky #plants
A digital painting of an alleyway in Cardiff, South Wales. It is a sunny day, and the alley is covered by the shadows formed from the buildings on the left side of it.
August 18, 2025 at 12:03 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
More work!
A double page spread from Breathe magazine issue 75, featuring spot illustrations. The first illustration on the first page shows letters that have just been delivered through someone's front door. The second illustration on the second page shows the letter being opened, as well as a cup of tea and a plate.
August 13, 2025 at 11:44 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
My illustrations for Breathe magazine issue 75, accompanying a feature from Fiona McNeill about pen pals, and how the more old-fashioned and slower method of communicating via writing and sending letters can help connect people from all over the world.
#illustration #art #breathe #editorial
In a darkly lit room with a dark greenish hue, a woman sits at a cluttered desk writing a letter. The desk is positioned in front of a window, through which we can see a reflection, but rather than being an accurate reflection, the figure in the window is representative of the recipient of the letter the woman is writing. Through the window we also see rain falling.
August 13, 2025 at 11:42 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Some of my work for issue 74 of Breathe magazine, accompanying an article by @kateorson.bsky.social about making the most out of holidays, as well as how to travel responsibly.

#illustration #illustrator #artist #art #editorial #editorialillustration #digital #digitalart
A woman with a bicycle with her back to the viewer walks across a shaded area in a marketplace in an alleyway on a sunny day. We see other figures sitting and standing in the marketplace, as well as some of the items being sold, such as food and rugs.
June 27, 2025 at 2:18 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
More work from this feature
A scene on a nightclub dancefloor illuminated by reddish, pinkish lights. The figures dancing all have a hula hoop around them, symbolising their personal space. A woman in a nightclub surrounded by a crowd of people, illuminated by reddish, pinkish lights. The woman clutches her bag close to her chest to help alleviate the anxiety caused by the lack of personal space.
May 21, 2025 at 10:40 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Some work from last year for Breathe Magazine issue 67, accompanying a feature by Greta Solomon about personal space - looking at our own and each other's personal boundaries and how you can give yourself and others room to breathe!

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #editorial #digital
A crowded scene at the bar in a nightclub illuminated by reddish, pinkish lights. A woman in the centre of the image in uncomfortable by the large crowd surrounding her and her lack of personal space. She is illuminated by an overhead light - this light taking the shape of a perfect circle, connotating to the idea of a 'personal bubble'.
May 21, 2025 at 10:36 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
'There's something we need you to do'.

Some older work from 2022.

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #digital #digitalart #digitalpainting #painting #noir
In a dark room, a figure mostly covered in shadow outstretches their arm across a desk as they pass a folder towards the viewer. The figure's arm, the only part of them we can clearly see, is illuminated by the only light source in the room - a lamp on the desk.
May 15, 2025 at 2:44 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
My illustrations for issue 73 of Breathe Magazine, accompanying a feature by @carolinebutterwick.bsky.social about life-admin tasks and how overwhelming they can be, as well as discussing ways they can be managed!

#illustration #art #editorial #digitalart #magazine #breathe
A woman sits on her bed looking fatigued and unhappy. She is engulfed by an exaggerated shadow cast on her by the evening light shining upon a desk in the foreground of the image, on which are several important letters and bills. A double page spread from issue 73 of Breathe magazine, with illustrations surrounding the text. On the first page we see a to-do list written in a small notepad. On the second page we see a character working on these tasks. The images are broken into panels, with white gutters separating the illustration into different frames. The frames are separated to section off each of the tasks written on the to-do list on the previous page. The panels depicting each task or item to be addressed have a different level of contrast/saturation relative to their position on the to-do list - task number 1 has the most contrast and saturation whereas task 4 has the least. A closer look at the second page of the previous two page spread
May 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
More drawings from films! Here's a study from 'In the Mood for Love' (2000), directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung.

#illustration #art #drawing #painting #sketch #digitalart #film #cinema #inthemoodforlove
A digital painting of a still from the film 'In the Mood for Love', (2000). The image depicts a man and a woman in the backseat of a taxi at night.
May 7, 2025 at 12:53 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Drawing from films! Here is a digital study of a still from 'Shoplifters' (2018), directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

#illustration #art #illustrator #artist #digitalart #digitalpainting #study #sketch #film #cinema #japanesecinema #shoplifters
In an interior with dim pink lighting, we see a close-up of a young woman hugging a young man. A digital sketch of a still from the 2018 film 'Shoplifters', directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.
April 7, 2025 at 2:23 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
What was it you were hoping to find?

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #drawing #traditional #traditionalart #digital #digitalart #painting #digitalpainting
A woman with her back to us pushes away the curtains of a window to look outside. The bright light outside creeps into the darker room in which the woman stands. In this room is a sofa with a travel guide one of the seats.
April 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
The Stranger

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #painting #digitalpainting #digitalart
April 1, 2025 at 11:11 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Part two of an intermittent personal project to create an illustration for each track of the 1994 album 'Dog Man Star' by @suedehq.bsky.social

This is my response to the second track, 'We Are the Pigs'.

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #painting #digitalpainting #digitalart
In a muddy, grey, coastal area littered with industrial waste, a dishevelled young man with long, messy hair kneels down to pick up a piggy bank found amongst the debris.
March 28, 2025 at 11:54 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
The first part of a ongoing personal project, to create an illustration in response to each track of the 1994 album 'Dog Man Star' by @suedehq.bsky.social
This is my response to the first track, 'Introducing the Band'!

#illustration #illustrator #art #artist #painting #digitalart #digitalpainting
A doorway with cracked glass leading to a dimly lit stairwell, through which we can see several people descending down some concrete stairs. One of these figures is looking through the hole in the broken window in the door, making eye contact with the viewer.
March 25, 2025 at 11:47 AM
jacobcourtney.bsky.social
Some of my work for Breathe magazine issue 70, accompanying a feature by Jenny Lester about bouldering, and how it can help with our mental wellbeing and be a good way to treat social isolation.

#illustration #art #editorial #digitalart #digitalpainting
A woman with her back to us taking part in bouldering, climbing up a wall using coloured grips. A two-page editorial spread of a woman taking part in bouldering. From a view where we are looking up at the wall we can see her climbing up the wall using coloured grips. The woman is on the right hand side of the spread, with text appearing on the left hand side, and the wall itself extends from the right side of the spread to the left, enveloping the text. A woman taking part in bouldering. She is upside down and hanging from a ceiling with coloured grips which she is holding onto the climb along
March 24, 2025 at 12:36 PM