Motorcycle Art & Photography

A tribute to Barry Sheene, one of Britain’s most charismatic and fearless motorcycle racing heroes. I photographed a period helmet before recreating the decals and historic sponsor logos associated with Sheene’s racing career using Photoshop and Corel Painter.

Sheene famously had a small hole drilled into his helmet so that he could smoke on the starting grid, covering it with tape after finishing his cigarette. That distinctive detail is included in the artwork. The signature is a hand-drawn reproduction and not an original Barry Sheene autograph.

Original artwork and photography by Charlie Poole ©. No artificial intelligence was used in its creation.

This remarkably detailed photograph of a 1928 Raleigh Model 23 was taken in Brighton by my grandfather using a large-format glass plate. The motorcycle featured a 498cc overhead-valve engine and represents an important period in British motorcycling history.

Raleigh manufactured motorcycles in Nottingham from 1899 to 1906 and again from 1919 to 1933, producing machines with side-valve and overhead-valve engines. The faded Raleigh lettering in the background has been carefully redrawn by me in Photoshop.

Original Charlie Poole archive photograph and artwork ©.

An original tribute to the legendary Isle of Man TT and its famous mountain circuit. Every element was individually created using Corel Painter and Photoshop, with my own photographs transformed into a watercolour style.

The artwork includes my original Manx cat motorcyclist, custom typography, flag design and illustrated circuit map. The Joey Dunlop memorial was created from a photograph I took myself on the Isle of Man. No elements were copied from other posters or existing artwork.

Original artwork and photography by Charlie Poole ©. No artificial intelligence was used in its creation.

Created from an original photograph I took at the 2000 Isle of Man TT, this artwork captures the legendary Joey Dunlop—“King of the Roads”—riding the number 3 Honda VTR SP-1 during the Formula One race.

I transformed the original photograph into watercolour-style digital artwork and remodelled the background to give the composition greater drama and movement. Every visible logo was carefully redrawn rather than copied and pasted.

Original photography and artwork by Charlie Poole ©. No artificial intelligence was used in its creation.

An original photographic artwork featuring the 1925 Brough Superior SS100, one of Britain’s most prestigious and desirable motorcycles. Built by George Brough in Nottingham, the SS100 became known as “The Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles” and was famously associated with T. E. Lawrence—Lawrence of Arabia.

I photographed the motorcycle before carefully removing its original background. The new composition, lettering and recreated period logos were then produced using Photoshop and Corel Painter.

Original photography and artwork by Charlie Poole ©. No artificial intelligence was used in its creation.

An original photographic artwork featuring the 1938 Ariel Square Four 4G, affectionately known as the “Squariel.” Its unusual 995cc engine arranged four cylinders in a square and used two geared crankshafts, producing remarkably smooth performance for a pre-war motorcycle.

This model has a special family connection for me, as my father rode an Ariel Square Four around Brighton as a young man. I photographed the motorcycle, removed the original background and created the finished composition using Photoshop and Corel Painter. The period-style lettering was also recreated by hand as a new typographic design.

Original photography and artwork by Charlie Poole ©. No artificial intelligence was used in its creation.

This artwork began with an original family photograph from around 1939 showing only part of a 1927 600cc V-twin Indian Scout. After extensive research in motorcycle museums, books and period magazines, I reconstructed the complete machine by hand.

It tells the true story of my father and his sister Olive, who was born blind. Olive loved riding pillion because the wind, movement and smell of the open air made her feel alive. One Sunday in Brighton, my father took her to the Wall of Death, where he had secretly been practising on one of its Indian Scouts. Together, they rode around the great wooden wall.

When they finally stopped, Olive told him, “You are a bad boy! Can we go again next week?”

Original artwork and photographic reconstruction by Charlie Poole ©. No artificial intelligence was used in its creation.