If you remember back a while, you’ll know that I’ve been running a competition for some local young people to produce artwork for this website and for The Ardenna Crossing.

I selected my two favourite images from these entries:

Cover Art Competition – The Entries

These were the two winners from Round 1.

Cover Art Competition – Round 1 winners

I then gave them the challenge of producing a final piece on a larger scale. I provided ideas about what I liked and what I wanted to be different and they’ve been hard at work creating their final pieces of artwork. I’m very proud to be able to present these to you now.  I’ve got a hard job on my hands over the weekend picking a winner from the two.  They’re both very different and I love things about both of them and they both show so much skill and depth.

Here they are. Regrettably, my website is being uncooperative and won’t let me rotate the images so some of them are sideways. Also, these are quite poor quality scans and photos of the original work. I’m looking at a way of getting them professionally scanned for me. What you see here barely does justice to the originals.

Aimee Cox (Age 16)

Aimee has created this large scale sweep of one of her original ideas. This image of my spaceship captivated me from the start, giving me the idea that the ship was being conjured out of thin air. She’s really developed it and I love the way the pencil work looks so random but comes together to form such a cohesive whole.

 

Aleksandra Dedejeva (Age 16)

Aleks created this wonderful landscape of deep space that feels so rich and warm in the way it is put together. There are so many different layers that you get a real sense of the vast distance into which you are gazing.  The brush work and subtle flashes of colour also contribute to the feeling of a three dimensional space.

 

I’m so happy with these two pieces and I’ve really got a hard job ahead picking the one I like best.  Feel free to help me with your own opinions in the comments.  Either way, I’ll be making an announcement here on this site – and Live on my Facebook page (@RichardAustinWriter) as long as I can make it work.  That announcement will be 9.30pm BST on Monday 7 May

Until then, please share these images as widely as you can. I really want these two talented young people to get as much exposure as they deserve.

Thanks for reading,

Richard