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An illustration of a giant brown snail crawling across a bridge in a city. In the background, several high-tech blue glass skyscrapers rise against a dark, cross-hatched sky.

Under David Janes’ mocked-up houses lies a host of pen and ink delights

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Date
12 February 2013

David Janes sent us a small book of a green pop-up paper house. Complete with building instructions and a watercolour of several emerald houses dwarfing London, it’s a nice way to showcase his skills in artwork, mock-ups, guidelines and visual trickery.

But scroll a little further down his site and you’ll find a pen and ink treasure trove. Aside from the delightful giant snail crossing Vauxhall bridge and the chameleon leaving Westminster cathedral, David Janes keeps it black and white. There’s an huge, intricate bindweed covered Shard, hundreds of sketches of political figures in mid-spitting flow, some crosshatched Gorey-esque narratives and Victorian machinated creatures. He says he’s “a freelance design dogsbody with aspirations to be a painter…”, we say the products of his aspirations are looking very fine.

A 3D render and a corresponding illustration of the London skyline. Large, bright green geometric blocks are placed over the city, partially obscuring landmarks like St Paul’s Cathedral and the Gherkin.
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David Janes: Green House mock-up

An illustration of a giant snail crawling across a bridge in a city. The surrounding buildings are tall and angular, set against a dark, textured sky.
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David Janes: Snail Crossing Vauxhall Bridge

A black and white illustration of a gothic, boxy machine decorated with skulls. The device features a grilled central screen, a rotating antenna on top and two ribbed hoses trailing from the side.
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David Janes: Microwave from The Moriarty Papers

A black and white illustration of a cluttered antique shop storefront. A large sign above the window reads “CURDLES COLLECTABLES”, and a caption below reads “Tucked inside the brim of Napoleon’s hat, in the Collectables shop, was where Birdie was sat.”
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David Janes: from The Bonaparte Bust

An illustration of a green dinosaur with horns walking through a city street. In the background, modern glass buildings stand beside a traditional red brick building and a grand yellow stone archway.
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David Janes: Chameleon Leaving Westminster Cathedral

A black and white ink drawing of a complex, mechanical object. The structure is a dense assembly of pipes, gears, and perforated metal plates, detailed with technical annotations and arrows.
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David Janes: Rat from The Moriarty Papers

A black and white illustration of a tall, tapering spire. The form is composed of dense, intricate patterns of small flowers and foliage.
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David Janes: The Bindweed Shard

A pen and ink drawing of Muammar Gaddafi wearing a patterned hat. Handwritten text to the left describes him hiding under a “Bulgarian umbrella” in Tripoli.
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David Janes: Gaddafi

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About the Author

Anna Trench

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