Philippa Lightburn Illustration

Hope, Fears and Opportunities (Part 1)

2011-12-17T12:46:00.006Z

In September, we had a group meeting where we discussed and recorded our hopes, fears and opportunities. Four months later not a lot has changed! All of my hopes and fears are rather similar, although I do feel I am better equipped to achieve and conquer them.

I'm trying to take each day as it comes, otherwise I'd be overcome with panic! Obviously I want to get a good job and continue to do what I love, but at the moment my main hope is to do well in my degree. People have said that a grade isn't everything and that you are judged on your work not your academic success. Even though I know this is true, I would still love to get a first class degree. Over the past 5-6 years my concentration had been almost entirely on art. Even at A-level when I did two other subjects, I did double award art and since enrolling on the foundation course I've been immersed in the world of illustration. I feel I owe it to myself to work as hard as possible and aim for the best. It would be a great sense of achievement and I think I'd feel much more confident about my abilities.

In September I wrote I hoped to build a good portfolio and have three successful visits to people in the design industry. This is the one thing I feel I have fully achieved! Firstly my portfolio...I wanted the professionalism and style of the Prat Pampa portfolios but I also wanted one that would stand out a bit and reflect my work.

In the end I managed to get hold of this gorgeous pink Prat portfolio from America! It's slightly bigger than A4 and smaller than A3 which means I have to print on an A3 and cut it down, but it's worth it. When I went for a portfolio visit to Stuart from Thoughtful he said it was great to see something different and it definitely suited my work. I'm also really pleased with the actual content of my portfolio. I've got more work than I actually realised (which is always good) and I've got a few photographs of things in context, though this is something I could improve for next year.

My three portfolio visits have all gone really well. I was so nervous about them, especially at my first with Taylor O'Brien, but by the last one I felt more confident about explaining my work. They have been great practice for job interviews and I'm much more positive about meeting new people.

My other hopes are for further down the line - getting a job/commission and becoming an overall successful illustrator. I'm still not sure whether I see myself as a freelance illustrator. I'd like to work alongside other people but in-house illustration jobs are few and far between. Realistically, I think the best option would be to rent a studio with some other people. This way we could all work on our own freelance projects but still have that support network around us.

I would also really love to do another mural type project, similar to 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. I think my work is most successful when there's lots of different elements, which is something I have't done this academic year. This is something I definitely want to get back to for my Final Major Project. I'm not sure what the theme/idea will be - that will have to be sorted out later! I hope one day I will be able to do a paid installation somewhere, that's the one thing I can imagine myself doing well and really enjoying.

YCN agency have a lot of illustrators who create murals so it would be amazing to try and get represented by them. If possible, I hope to arrange meeting to see them when we go to London next year - that would be the dream scenario.

Like every student approaching graduation, I have quite a few fears. The main one is to not get a job...but after Stuart's lecture I realise this is not going to happen straightaway. I need to figure out exactly what it is I want to do and go from there. If I don't get a job in a studio, my other big fear is being on my own. To not have any advice from anyone else would be really difficult for me. Maybe I need to be more confident in myself but I really like just having a quick chat with someone else and seeing what they're up to. As I said before I think it would be good to share a studio with other people, even if it's just for a few months until we get accustomed to the world of freelancing.

I also fear having to 'get myself out there'. I'm not great at meeting new people but networking is crucial if you want to succeed in this business, I can't sit at home and expect work to come to me. The key to overcoming my nerves is perhaps to get an online presence first. A website, Facebook page and Twitter are all things I need to set up next year. Once this gets going I think it will be easier to establish contacts and give me confidence to speak face to face.

This brings me on to some aims I want to fulfil next year. First of all, I want to produce a good end of year show which will involve getting materials well in advance. While I'm at Uni I want to make the most of the resources they have, such as the photography and print room facilities. I will also aim to get in touch with more studios and agencies, I think these connections can be invaluable. When we go to London, I want to aim for the best so I'll need to research lots of different possibilities early on in the year and not leave it to the last minute.

To achieve all these things I need to keep working hard! After Christmas it's the final push and I don't want to look back and regret not putting enough effort in. Hopefully all the work will pay off!

Portfolio Visit 3 - Thoughtful

2011-12-16T17:09:00.003Z

Yesterday I had my final portfolio visit with Stuart Price from Thoughtful. Their studio is now based in Stockport College so I merely had to walk down to the meeting! Having already met Stuart after his lecture I wasn't too worried and felt confident as I talked through my work. The only thing that had me slightly concerned was the fact he set a timer for 20 minutes, I was a bit anxious I wouldn't be able to fill the time but in actual fact it was fine and we spoke right up to the alarm!

From the start Stuart said that because he wasn't an illustrator he wouldn't comment on the actual style of the work, but he'd look at it from a commercial aspect. I think this is actually a good thing as it's designers such as Stuart who will commission illustrators, so it's great to hear their opinions.

Stuart really loved the Wellspring image on the first page saying it was a really strong design. He asked how I created it and was impressed when I said it was done on Illustrator as he said he found it quite difficult to use. He liked all the elements and said even though they were digital, you could tell I'd drawn them first - they were personal to me.

Like Helen Taylor he also liked the graphic nature of the 8x8 spot illustration. It was interesting to see that all of the designers I've seen liked similar things. He said the two images worked well side by side and were very confident. He loved the colours in the main illustration saying they were quite striking.

Like Craig, he also liked the type on the Russia and India pages from the Zine book. He was particularly impressed with the Russian type, as he said it complimented the image really well. A lot of Russian fonts can be quite harsh but he said this one was well adapted to suit the illustration.

Next up was the Music brief and he liked that I'd included a picture of it installed on the glass. He said it looked professionally done and the design was really tight and together. He liked the concept behind the image and thought it was a well thought out piece.

Stuart was also impressed with the paisley pattern, simply because it's very detailed and he looked closely at it to see how I'd done it in Illustrator.

Moving on from this, he also really liked the 'Lonely' castle and was interested how I'd converted it into an Illustrator file to fit in with the rest of my portfolio. This led on to us talking about the process of my image making. I talked through how I sketch ideas and then trace over them in Illustrator, which he said was a good way of working.

We then came to the James and the Giant Peach book cover which he really loved. This was the first visit where I've had such a positive response for this piece, so it made me very happy! He liked the type and said it fitted well into the design. One thing he mentioned was that I perhaps didn't need a photograph of the book as it wasn't showing anything different. He suggested only photographing pieces that were in a different setting (such as Music) or had type surrounding it (such as 8x8). I hadn't really thought about it like that, but hearing him say it made perfect sense!

Flicking back through the portfolio, Stuart said he really liked everything - in particular the Wellspring, 8x8, Music, Zine pages and James and the Giant Peach. He liked the layout of the portfolio and said he didn't want it to stop, which is always a good sign. He also really loved the fact that I've got a pink portfolio saying that he saw a lot of black ones and it was nice to see a bit of personality. He said it suited my work and would immediately be noticed and remembered.

Overall this was a very positive visit. I got some great feedback and advice from Stuart which I will definitely take on board. He also said to keep in touch and to show him any new work as I did it - he said I could pop in any time which was really nice of him.

These portfolio visits have been so useful and not nearly as scary as I first thought! Each one has built my confidence and I've had some great tips on how to improve my work and portfolio. In each one I think I've improved when it comes to explaining my work and they've all been good practice for next year when things start to get 'real' and I'll hopefully be looking for paid commissions.

Graphic Gurus

2011-12-14T21:25:00.000Z

This year we have all been assigned 'Graphic Gurus' (graduates who will act as mentors throughout our final year) and mine is the lovely Natalie Wood. I recently sent her an email with my PDF portfolio and asked her for some advice/feedback to which she kindly responded.

Hi Philippa,

Sure that's fine, I remember meeting you at college.

Had a look at your profile, I really like your work. I love "Russia". You have a great sense of colour. I love how bold "Junctures" is too. One piece of advice that I'd probably give you would be to lose the occasional black outline that's in some of your work. Such as around the elephant and the feathers of the native american. Perhaps you could introduce some texture into your work too? Experiment with different print processes like screenprinting to get different effects and make your work look less like it was produced on screen. Other than that it all looks great. I like the layout of your portfolio too.

Hope this helps!

Nat

Natalie was really nice and was quite positive about my work. I agree with the comment about the outlines - I've already gone back and taken some away. I'm also in the process of experimenting with textures so we'll see how that goes!

I'll definitely keep in touch with Natalie, I think it will be so useful to have someone to talk to whose been through the whole degree process before - especially when it comes to the Final Major Project.

Creative Review

2011-12-13T19:40:00.000Z

Our class has had two Creative Reviews this year which have been a way sharing things we find interesting or inspiring. For these sessions we each had to bring a recommendation for a book, an article, a film and an exhibition. At the end of the meeting we could pin up our suggestions for other people to look at. They've been a useful way of finding out about new things and it's been nice to see everyone's individual interests. These are the things I recommended at the two reviews:

Books

The first book I chose was Print & Pattern, a bible of all things colourful, cute and patterned. It's created by Marie Perkins aka Bowie Style who is the author of the wonderful Print & Pattern blog. It's such a great reference book for inspiration on colour, ideas or technique. It's also just a really nice book to flick through, there's something detailed and interesting on every page. To anyone who loves a bit of pattern, I can readily recommend you look at this book.

The book I brought to the second review was ABC Is For Circus by the wonderful Patrick Hruby. This chunky book demonstrates exemplifies Patrick's love of geometrical shapes and bright colours. Technically it's a children's book, but adults will probably appreciate it more! Again, it's a great book for inspiration and it's all the more impressive when you realise Patrick only graduated in 2010.

Films

One of the films I recommended during the reviews was Black Swan. I watched it because I'm doing it for the Little White Lies competition and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a clever film which was full of suspense and plenty of unexpected twists. Some of the scenes were very freaky, especially the ones where she 'turns' into the swan. Having seen the Swan Lake ballet I really liked the fact all the characters in the film mirrored the story exactly. It was skillfully shot, I don't know how they did all the mirror scenes, and Natalie Portman was surprisingly good as the black swan alter ego.

I didn't actually mention this film during the meetings but having watched it recently reminded me how much I love it. Up is, in my opinion, one of the best Pixar films (though they're all brilliant). The stand out character has to be Russell, an overly enthusiastic wilderness explorer.

Apart from the great characters it's also a beautiful film to look at. The South American scenery is so different and vibrant and the colourful house is picture perfect. I was so excited when the house is first lifted off the ground by thousands of balloons! It's a great little film and everyone should watch it at least once!

Articles

The article I brought to the first Creative Review was Illustration: The Art of Ornament from Computer Arts. It's actually quite an old article being from 2007, but it still made for an interesting read. It examines the history of decoration and how when modernism came along, ornamentation in art was in danger of being lost. Various illustrators also talk about how they use decorative qualities in their work and what processes they go through to achieve it.

The second article I chose was Make Digital Projects Seem Handmade from Digital Arts. In this current Little White Lies project I'm experimenting with adding texture to a part of the image, so I thought this was quite a relevant article. It talks about the new trend of trying to make digital work appear to be hand crafted. Illustrators such as Ben Newman talk about their opinions on the matter and also discuss their individual working methods. It's a really interesting debate and well worth a read.

Exhibitions

The first exhibition I talked about was the V&A Illustration Awards that I visited over the summer. Although the work on display was really good the actual exhibition space was so difficult to find! It was tucked away at the back of the gallery and was nothing more than a narrow walkway around a room. Anyway, there was some great work by Laura Carlin who illustrated 'The Iron Man' by Ted Hughes - I liked the simple shapes she used and all her work was displayed really nicely.

The second exhibition I chose is one I haven't actually been to, but would if I got the chance. The Indiscipline of Painting is on at Tate St Ives until 3rd January and it explores post-war modernist abstract painting. Artists such as Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley and Frank Stella are featured in the exhibition, which looks at how abstract art has continued to develop over the last 50 years despite the modernist movement decline. It looks like it would be great show and I would love to go, but with the combination of Christmas and the dissertation, it looks unlikely :(

A Thoughtful Presentation

2011-12-11T15:37:00.000Z

On Thursday 8th there was a talk by Stuart Price who is from Thoughtful design studio - which is now based in Stockport College and works with Graphic Design students. The lecture was all about how to break into the industry e.g portfolio tips, how to contact people etc. It was a really interesting talk as Stuart had contacted studios and asked them lots of specific questions, which he then complied into all these charts! He also had lots of examples of good portfolios and there were videos of individual design 'people' being asked what they look for in a graduate.

Stuart started off by talking about problem solving. Convergent thinking is where there is one straight answer and divergent thinking is coming up with lots of answers/ideas. According to Dr Peter Lovatt, dancing improves the thinking process! If you do 15 minutes of structured dancing, you should become better at convergent thinking. Whereas 15 minutes of improvised dancing helps divergent thinking. We then did a series of little dancing moves which I thought would be a bit embarrassing but it was actually really funny!

Greg Quinton from The Partners says persistence is the key to success. People are very busy, so what's going to keep you in their mind? Once you establish contact with someone keep sending them new work to show how you are developing as a designer.

The first survey question asked 'what is the preferred method for first contact?' The majority of studios, with 78%, said an email is best. 18% said post letter/piece of work and 4% said just show up. When composing an initial email Stuart said it's good when people say something about the studio and the work as it shows they've taken the time to do some background research. Also, exclamation marks are a no-no(!), if you don't know someone it just looks unprofessional. A potential employer can see a generic email from a mile off, make sure you make it personal to the person you're sending it to. When attaching a file to an email make sure it's not too big, otherwise yours will be sent to the bottom of the queue - 5mb is ideal.

'What do you do if you don't get a response?' 46% of studios suggested a follow up email 3-4 days after the initial one. 20% said a phone call is acceptable. Adrian Shaughnessy said to stay open minded - you have to start all over again and you never stop learning in the design industry.

In regards to what should be in your opening email; a link to your website and a PDF of your work is recommended. The latter is perhaps the more important, so even if you don't have a website never send an empty email. The PDF should show about 5-7 projects and as said before should be around 5mb. Michael Johnson said you have to be prepared to do placements, you can't expect to go straight to the top.

Spelling errors are amongst the most common mistakes in portfolios, make sure someone else proof reads it first. When having an interview, another mistake people often make is to place their portfolio on front of themselves rather than the potential employer. You should be able to talk about your work even if it's upside down! Patrick Baglee says it's always better to be interested than interesting. You have to think of yourself as a brand; present yourself - sit up straight etc.

When asked 'what is the preferred portfolio layout?', most of the studios said they had no preference. A book with bound pages came second, but the fact that most had no preference shows that a portfolio can be individual to you - the more the better. The preferred amount of projects in a portfolio is 10 - but leave something out if you don't like it, only take work you are really confident in talking about.

Jonathan Baldwin says that talking to students from other courses in your Uni can be really useful, you can find inspiration in unexpected places. Similarly, Tony Davidson says it is important to visit different galleries and venues - be influenced by your surroundings.

The next survey question asked 'how much information should accompany each project?'. 45% of studios say some basic information is enough, but give credit where credit is due. If someone has helped you produce your work you must record it, it will be obvious and look selfish if you don't. Also, including sketches can be a nice touch as it shows employers how you arrived at a finished outcome.

When looking for a job, Pentagram's Paula Scher says it's vital not to just focus on money, you have to find somewhere that will give you the best opportunities. You won't necessarily be doing what you do in the first twelve months for the rest of your life; it's ok to make mistakes. You have to learn from these mistakes, pick yourself up and move on.

'How long should an interview last?' 50% of studios said 30 minutes, so prepare for that time but bear in mind it could be less. Before you start, it's always a good idea to ask how long you're going to have so you can manage your time appropriately. Michael Wolff says it's good to be inquisitive - it shows you take an interest in the company your trying to get a job at.

The final question was 'what do you look for in portfolios?' Great ideas and a good personality are equally important - you could have the best work in the world but no-one will employ you if they don't think you'll fit into their company.

At the end of the lecture Stuart said don't expect to land a job within the first 18 months of graduating, it might happen but be prepared that it won't. The most important thing is to never give up - if you have self belief it will happen for you.

This was an extremely useful lecture, I feel much more confident about approaching studios and Stuart provided some excellent tips on email/portfolio etiquette. All the facts and survey questions were really interesting, it's always good to hear thoughts from those in the industry. Great job Stuart, thanks!

Lord Whitney

2011-11-29T15:38:00.000Z

On Monday 21st we had a lecture by Lord Whitney - a collaboration between Amy Lord and Rebekah Whitney (get it?!). Technically they're art directors but they prefer the term 3D illustrators! They graduated from Leeds Metropolitan Uni in 2006 where they both studied Graphic Art and Design, but neither of them really fit into traditional graphic design. However, their degree offered them the chance to experiment with a broad range of working methods such as photography and illustration. Both of them had an interest in film/narrative and creating stories. They liked to make quirky pieces and costumes and were influenced by theatre, film and literature.

Rebekah focused on illustration and liked to make collages inspired by the silly and fun - Spike Milligan and Salvador Dali were favourites of hers. She moved on to make larger sets, but struggled to photograph them correctly. Amy, on the other hand, liked photography but struggled to find the right subject matter.

Then a month before graduating, their tutor suggest the utilise their skills and team up, which they did. They created a life size set based on A Midsummer Night's Dream which they both thoroughly enjoyed doing. Throughout the process they discovered how well they got on and what they could achieve working together.

Unfortunately, at this point, Uni was coming to an end - but this didn't stop them. They decided to collaborate full time and came up with their brilliant name. But without the Uni studio space and the sudden lack of student loans, work came to a standstill. They both temped and did freelance work to bring in some money, this way they were able to carry on with their own personal projects. They tried lots of different things, never for the sake of it and always using whatever was to hand. A friend of theirs then pointed them in the direction of a room over a pub and it was here that they were able to build and photograph larger sets.

They decided to set themselves a full project, something which they could fully concentrate on and explore thoroughly. They chose the theme of the circus/freak shows and saved up to be able to fund all the materials they wanted to use. The end result was 'The Curious Circus Sideshow' and a couple of months later they decorated a party for Culture Vulture blog using this theme.

After this job, work steadily began coming in until they had enough money to focus all their time on Lord Whitney and get a studio of their own. All the places they looked at were either too expensive or full, but eventually they managed to acquire a top floor mill space. The room needed a lot of work but they could see the potential. This is what was really great about the girls, they were obviously so dedicated to their dreams and wouldn't let anything get in their way.

Over the last few years they discovered they could apply their skills to lots of different areas. They have worked in festivals, set design, books and art direction. They find inspiration from everywhere and anywhere. They stressed to us the importance of looking elsewhere for inspiration - shops, the outdoors, your hobbies.

They have stayed close to Uni friends and said Twitter, Facebook and blogs are a great way of retaining these relationships and also for forging new ones. Networking is key to the design industry, you can't expect people to come and find you - you have to get out there.

Another piece of advice they gave was to stand up for yourself. Many graduates will work for free just to get their work published, but the girls stressed that you should never do it more than once. People will take advantage of you and you'll end up never getting paid!

I really enjoyed the lecture; Lord Whitney are two very lovely girls who proved if you work hard enough you'll get what you deserve. They never gave up on their dream and I think it inspired everyone to keep pursuing their goals. As they said, lots of people fall at the first hurdle but if you keep going, eventually everyone else will fall away!

Portfolio Visit 2 - Music

2011-11-27T18:18:00.007Z

On Friday 25th I had my second portfolio visit with the lovely Craig from Music, which is in the Ancoats area of Manchester. I felt much more comfortable during this visit as, in the summer, I spent three days at Music putting up my Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds design, so I know Craig fairly well. We started with a chat about how I was getting on at Uni and what I was working on at the moment. Then it was down to business...

I was a bit more confident about talking about my work after Taylor O'Brien so I launched straight into an explanation of the Wellspring image. He really liked this piece and loved the fact I'd bought the newspaper along as well so he could see it in context. He said all the elements were really nice but suggested changing the type as he thought it didn't quite fit with the geometric shapes in the rest of the piece. Being a designer, he said he was automatically drawn to the type and just to make it a bit more uniformed, which I completely agree with.

We then moved on to my recently created characters. I explained to him that although I am beginning to feel more confident with designing bodies, I am still finding the faces difficult. He suggested experimenting with taking all the facial features off or to simply have one feature like a nose to show the character. He said loosing the detail might make the images even stronger. I thought this was a great idea and will definitely give it a go.

This led on to a discussion about how much detail I should include in my images. Craig said it's really important for all designers and illustrators to be critical of themselves. In loosing some of the small details in my work he said my work will become more and more consistent. For example: in my 8x8 main image, do I need the little green line to distinguish the signpost and in the Native American image do I need the lines in the feathers? It's little things like that that will make my work more 'purist'.

Like Helen Taylor, Craig really loved my Russian and Indian images from the zine book. In particular he was really impressed with my choice of type. He said he could tell I'd thought carefully about what style of fonts would fit the theme of the images. He commented that a lot of illustrators struggle with typography so he was pleased with my efforts.

Another suggestion he made was to perhaps put a drop shadow around the images that had no defining edges. He said the light grey lines I have are fine but shadows might just lift the images off the pages a bit.

He also said my work was strong enough to be made into 'things', like my paisley cards. This could be another avenue to explore in order to further progress my work.

When we had finished looking through the portfolio he said he loved my work and was struggling to find any criticism so any feedback he had given was just being picky. I was so amazed at this but really pleased that he liked everything! To top it off he said it was one of the best student portfolios he'd seen (wanted to start singing at this point!!).

Towards the end of the visit, having had a talk with Ian about adding texture and mark making into my work, I asked Craig what his opinion was on this. He said he didn't think my work needed anything else but there would be no harm in experimenting with the idea. He said if I didn't like the outcome I should be confident in saying so. Everyone has their own points of view but if you feel strongly about something don't let someone persuade you otherwise.

This was a very positive visit, I felt much more relaxed and Craig was so great to talk to. I haven't felt as good about my work as I did last year, so to hear Craig saying he liked it really boosted my confidence. He said he'd love to work with me again and was sure there would be a moment when he'd say 'we need Philippa for that'...I couldn't have asked for anything better than that! Thanks Craig!

Portfolio Visit 1 - Taylor O'Brien

2011-11-26T18:50:00.011Z

On Tuesday 22nd I had an appointment to see Helen Taylor at Taylor O'Brien, which is based just off Piccadilly in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. This being my first portfolio visit, I was quite nervous and unsure of what to do. However, Helen made me feel really comfortable and led me in with a few questions about what I was doing at the moment and where I would like to be in a years time. We were also joined by head designer Lee Millward, who was equally nice and easy to talk to.

We then moved onto my actual portfolio...not being sure what to do, I just opened it up and started to explain the first piece (Wellspring). I basically just ran through the brief, my various ideas and how I eventually created the piece.

This process carried on throughout the rest of the portfolio, Helen and Lee made the odd small comment but they saved the majority of their feedback until they had seen everything - this scared me a little, I didn't think they liked anything!

However, they really liked the graphic style to my work saying it was very commercial and they could easily visualise it being used in magazines etc. Helen in particular really loved the Russian page from my zine book. She said she could see it in a travel magazine/guide as it encapsulated Russia perfectly and the image was very tight and together. She suggested adding other pages from the book to my portfolio (which I've since done) to show how the images work together. Helen loved the relationship between all the elements, they all looked as though they belonged together and had the same style.

Looking through my portfolio again Helen and Lee agreed that the black and white and two tone images were the strongest. This quite surprised me - as I love colour! They said the Wellspring, the spot 8x8 and the Craig poster all seemed very bold and attention grabbing. They asked me about how I found working in black and white and I explained that I wasn't very confident so I would create a colour image and greyscale it. They said it would be good to see other images in black and white and that this could strengthen my portfolio and show a greater range of my capabilities.

Helen also really liked the James and the Giant Peach cover, saying it was very psychedelic and reminiscent of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. They liked the fact that I had gone against tradition and chosen not to include the main characters on the front and focused on the smaller elements.

They said my portfolio showed a really good variety of work; I'd included characters out of context, photos of work in context, editorial and book covers - so this was good to hear. They said it was different to the other portfolios they'd seen from Stockport, which they liked - it showed everyone has really individual styles.

They then asked quite a few questions about working with clients and how I've found those experiences. They were also interested to know if I'd ever had to change my work for clients and how I coped with it. We also talked about how I was getting quicker at using Illustrator, which was good as they said a lot of editorial jobs required quick turnarounds.

Overall I think it was a successful and worthwhile visit. Helen and Lee were very helpful and seemed to really like my work, the fact they can visualise it being used 'in the real world' was extremely encouraging. Although I was nervous, I think I came across relatively calm and felt confident in explaining my work and thought processes. It was really useful to receive feedback from people in the design industry, Uni is a bit like a bubble so its always nice to get out and hear other people's opinions. Thanks Helen and Lee!

Website Research

2011-11-23T18:45:00.000Z

When I think about designing my own website, it's a bit daunting - there are so many things I want to do! Obviously I want it to be quite colourful and eye-catching but the main thing I want it to be is easy to navigate. I've been on so many websites which are really confusing to find your way around - it's so annoying when you can't find simple things like the contact page.

For this post I'm just going to list some websites I think are successful and which elements I would like to try and replicate for my own page. There are so many great websites out there, but I've narrowed it down to a few of my favourites...

An illustrator I recently discovered is Jonny Wan, who is based right here in Manchester. His work is amazingly intricate and pattern based but with a mechanical/graphic edge. His website is really simple in concept but I think it works so well. On a thick strip of white at the top of the page are his bold logo and some basic links - about me/contact and facebook, twitter etc. Then below this are previews of his work with relevant titles and genres. These large thumbnails are on a black background, which really make the bright colours of the pieces stand out. By clicking on the images you are taken to a large version, but the 'portfolio' is still at the bottom of the page which I think is a nice touch.

I also really love Sanna Annukka's website, in particular the opening page which just features her name with a bold pattern typical of her style. I think it's really important to stand out and catch your audience's eye and this definitely does this. Sanna's website also features easy to use drop down menus at the top of the page. When you go to the individual pages for pieces of work I like how she hasn't just got one image of the piece, but a whole array of images showing work in context, photographed at different angles etc.

A lot of websites just list their links across the top of the page, but Jane Foster has incorporated them into her designs - it's simple but very effective. The little pops of colour add a touch of brightness to what is usually a plain area on other sites.

Patrick Hruby has an interesting website in the sense that, when you click on a piece of work listed on the left - you aren't taken to another page, but you're 'scrolled' through all his work until you reach the one you want. I think this is quite clever as you get to see a lot more work than you normally would, good for potential clients perhaps?

I'm really looking forward to creating my own website! I've got a lot of ideas from looking at other people's sites and I hope to incorporate the best bits into mine. I think the essentials are to have an eye-catching homepage, easy to navigate links/menus and previews of work which are immediately on display.

Alice in Wonderland Exhibition at Tate Liverpool

2011-11-19T13:35:00.013Z

On Monday I took a little trip to Liverpool with Becca and Chloe to see the Alice in Wonderland exhibition at Tate Liverpool, which is running from 4th November to 29 January 2012. According to the gallery the exhibition 'provides the first comprehensive exploration of the stories influence on the visual arts, providing insight to their creation and the adoption and revision of their themes and characters by artists up to the present day'.

Lewis Carroll's timeless books are amazing, but apparently they're a lot more complex than you realise: 'his stories are rich in logical, philosophical and linguistic puzzles - reflecting their author's fascination with language and with questions of meaning'.

So we got in with 10% off the student ticket (don't ask me why, but not complaining!) and went into the first exhibition room which was on the ground floor. The room had giant, extravagant curtains on the entrance so I was quite excited to see what was inside. However, I was a bit disappointed. The first thing that catches your eye is Jason Rhoades' Tate Touche from My Madinah: in pursuit of my ermitage, which was created in 2004:

This installation basically consisted of a series of neon words hanging from the ceiling, along with lots of wires and cables. The range of words were really weird and wonderful; trout basket, Sigourney Weaver, apricot split and flapjacks were amongst the collection. Some of the words were perhaps not suitable for children so you immediately got the sense that this exhibition wasn't going to be the Disney/Tim Burton inspired adventure I'd expected. Nevertheless, I quite liked the piece - it was really colourful and crazy, just like Wonderland I suppose. The neon colours were really bright and bounced off the surrounding walls, it was a nice contrast to some of the other pieces in the room.

At the opposite end was a huge painting by Luc Tuymans called Wonderland (2007):

It was a beautiful piece but was very cold in colour and didn't really shout Alice in Wonderland - more the Snow Queen. Apparently it's based on the entrance to an Alice ride in Disneyland, but the colours are so stripped back I don't think anyone would recognise it.

There were also 3 really interesting photographs in the room by a Swiss artist called Annelies Strba, whose style is described as 'digital impressionism'. They are from a series called Nyima and feature girls lying asleep in woodland-type areas:

I really liked the effect of these pieces, the girls are glowing/radiating and they look quite magical. The colours achieved are really bright and bold, you can tell they are done digitally but that just adds to the appeal. Although the girls look really sweet and innocent, there's something slightly sinister about the photographs, are they really asleep??

After this first room we headed up to the fourth floor for the rest of the exhibition. Upon arriving I was quite surprised. The room was quite dark and was organised like any other exhibition, with pictures formally hanging all the way around the room with large chunks of text explaining the history of Alice in Wonderland. Some of this was fairly interesting, for instance I didn't know Lewis Carroll was actually a pseudonym for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. The first part of this floor was dedicated to the early manuscripts of Alice in Wonderland which Carroll illustrated himself. We then get to the more recognisable illustrations of John Tenniel, when Carroll decided to use a more professional artist when the book was first published.

In a side room, more traditional pieces influenced by or depicting Alice in Wonderland were displayed. There were numerous cabinets with rows of books and illustrations which were mostly created in the late 19th and early 20th century. Below are just a few of the ones that I particularly liked:

Maria L Kirk, Alice Through the Looking-Glass, 1905.

Andre Jourcin, Alice in Wonderland, 1945.

Thomas Robinson, Alice in Wonderland, 1908.

Adrienne Segur, Alice in Wonderland, 1949.

Deloss McGraw, Alice in Wonderland, 2001.

Tove Jassonn, 1966.

Charles Handel Rand Marriott, Wonderland Quadrilles, artwork for piano sheet music, 1872.

Charles Francis Amesley Voysey, Alice in Wonderland fabric, 1920.

At the end of this room there was also a collection of old and modern books that you could look at. One that caught all our eyes was a pop-up book by Jotto Seibold:

It was a really fun, clever book which was a modern take on the old story. I loved the typography and illustrations, it was such a quirky book and was completely different to the more traditional items in that room.
The next section in the exhibition was dedicated to Surrealism. Surrealists shared Carroll's fascination for the uncanny and unexpected. They were drawn towards Carroll's fantastical worlds, where normal laws didn't apply and a random set of rules existed.

Max Ernst, Alice in 1941, 1941.

Dorothea Tanning, A Little Night Music, 1943.

Max Ernst, For Alice's Friends, 1957.

Max Ernst, Three Little Girls Set Out for the White Butterfly Hunt, 1958.

Towards the end of the Surrealist section were 12 illustrations which Salvador Dali had created. They were really mad and colourful - the combination of Dali and Alice was perfect. This is more of the type of thing I expected from the exhibition, he captured the essence of the story perfectly.

Mad Hatter Tea Party

Advice from a Caterpillar

Down the Rabbit Hole

In the final area of the exhibition, a section was dedicated to artwork from the 1960/70s. According to the information on display, the artists 'found a fruitful source of inspiration in the Alice books, particularly their depiction of a world freed from the conventional constraints of perception'.

Paul Laffoley, Alice Pleasance Liddell, 1968.

Peter Blake, Well This is Grand, 1970.

Adrian Piper, Alice Down the Rabbit Hole, 1966.

Adrian Piper, The Mad Hatter's Tea Party, 1966.

Adrian Piper, Alice and the Pack of Cards, 1966.

Graham Ovenden, Alice, 1970.

John Wesley, Falling Alice, 1963.

There were some interesting pieces in this bit, very colourful and psychedelic - just what I'd expect from that era. However, after this the exhibition went downhill. There were some movie clips, which as far as we could see had nothing to do with Alice, and to top it all off...a huge wall of pornographic text. I really thought this exhibition would be fun and interactive but it was completely the opposite. Alice in Wonderland was primarily a children's book but a lot of the exhibition was unsuitable for kids. I also didn't see one Disney drawing, which are really beautiful - I think there was a small section of the film played in a montage, but even this was hidden away in a little room. In my opinion, the exhibition was trying to be too clever and in doing so, lost the whole fun and essence of the story.

But Isn't That Your Job?

2011-11-12T16:21:00.000Z

On Thursday 3rd Craig Oldham, from Music design agency, came to give a talk about his experience working with illustrators. He went through a series of 6 projects where illustrators had been enlisted and talked us through practically every bit of the process. It was an expletive filled lecture (which I loved!), but most importantly it was an honest and frank insight into his dealings with illustrators.

One of the projects he talked about was 'The Big Four', a series of posters commissioned by Manchester City to drum up attention for their next matches against the big four teams; Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. The idea was to focus on one player per poster, a player who had relationships with both clubs playing in the current match. Craig wanted to create gig-like posters which could be plastered all over the city, he wanted these matches to be huge events that you wouldn't want to miss.

The first match was Man City vs Arsenal and the poster boy was Emmanuel Adebayor. To reflect Adebayor's slick style of playing, they recruited Michael Gillete (famous for his James Bond Penguin covers) to create a rock star poster. Craig talked us through the process of coming up with the idea, finding an illustrator, telling him what they wanted, changes that needed to be made, the fee they paid him etc. This project was fairly straightforward but it was really interesting to hear exactly what goes on in this type of commission.

The next poster for the Chelsea match featured Shaun Wright-Phillips. Craig wanted to depict the speed at which Shaun runs around the pitch. The first illustrator they found didn't quite make the mark and they struggled to find a replacement. In the end they discovered Chris White aka 3D Glasses who created this great illustration of Shaun firing round the pitch.

Next is was the Liverpool game and it was Craig Bellamy's turn to be the centre of the campaign. The idea behind this poster was to show the two sides of Bellamy - the aggressive and the passionate. For this they found the 'Picasso of gig posters' - Todd Slater. Craig said this was the easiest of the four posters as Todd immediately understood what they were after and produced it quickly without any problems. This is my favourite of the posters - I love the concept, the type and the beautiful illustration.

The last match was probably the biggest - the Manchester derby and there was only one contender for the poster: Carlos Tevez. He was adored by Man United fan's so you can imagine how they felt when he started playing for the club across the city; angry doesn't begin to cover it. Right from the start, Tevez was Man City's icon - he worked hard and played well. Music designed to work with Shepard Fairey and his agency Studio Number One to try and recreate the power of Fairey's famous 'Hope' poster. It wasn't all plain sailing though, there were problems in changing the design slightly but the finishing product ended up capturing the significance of the upcoming match.

The Manchester City campaign was highly successful and ended up creating a huge amount of interest in the matches. It also helped that all four players scored in the games they had respectively advertised!

Towards the end of the lecture, Craig gave some really useful advice - the first being that illustrators need to be more accessible. If a designer wanted to commission you but couldn't find any contact details, they'd give the job to someone else. Having a website, Facebook page etc is essential and his advice was to be more 'out there'.

He said designers will often ask you to change your image, but if you don't agree don't be afraid to stand your ground. Don't say no blatantly, but try to find a compromise where everyone's happy.

Craig also mentioned how important communication is. If you are unsure of something, ask! It's far better to ask the questions sooner rather than later when the designer is expecting a finished piece.

To round of the talk he said: if you want something badly and you work hard, eventually you'll get it. This was a great lecture - Craig didn't beat around the bush, he was straight to the point and very honest. He gave us a greater awareness of the industry we will enter into and gave some brilliant advice on how to cope and succeed. Thanks Craig!

Fernando Volken Togni

2011-10-30T16:44:00.000Z

I discovered Fernando Volken Togni through the Creative Tourist website, which featured a Manchester cultural calendar with his work on. A Brazilian illustrator, Fernando creates amazing images that are full of bold, graphic shapes. His use of line is very simple but so effective, he can create beautifully intricate patterns. I love the folk edge to his work and his colour palettes are always perfect.

He's also part of a group of artists who Grove have teamed up with to design bamboo laser-engraved iphone and ipad cases. Matt Lyon, Kate McLelland and Jonny Wan have also been involved in the project and each artist has created their own case design and the results are stunning. There so expensive which is probably a good thing because I don't think I'd be able to decide which one to get!

Illustration's Digital Future

2011-10-29T18:14:00.001+01:00

The last few years have seen a dramatic change in the way we use technology. The introduction of computer tablets, such as the ipad, created both opportunities and challenges for illustrators everywhere.

In the last couple of years, the idea of reading books and newspapers digitally has become increasingly popular. Products such as the kindle have the ability to store hundreds of ebooks and are much lighter and easier to carry than the average book. However, many of the books available for download do not display the cover artwork - the territory of an illustrator. If this trend of reading digitally continues, will illustrators still be needed? Also, will illustrators want to spend time creating a cover if the reader will only see it as a small icon when searching through the online store?

The ipad is perhaps then better for illustrators. Books on the ipad look similar to what they do in print, with pictures and a cover - but in a digital format. Many illustrators have also embarked on creating interactive illustrations which have become popular in children's books. But this then raises the question of the purpose of an illustrator, could an animator not as easily achieve the same thing?

In regard to digital newspapers and magazines, will editors still commission illustrators if they have a smaller surface area to work to? Hopefully illustrations will still be used in printed newspapers but will there still be a demand for editorial images in digital newspapers? Online newspapers use illustrations featured in their printed counterpart, but ipad/iphone/kindle applications are a completely different format and are produced separately.

However, I just can't picture a time when everything is digital and there is no longer any desire for a physical newspaper or book. I think the demand for printed material will still be there no matter how far technology progresses. With books especially, people like to physically turn the pages and hold something 'substantial' in their hands. Where's the fun of buying a digital book for someone? It's so impersonal and I really hope it never catches on.

Despite all this, there are some positives for illustrators. The ipad, in particular, allows you to show people your work on the go. If you talk to a potential client, or are simply networking, and you don't have a particular piece of work to hand - the ipad permits you to quickly access a large, clear image.

Websites/blogs/twitter have become really important for designers and illustrators over the last few years. They're a great way of networking, sharing work and keeping up with news from the 'design world'. Products such as iphones and ipads are therefore useful as they enable you to 'update' on the move. You can upload pictures and thoughts almost immediately, rather than waiting until you get home.

Overall, I think the field of illustration will become tougher in the years to come. We all have to move with the times and if the future is digital based, we will just have to find a way to fit ourselves into it.

'Music' Project

2011-07-10T13:08:00.021+01:00

In April we were given a live brief which had come from a design agency in Manchester called Music. The have a meeting room in their studio which is encased in glass and they invited students to put together a proposal for a design to cover the glass.

The brief they wrote is as follows: Create and install an illustrated interpretation of a music track of your choice to adorn a series of connecting glass panels to create an installation at the studio of Music.

The song I chose to illustrate was 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by The Beatles. I'd wanted to choose a song from the 60s as I love the whole flower power/psychedelic idea. In my work I love to use colour and when I listened to this song I imagined a bright, happy and crazy world. It's a really descriptive song full of lots of quirky elements and has a dreamlike feel to it so I thought it would fit hand in hand with my illustration style. Here's the lyrics if you want a looksee:

Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green,
Towering over your head.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes,
And she's gone.

{CHORUS}
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
Ah... Ah...

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain,
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers,
That grow so incredibly high.

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore,
Waiting to take you away.
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds,
And you're gone.

{CHORUS}

Picture yourself on a train in a station,
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties.
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

{CHORUS}

Right from the start I wanted to create a strip of patterned elements across the glass. I had recently completed the Wellspring project where I had arranged lots of elements together in a jigsaw style. I wanted to continue this ides by creating a playful mural that was fairly simple but eye-catching.

Many of the images in my design feature in the song but I've also added some other elements that I imagined would feature in this weird world. There are also some smaller diamonds, flowers and stars drifting off in a dreamlike way to give balance to the piece.

I created the design with vinyl as I wanted the images to be very crisp and clean and the vinyl cutter allowed me this accuracy. Vinyl is also easy to remove and it doesn't mark glass. I simply had to create my design on Illustrator and I could transfer it to the vinyl cutter.

A few weeks later...

Ed and Craig (who were co-ordinating the project) from Music contacted me to say they really liked my design and invited me to the studio to meet them. When I went in they basically said they loved the design and as there wasn't anything they wanted to change with it, could I be the first person to install it. I was more than happy to do this so set about organising everything.

I had to order 5m rolls of vinyl from the website that supplies Uni as students aren't allowed more than 2m of vinyl (bit silly if you ask me!) I had eight colours in my design so I had to create 8 Illustrator files with each colour's pieces on. This took quite a while as everything had to be numbered to make it easier to put up. I then took the rolls into Uni to get it all cut - this was very slow and took up the entire day!

Last monday I went into Music to begin putting my design up. My sister Lucy came with me, which helped a lot - much easier with two pairs of hands! When we got to Music we were greeted my Ed and Craig and shown round the studio, which is over three floors. We then met Adam who deals with the production side of things. He had been experimenting with some samples of vinyl I'd sent in and showed me how to put the vinyl up with water. I'd never heard of this technique before and was just going to put it up with application tape, but I'm so glad Adam had discovered the water idea as it made things much easier! Firstly, you spray some water on the glass and onto the sticky side of the vinyl. You then place it on the glass and the water allows you to move the piece of vinyl all over the place until it's in the right position. Using a squeegee you then squeeze the water out from behind the vinyl and your left with a piece of bubble-free vinyl stuck to the glass! It took us about two and a half days to put the design up - quicker than I expected but once we got into the rhythm of things it was fairly straightforward.

Everyone at Music really liked the design and kept singing the song to match it to the images. All the staff were so lovely and welcoming and we even got taken out for lunch as a thank you! It was a great experience and I'm really grateful to Craig and Ed for the opportunity.

Penguin Design Awards

2011-07-10T12:42:00.001+01:00

The last few weeks have been pretty busy and I haven't posted anything since we broke up for the holiday, oops! So here's what's being going on....

On the tuesday after we finished I discovered I'd been shortlisted for the Penguin Design Award. I was totally gobsmacked as close to 700 people entered the Puffin category so wasn't expecting much!

Subsequently, all the shortlisted entrants were invited to resubmit their designs following advice given by Anna Billson, the Puffin Art Director. I changed a number of things in my design included the characters, the spine and the blurb - the later two involved tying them in more with the overall design.

I also had to wrap my design around a book, complete a research board, put my design on a board and a CD and write a short synopsis. This was all then shipped off to London to be judged.

On 22nd June my mum and I went down to London for the presentation ceremony. The Penguin offices were on the Strand and were very snazzy! There was a great view of the Thames from the balcony so it was really nice.

Unfortunately I wasn't placed anywhere but we had great day anyway and the winner was very deserving - check out all the shortlisted and winners here.

Here's my final design, the flap in detail and some photos of the ceremony:

8x8

2011-05-18T20:18:00.000+01:00

Yeah my 8x8 post has reappeared!! During the whole blogger saga, that was the one post that vanished - even though it was created before the meltdown! Anyway it's back now :D

Folk article

2011-05-11T11:25:00.002+01:00

Jo pointed me in the direction of this really interesting article from Creative Review titled 'The F-Word'. It looks at the current trend of folk style art in the illustration world and explores why it has become so popular.

There was one issue discussed that I found particularly intriguing - that illustrators have stopped thinking about what digital software could do for them and rather started thinking about how they can rewire it to suit their needs. I think this is a good point and somewhat relevant to my work. I have to make sure that I never let the digital technology become the driving force behind my work.

The article also discusses the reasons why folk art is suddenly everywhere we look, from fashion and home-wares to TV adverts. One theory is that larger brands may want to be associated with the organic feel of the artwork in order to appear more 'green'. However, I think it's only natural that everyone wants to jump on the folk bandwagon - it's on trend at the moment so everyone is going to want that look for their company.

One artist who is discussed in the article is Sanna Annukka, who has Finnish heritage and a love of Finnish landscapes and nature. "While advertisers may have cynical motivations for tapping into the folk trend, its foremost practitioners are referencing something that has personal significance." Annukka is proud of her background and Finland has always had a big influence in her work.

It was interesting to read that folk is considered a dirty work (hence the title), with no-one ever asking agencies for 'something folky'. Apparently 'homespun' and 'wholesome' are more commonly used!

"No doubt the trend wheel will turn again soon but for now, it's all about the folk."

(Sorry the scan of the article is so small, I couldn't get it to go any bigger when I loaded it on here!)

123

2011-05-10T19:56:00.002+01:00

Simplify line and shape (Ian Murray)
I think Ian first talked to me about this during the 'James and the Giant Peach' project. I was considering doing a very busy design so he suggested making the elements as basic as possible. It was quite hard at first to simplify everything down but I was really pleased I did, otherwise the final piece would have been so hectic! I've carried this principle on whenever I've produced a busy design, such as the Wellspring and 8x8, and I think it works well. Next year I'd like to try combining this idea with making a more elaborate composition and see what happens!

Love and enjoy what you do (Hannah Firmin)

This may seem obvious but I've realised how important it is to enjoy what you do. Sometimes I've been made to feel that because my work is created purely digitally, it doesn't have a 'soul' and looks too generic. I've often thought that maybe I should try adding textures and hand drawn elements to my work to make myself feel more like an illustrator. However, I've realised that I really enjoy working in the way that I do and I shouldn't feel bad about it. Two of my favourite illustrators at the moment, Patrick Hruby and Arlene Adams, both work purely with Adobe Illustrator and their work is doing really well. All that matters is that I enjoy what I do!

Do what you feel is right (Ian Murray)

I find it really difficult to decide if my ideas are working or what I've produced is good enough. I need reassurance that I'm going in the right direction and I really need to trust myself more. During the 'James and the Giant Peach' project I was changing my mind a lot and when I spoke to Ian he just said to do what felt right. In the 8x8 project I think I became a bit more confident and made decisions on my own. At the end of the day, I'm not going to be at uni forever and I need to learn to trust my judgement if I'm going to succeed.

Arlene Adams - Contact Report

2011-05-09T20:39:00.001+01:00

So I got in touch with Arlene Adams to ask her a few questions and she got back to me! Here are her answers:

Looking at your website, your new work is very different to your previous work. What caused this change?

There were a couple of reasons for the change. I had a few years out of illustration when I had my little boy. I came back afresh wanting a change in direction and a desire to do something new. Also when you work in a style that is quite fashionable inevitably your work has to evolve.

What are your inspirations? Do any artists/designers inspire you?

I like Alexander Girard and a lot of mid century design. I collect a lot of mid century objects and books which have influenced my work recently.

You obviously love using colour, how do you know when enough is enough?

I think it is just an intuitive thing. Working digitally now has made it a lot easier to play around with different colour combinations.

Would you be able to tell me about your working process? How do you get started on a project?

A lot depends on the brief and how open it is. I may gather some reference material if needed (now a lot easier with the internet). I start with pencil sketches which I scan, then work in Illustrator.

Are you ever stuck for ideas? If so how do you overcome this?

It is not that I get stuck for ideas more that I find it difficult to decide on what idea to go with. I find it easier working to a brief as I am very indecisive and the options are more limited.

The elements in your pieces are often symmetrical and your designs in general seem to play with this idea, is this a conscious thing?

I think this is something that has evolved but comes quite naturally to me. I am quite an ordered person so perhaps this is reflected in my work!

Is there any advice you would give to an aspiring illustrator?

If you want to make a living from being an illustrator you have to find a balance in being true to yourself and doing work that is commercial - which isn't always easy!!! You often have to compromise to keep a client happy! It is not a 9-5 job - you will have quiet periods and (hopefully) hectic ones. 'By perseverance' which happens to be my old school motto!

8x8

2011-05-07T19:44:00.000+01:00

For the past few weeks I've been working on a project entitled 8x8 which is a collaboration with creative writing students from Manchester Metropolitan University. Eight students have written a short story and we get the chance to do the accompanying illustrations, with all the work being featured in a book and sold at the Didsbury Art Festival. However, only one illustration per story can be chosen to feature alongside the stories and there are two or three people working on each story!

The story I was assigned to is called 'Junctures' and is written by Anna Paldanius. The story revolves around a girl called Joy, who has a long time boyfriend called Frank. Joy cheats on Frank with a man called Jack, who she eventually falls in love with. Realising she loves two men she cannot choose who to be with and who to break up with. Eventually both men find out they have been lied to and leave her. Frank ends up killing herself and at his funeral Joy realises she loved him the most. At the end of the story, set a few years later, Jack runs into Joy and her young son. It is implied Jack or Frank are probably the father of the child but we are not told which one.

My foremost idea for the main illustration was a treasure chest with a lock in the shape of a heart. The lock has two keyholes representing that two men 'have the key' to her heart. I decided to build up a symmetrical pattern representing the two different men and the choice Joy has to make - one or the other. Surrounding the chest are various elements which symbolise the eight chapter headings in the story:

Despair - stormy sea

Joy - yellow flower

Love - heart

Innocence - acacia leaf

Decadence - bitten chocolate (self indulgence)

Anger - bull

Sorrow - teardrop

Happiness - sun

I also included playing cards to represent the chance and risk Joy is taking and arrows which suggest choice and different directions. For the spot illustration I took the elements I had already made and arranged them in the shape of a heart - I thought 'love' was the overriding theme in the story. However, I can't decide between putting yellow in the background or not...I think it ties the two pieces together but not sure if I need it or not?

I'm really pleased with the final outcomes, I think the main illustration in particular is very striking. I like the black background as it just adds a sense of darkness which the story has. The simple elements work well and I like the symmetrical look - it adds balance to the piece and gives it more of an impact as opposed to it being asymmetrical.

I wish I'd done this

2011-04-22T16:04:00.001+01:00

I know that we're only supposed to talk about one image, but I just love all of the illustrations Patrick Hruby created for the book 'ABC is for Circus'. The book celebrates the colourful and wonderful world of the circus through each letter of the alphabet. When I first saw it, I was mesmerised - it was so imaginative and beautiful. Each double page spread is completely different, with the composition of the pages changing each time.

The first thing that strikes you, in these images, is the colour. Patrick has a brilliant eye and although some of the images are packed full of different colours, it never looks too much. He knows exactly when to stop and which colours work best together. I also like how he adds black to a lot of the images - it makes the bright colours pop out of the page even more and adds a certain amount of depth to the pieces. Colour is very important to me and I am hugely influenced by Patrick's ability to control the colour in his illustrations. Although I have experimented with colour, I would really like to create a piece where all the colours are 'touching' each other and not separated by black - it would be interesting to see how I would cope with this technique.

Patrick produces most of his work on Illustrator which allows him to create a smooth line to compliment the bold shapes and colours. The circus designs include a lot of intricate shapes which are often layered over each other. Although I can use Illustrator fairly well, I think the next step in improving my work is to produce more complex designs. I love how Patrick uses lots of simple shapes but builds them up in such a way that the finished result is very elaborate. This technique is definitely something I could use in my own work, in order to add another level of interest.

Patrick likes to create his own fonts and I really like the one he's used for the circus book. It's fairly simple but I like this as it doesn't draw attention away from the main illustrations. I dabbled in creating a font when I did my James and the Giant Peach cover and I thought it worked rather well. In the future, I liked to try and create a font which combines my love of colour with shape. On his website, there's an example of Patrick doing this really well, by overlapping simple shapes to produce a really quirky font.

One of the things that I love most about this book are the background elements. On various pages, Patrick has created a black silhouette of a circus scene to use as a background. As said before, I think the black makes the bright colours of the main image stand out even more. It also adds another layer of interest and creates a sense of depth. One of the most successful images that uses this idea is the 'daredevil' page. I love the detail of the silhouette - he has obviously spent just as long on that as the foreground image. In future work, I'd really like to experiment with combining colour and pattern with black - I think Patrick's use of this idea is very striking.

The main reason I love Patrick's work is because of his use of shape. When you zoom into one of his pieces, you see a series of simple shapes - but he builds them up into intricate patterns that become figures and elements. I particularly love the 'acrobats' page in the circus book, it's so wonderful and quirky. Two of the figure's legs are almost perfect circles and all of their hands are created from triangles. The sharp edges of the graphic shapes really compliment the vibrant colours, all of which makes the finished designs really bold and eye-catching. It's such a clever technique and combined with his use of colour and pattern, really sets him apart from other illustrators today. I love how you can see a clear connection between all of Patrick's work, right through to his typography, where he also uses simple shapes.

Although you can view a lot of the Circus book online, I've ordered a copy for myself! In 'real-life' I think the images will be even more stunning than they are on the computer screen. Patrick's use of colour, shape and technique make him my favourite illustrator today and I can't wait until the book arrives!

Hannah Firmin - Contact Report

2011-04-20T17:52:00.003+01:00

I emailed the lovely Hannah Firmin and asked her a few questions. She emailed back and gave some really good answers:

I understand you have recently moved to Wales, does living there have an impact on your work?

Living in Wales will influence me I'm sure, it's a bit early yet as I haven't had time to produce work for myself, I am selling well in local galleries and have been invited to exhibit during the Hay Festival in a few weeks time. I am always inspired by my surroundings....I lived in a village with a windmill above my house....see how many times you can spot a windmill in my work!

Where does your love of bright colours and patterns stem from?

I have always loved textiles, and sew and knit myself. Patterns and decoration in everyday life are very important to enrich our lives. Travelling the world shows you this too, I loved the fact that in Bali even the road sweepers wear beautiful sarongs and head dresses!

What are your inspirations? Do any artists/illustrators inspire you?

Some of the artists that have inspired me are Picasso, Bonnard, Thomas Bewick the engraver, Edward Bawden, Edward Ardizzone, John Piper, amongst many others!

Are you ever stuck for ideas? If so how do you overcome this?

Usually I have to work to a deadline so I can't ever be stuck. I will look at books and other people's work, go to an exhibition or just go out and do some drawing of I can't proceed.

Would you be able to tell me about your working process? How do you get started on a brief?

If I am doing a book jacket I always read the book until an image stands out. If it's something else I will usually have a size to work to which helps me with the general design. If the subject is new to me I will research and do some drawing before designing a composition. Once the rough has been approved I have to transfer it, in reverse, to my chosen block, lino, wood or vinyl. I cut it with the engraving tools, print and then when dry I cut up and collage and then finally paint. A long and elaborate process, which I love.

When did you get into printmaking, have you always used this process in your work?

I have done linocuts since a small child and etching at college, so almost all my life! It is always my chosen medium and I have become known for this way of working....my identity as an artist.

What did winning the Best Cover of the Year at the British Book Awards for the 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' mean to you? Did it increase your profile?

Winning the award was great as it did increase awareness of my work and a lot of work developed from A.McCall Smith's popularity and his choice to continue using me for his covers. When you work freelance and at home there aren't many chances to gain recognition and acknowledgement for all one's hard work (I have worked as an illustrator since 1981!) so it was lovely to win (I wasn't invited to the award ceremony though!)

Is there any advice you would give to an aspiring illustrator?

My advice is to work in a medium you love and develop continually as, if you are intending on doing this for your life, you need to love and enjoy it! Aim at developing your individuality and skills personal to you.

Maria Dahlgren

2011-04-16T14:27:00.002+01:00

I went to Ikea last week and found these amazing postcards by a designer called Maria Dahlgren. The postcards feature five areas of Sweden and are very colourful and graphic in style. I love her use of lettering and the strong architectural angles are complimented by dazzling colours. There are so many different little elements and I really like the simplicity of the shapes and lines. Maria previously designed a tray and tea-towel which captured many of London's famous sites - her city designs have become very popular and fashionable. Recently, I am really liking Scandinavian art - I love the graphic yet patterned designs which can be inspired by a multitude of themes.

Jamie Brown

2011-04-11T12:36:00.001+01:00

One of the briefs I'm working on at the moment is for a graphic design agency in Manchester called Music. Our task is to design a installation for a glass room in their studio. Ian gave us a presentation to give us some ideas for the project and one of the artists on it caught my eye straight away: Jamie Brown.

Jamie's illustrations are the sort of thing I envisage myself doing for this brief. His work is extremely bold and bright and full of different elements. I love the playful nature to his work - there are often little twists that you don't immediately notice. I really like how he uses fairly simple shapes to build up the image - this is something I will need to try and do if I'm going to use vinyl to create my design.

The song I've got in mind at the moment is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' - which is a very psychedelic and has lots of brilliant imagery. In my head I see a really bold and colourful pattern covering the glass walls. I will definitely keep referring to Jamie's work to gain inspiration during this brief.

Editorial Project

2011-03-31T19:32:00.005+01:00

For the past two weeks I've been working on an editorial illustration for an article about parents not reading fairytales to their children. We had to choose an existing article to illustrate and this was where I encountered the biggest problem of the project! I found it really hard to choose an article - they're are millions of them all over the internet and I had real trouble narrowing it down. If I'm given something to work on, even if it's hard, I've got no option to change it so I just get on with it. But with this I kept wandering to articles that I liked but wouldn't particularly challenge me. I ended up choosing an article about fairytales and I wish I hadn't - I think I could have produced something much more interesting if I'd had a more difficult article.

Anywaaay...the illustration I produced is based on the idea that parents are shunning fairytales for less 'scary' stories such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In the image the caterpillar has become the scary one and is chasing off the fairytale characters. One of the challenges I faced was how to give well-known characters my own stamp. I created the image on Illustrator to give it a more modern look and I think it worked fairly well. The only character that perhaps doesn't work as well as the rest is Cinderella. Because of the Disney film, her look is so distinctive - so it was hard to make her my own.

I think the way I create figures has improved in this project, I particularly like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel. The illustration sits well on the page and I like the strong purple in the background. I attempted to make the characters lift off the page by giving them shadows, but in subsequent work this could be pushed a lot further.

Overall I'm happy with the final design - I just wish I'd chosen a different article! (Sorry for the small images - not sure what's happening!)

Arlene Adams

2011-03-26T15:07:00.002Z

I came across Arlene Adams on the Print and Pattern blog and immediately fell in love with her work. She uses Illustrator to create her designs and I really like how she used simple shapes to build up a detailed illustration. She uses colour really well and her work often has a Scandinavian feel. I also like her use of symmetry - which is something I have tried to do in my work. I think it gives the detailed designs a bit of balance and helps them sit better on the page. Looking at her website, Arlene's work appears to have changed drastically in style - for the better! I will definitely be keeping my eye on her to see what she does next.

Wellspring Project

2011-03-10T15:44:00.003Z

For the Wellspring brief, the page I was allocated was titled "what is wellspring?". In the text I had been provided with, there were a lot of elements included such as 'schools', 'churches', 'food', 'toiletries' and 'clothing'. In the last brief for James and the Giant Peach I created elements that had featured in the book to form a pattern. As I had really enjoyed creating the book cover I decided to do a similar sort of thing with this brief. I thought about what I could encase the elements in and came up with four ideas: a hand, a dove, the wellspring building shape and a tin of soup. When I showed the compositions to the client, Jonathan Billings, he really liked the one in the shape of the building so that's the one I went with.

I created the elements in a similar way to JATGP - I found references for each component and then copied the basic shape in my sketchbook. I tried to use a minimal amount of lines and shapes as otherwise it would become too busy once all the elements were arranged in a pattern. Once I had finished the drawings I scanned them into Illustrator and traced them using the pen tool. As I find it really difficult to work in black and white, I decided to fill them in with colour and greyscale them later. After talking to Ian, I then removed the black outlines from the elements - they ended up looking a little less complicated and not so harsh.

I then thought about the composition of the pattern itself. Although I had used rows for JATGP, Ian and myself thought it would be better for this brief to try something different. I had recently come across an illustrator called Nicola Meiring whose work often involves elements arranged in a jigsaw style pattern. I really liked the effect of this, so set about trying to fit my elements together in the shape of the Wellspring building. It was actually quite fun attempting to fit everything together, for some reason I like fiddly things!

I decided just to use the outline of the building and not try to include the inside shapes like the windows and doors as I thought this would look too complicated. After a tutorial, I also inverted the text across the top of the building so it was sitting inside a shape. I think this gives a cleaner finish and doesn't attract attention away from the pattern.

I think the main strength of my design is the composition of the pattern. I think I've managed to get all the elements to fit together really well and nothing stands out as being out of place. I also think the elements themselves are fairly successful. There are a few in particular that I really like such as the shoe and toothpaste. However, I think ones such as the comb could be slightly improved. I really enjoyed this project and will definitely use the techniques I learnt in subsequent work.

Patrick Hruby - Contact Report

2011-03-03T20:19:00.005Z

I emailed the wonderful Patrick Hruby but I didn't really expect an answer as he's a very busy man! However....he replied! He was so lovely and gave me some really good answers. It made my day and I was astonished he wanted to look at my work! Anyway, here's his email:

Hello Philippa,

I am really touched that you would reach out to me. I would be happy to answer your questions.

I understand you are currently based in Los Angeles, does living there have an impact on your work?

Living in LA has definitely influenced my work. It is a land of perpetual summer. Ironically I prefer the winter, but there are definitely a lot of bright colors in this vibrant city, not to mention we have Disneyland (my parents used to take me every few years for my birthday.)

What are your inspirations? Do any artists/illustrators inspire you?

Strictly speaking my inspiration comes from the place where nature meets mathematics, but also I grew up on fairytales and I try to get to that place of wonder and magic. Idols of mine are Charley Harper, Alexander Girard, Mary Blair, and Kay Neilson.

Are you ever stuck for ideas? If so, how do you overcome this?

I get stuck for ideas all the time. But I have learned that a lot of times I am just afraid to try an idea that might seem crazy at first. I try not to edit myself in the beginning.

Would you be able to tell me about your working process? How do you get started on a brief?

Even though all of my work involves software (mostly Adobe Illustrator) I will start with a pencil. Sometimes I try to resolve the design before I resolve the concept. Sometimes the concept is revealed to me as I work out the general composition is strict geometry. When I get a brief I usually just take a bit of time to daydream and imagine what the finished project will look like. I think about colors and composition then I start brainstorming ideas. I make a lot of lists. I put them away and come back to them after I have had some time to see it with fresh eyes. I try not to resolve everything in the beginning so that there is still a little room for surprise.

What media do you use in your work?

Like I said before, all of my work (except my paintings) are somehow rooted in digital media. Depending on what the final outcome of the work will be, I will either deliver purely digital files, or I will silkscreen the designs into a physical object, scan it and send that.

Have you always loved using bright colours in your work?

I have always loved bright colors, but I wasn't always brave enough to use them. When I began my studies at Art Center College of Design I was painting watercolors which were much more ethereal. As I grew more confident in color and design my work began to become more and more direct.

I notice you have created several alphabets. Where does this love of typography stem from?

I have always loved typography. It was a bit of a mystery to me, and I am ashamed to say so, but I didn't take very many graphic design classes in school. I thought that type had so many rules that I just steered clear of it. Then one day I just decided to start making alphabets as best I could just to demystify it for me. That began a new love for me.

Is there any advice you would give to an aspiring illustrator?

The best advice I can give you is not to limit yourself by what you think an illustrator should or would do. Think of your work in every application you can imagine, don't be afraid to discover that you may be a completely different sort of artist that you imagined you would be. Above all, protect the quality of your work.

I hope that helped. I would love to see some of your work if you have a site or if you would like to send me some work.

Good luck in your studies!

Patrick

Merijn Hos

2011-02-26T16:01:00.001Z

I came across Merijn whilst flicking through a blog I had come across and was instantly struck by one of his pieces. Although his style is not at all similar to mine and it's something I will probably never aspire to do - I couldn't help being amazed by it. I looked on his website and there is so much stuff on it! His work is really diverse and he experiments with lots of different media. On one page there is a beautiful watercolour, on the next a colourful collage and on the next a gigantic installation. But what really caught my eye were his series of China ink drawings. The detail in them is astounding and the content is so playful. I love the use of pattern and although they are black and white you can tell they would be bright and dazzling if they were in colour. They're so quirky and fascinating I just had to put them on here for you to see!

Nicola Meiring

2011-02-17T13:54:00.003Z

Following on from the presentation by The Chase, I had a look around the internet at some of the design agencies they had mentioned. I was having a mooch around Folio's website when I came across Nicole Meiring's page. She is originally from South Africa but recently moved to England. Her work is really amazing and certain elements really remind me of my own work at the moment. Nicole obviously uses Illustrator to create her pieces and they have a clean graphic feel to them. In several of her designs she has used elements built up in a pattern to form a shape; which is what I'm trying to do with this current brief! I love the style of her work - there are clear influences from Scandinavian design and she has a passion for iconography. She has a great sense of colour and works with an array of tones and shades. Nicole has worked for a wide variety of clients and she is in frequent demand. Her work is really inspirational to me so it may be that I'll contact her to find out more about how she works.

The Chase

2011-02-15T18:07:00.002Z

Today we were given a presentation by Lise Brian and Mika Shephard from a design agency called The Chase. They came to Stockport primarily to talk the third years about their portfolios but very kindly agreed to talk to us as well. They gave us some excellent advice on approaching design agencies and how we should prepare our portfolios.

They had contacted several agencies for us and asked them what they look for in new designers; their responses were as follows:

- CIA (Central Illustration Agency) - look for originality, good communication skills and a positive professional attitude.

- Heart Agency - look for someone who is different from anything they've seen before.

- Lemonade Illustration Agency - treat illustration as a real business.

- Folio Illustration Agency - know what illustration the agency works with.

Lise also gave us her own advice on how to approach an agency:

- Make sure you spell the person's name right.

- Don't attach too many files in an email.

- Follow up with a call.

- Be nice to receptionists.

- Try not to be too nervous on an interview.

- Know something about where you're going.

- Be enthusiastic.

- No job? Ask about a brief.

- Turn up unannounced.

- Can you help with anything?

Finally they gave some advice on preparing your portfolio:

- Take work out you don't like.

- Have a good mix of work.

- Keep your folder spotless.

- Treat it like any other layout job.

- Seeing the original piece is lovely.

- Don't put foam board in your folder.

- How much time have you got?

- Given advice? Don't take it all to heart.

- Practice talking about your work.

- Start and finish with your strongest work.

Lise and Mika had some excellent tips and I found the presentation really useful. Some of the points were quite obvious but it's amazing how you can easily forget about them. When I graduate I will contact as many agencies as I can to try and get representation. They have access to major clients that you couldn't reach on your own and they will scout out work to fit your style - they're well worth the effort!

'James and the Giant Peach' book cover

2011-02-11T20:23:00.007Z

For the past four weeks I have been working on creating a new book cover for the story of 'James and the Giant Peach'. We were given a selection of competition briefs to choose from, all from various publishers and organisations. I chose the Puffin competition as I had loved 'James and the Giant Peach' when I was younger and thought it was something I could really sink my teeth into!

Any Roald Dahl book is automatically associated with Quentin Blake and whilst I love his work it was a challenge to move away from his iconic illustrations. I wanted to do something completely different and inject my love of colour into the design. I had initially decided to have a large circle representing the peach sitting on top of a patterned background. I spoke to Ian about this and he suggested that rather than just having random shapes, why not use elements from the book to create the pattern. I really loved this idea so set about drawing different components from the book. Some had quite a major part to play in the story, like the seagulls, whilst others were less significant, like the rhino. I tried to make them as simple as possible to compensate for the colour overload and decided to use Illustrator to create a clean slick line.

Symmetry played an important role in the cover; all the elements were symmetrical when possible. Also, the circle on the front is balanced by a square of the same height and width on the back.

Regarding the typography, I opted to design a bubble-writing style type to highlight that this is primarily a children's book. For the back I chose a sans serif font that looked 'child friendly' but I would really like to make my own typeface for when I send it off to Puffin in April. I also wanted the text to be a part of the pattern not just an afterthought so incorporated it into the design, e.g. the worm is normal on the back but forms 'Quentin Blake' on the front.

When finishing the cover I decided to limit the palette to six colours, which were the basis of the rainbow. I added pink to the worm but other than that I didn't want to overload it with lots of colour.

Overall I'm really pleased with my cover, its everything I wanted it to be - colourful, eye-catching and unusual. There are a couple of things I need to tweak before I send it off but this is the version as it stands at the moment.

Ian Bilbey

2011-01-25T10:46:00.003Z

Whilst talking about my James and the Giant Peach book cover, Ian recommended that I take a look at Ian Bilbey. He is a London based illustrator who concentrates heavily on line and colour. His work has quite a retro feel to it and can often be quite quirky. Ian said to look at how he creates characters and objects with pattern, rather than filling in a line drawing with colour. Looking through his portfolio, he seems to have a few different styles; which is quite unusual compared to other illustrators. However, it gives him a lot of flexibility and enables him to experiment with lots of different ideas rather than being tied down.

I particular like how he simplifies characters so not to make the composition too chaotic. For the brief I would like to combine the simplicity of his figures with the bright patterns of his objects. My favourite pieces of his work are those where he uses vivid colours and bold patterns, they're so eye-catching and vibrant - they make me feel very happy!!

Graduates

2011-01-23T17:33:00.004Z

On Tuesday, six previous Stockport college students came to talk to us about what they had been up to since graduating. I spoke to Rose Lloyd, Chris Madden and Natalie Wood; all of whom were really open and honest about their work. They had some great advice to offer and talked us through the work they had produced. Something they all advised was to approach companies yourself and not just sit at home and wait for the work to come to you. Working as a freelance illustrator is a hard profession and you need to get yourself out there in order to achieve success. Rose Lloyd stated it is useful to build relationships up with art directors as they may choose to use your work more than once. She said it is vital to meet deadlines; your reputation could be quickly ruined if you fail to meet the completion date. Rose also said that an increasing number of people have bought prints of her illustrations. This new venture may provide a more steady income as companies choose to cut their illustration budgets.

All the graduates said the hardest parts of working as a freelance illustrator was the tight deadlines and not knowing where the next paycheque was coming from. Chris Madden advised to send work to multiple design agencies. Although they take a cut of your payment, they have access to prolific companies which otherwise might be unreachable on your own. He is represented by Eye Candy illustration agency which have provided him with a number of jobs.

Although I would like to do editorial illustration, my passion is pattern and this may be more suited to the increasingly popular market of prints, cards and stationary etc. We'll see what the future holds!!

Chris Madden

Natalie Wood

Rose Lloyd

Quentin Blake

2011-01-17T14:15:00.003Z

When I went to London in December I also went to the Chris Beetles Gallery where they were exhibiting over 100 original drawings and watercolours by Quentin Blake. The exhibition was called 'Frabjous Beasts and Frumious Birds' and the room was crammed full of his amazing illustrations. What made it amazing was that Quentin was there to sign books and prints and I got to talk to him! It was really special as it was in such an intimate setting; a small gallery with barely 20 people milling around. Obviously only a few people knew about it, so I was really lucky to discover it was going on. I looked on Quentin's website and he sometimes does signings in big stores where hundreds of people turn up, so it was amazing to see him so personally. It was awe inspiring to talk to him so I was a bit excited and didn't really ask the questions I'd wanted to! However, he was really nice and signed my favourite book with his illustrations in, 'Fantastic Mr Fox'.

The prints on display were amazing and I'd never seen half of them so it was a real pleasure to see them so close up. I love his casual yet descriptive style, he can convey emotions and subtly communicate an idea with only a few rough lines. Quentin works with an ink pen and then uses watercolours to add colour. I like how it doesn't matter if the colour doesn't stay in the lines, it gives the drawings a sense of excitement and movement. Blake’s unusual figurative style and distinct scribbly, yet precise, lines make him one of my favourite ever illustrators.

Oliver Jeffers

2011-01-15T19:10:00.000Z

When I went to London in December I visited the Chris Beetles art gallery to see Quentin Blake's exhibition. Whilst there I looked at another exhibition that was on; 'The Illustrators - The British Art of Illustration'. One person who really caught my eye was Oliver Jeffers. The pictures on display were from a book of his called 'Up and Down' and featuring a little boy and his penguin friend. The illustrations were so beautifully done and the story was so sweet. Following the exhibition I found his website and looked through his other work. The painterly quality to his illustrations is not something I would necessarily do myself but I really enjoyed them. The characters have a lot of personality despite being very simply drawn and I can see that they would be extremely popular with children. I also love the fact that as well as illustrating he writes the stories. He has complete control over the entire process which must be a nice change from illustrating other people's ideas! At the exhibition his work was selling for over a thousand pounds each and I can see why; each one is a beautiful piece of art.

Anthony Burrill

2011-01-10T15:18:00.001Z

I came across Anthony in a book of artist's prints in the interiors shop Habitat. What really struck me about his work was his bold graphic style and strong use of colour. He rarely shows much detail in his designs and all of the shapes are very simple and clean. Anthony loves creating typography and often ventures into moving image which allows him to bring his colourful creations to life. He also likes to collaborate with other designers, artists and film-makers and experiments with a range of media. Anthony's combination of a brilliant use of colour and composition along with a witty approach to his work has achieved him worldwide success.

Christmas Pop-Up Market

2010-12-29T17:18:00.000Z

Whilst in London I went to a little Christmas market set up by 'Our Market', an organisation which showcases designers and makers. They had set up some beautiful stalls in a bridge arch near London Bridge and had invited several designers to come and sell their work. It was so much better than all the other Christmas markets as there was such an eclectic mix of products. There was stationery, jewellery, prints, cards, home-ware, candles, textiles and so on. The fact that all the designers were there made it even more special as you could go talk to them about their work.

Zeena Shah creates beautiful handmade screen printed products for the home. She makes the cutest owl cushions and sweet heart-shaped lavender bags (which I had to buy one of). Her patterns are quite Scandinavian in style and she uses gorgeous colours to print with. Zeena's stall was my favourite in the market and she was so lovely to talk to, giving me useful tips for the future. She only graduated just over 3 years ago and is already very successful so she is a great example of what can be achieved in such a short amount of time.

Another designer who was there, Justine Ellis, also creates designs using screen printing but the colours she uses are quite soft and gentle. She creates designs that look quite simple but on closer inspection can often be quite intricate. I love how she creates textures with screen printing, giving her designs a sense of depth. Justine had a collection of Christmas cards which were more bold in style whilst still retaining a sense of simplicity.

Before going to London I'd done a bit of research to see if there was anything 'arty' going on and I'm so glad I chose to go to this market. It was one of the best bits of the trip and really inspired me to experiment with pattern and screen printing.

Wicked!

2010-12-21T16:47:00.000Z

For my 21st birthday my family organised a surprise 3 day trip to London. It was totally unexpected and so exciting! We travelled down by First Class (get me!!) and stayed in a fancy hotel in the centre of the city. The highlight of the weekend had to be going to see the West End show Wicked. I'd heard of it before but never knew what it was about but it was amazing!! The story of the Wicked Witch of the West was so clever and they managed to tie in all these small details that linked it back to the Wizard of Oz. The set was awe-inspiring and the costumes were so beautiful - especially in the Emerald City. I had the best night and it was an experience I'll never forget!

Riitta Ikonen

2010-12-19T13:54:00.001Z

On the 7th December we had a talk from a lovely artist called Riitta Ikonen. She is originally from Finland but now works in London. Her work is concerned with the performance of images, through photography and costume design. She makes weirdly wonderful costumes which often have quite a theatrical look to them. Riitta is often excited by small insignificant objects, which she transforms into costumes and photographs in seemingly normal locations. This combination of bizarre and ordinary is what makes her work so different - she creates new experiences for people to discover. Riitta is very inspired by nature and several of her outfits, such as the snowflake, explore this theme in a very unique way.

Since graduating from the Royal College of Art Riitta has been very successful and was recently involved in designing a series of landscape features for the 2012 Olympic park. She is also collaborating with a New York artist called Ian Wright, producing diverse pieces that combine photography, costume and sculpture.She also gave some great tips such as: speak to everyone and anyone and always be passionate about what you do. Riitta was really wonderful to listen to and even though her work wasn't entirely to my taste, it was obvious she is extremely passionate about what she does.

Deathly Hallows Animation

2010-12-05T18:31:00.005Z

I went to see the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film on friday night. Although I like the books, I'm not a big fan of the films, so wasn't expecting much. However, halfway through there was a beautiful three minute animation explaining what the Deathly Hallows are. Directed by Ben Hibon and created by Framestore, the stunning sequence is inspired by oriental shadow puppetry. The animation was created in sepia tones, which gives it a really mysterious and ancient appearance. The combination of willowy puppets and fluid shadows is very successful; it creates an ethereal feel which captivates you. Apparently it took six months for a team of animators to create it, but you can understand why as it's so detailed and intricate. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a video but here are some stills that have been published:

Dominic Wilcox

2010-12-03T11:35:00.011Z

On Friday 26th November we had a talk from Dominic Wilcox, an artist, designer and inventor! The talk was really good and Dominic was very funny! He has a great imagination, I don't know how he comes up with some of his ideas. His work gives everyday things a new perspective and he creates some really mad but useful objects. I was blown away by his 'speed creating' where he created a new thing each day for 30 days. It's something I could never do, I'm not fast enough and would spend too long planning! I particularly liked his shadow drawing, mirror image and pencil shelf. The outcomes are very beautiful and they're all such simple ideas, which makes them even better!

I also loved his cute drawings for mad little ideas! Some of them were crazy but all were useful or believable in some way. You could easily see some of them being made and used. I love the style of his drawing, they are very innocent and simple. He has a very wry sense of humour and wit plays a huge part in his work. Here's a selection of some of my favourite drawings:

The workshop he gave in the afternoon was also really good. His suggestions were so good and so annoyingly obvious! He pointed out things we couldn't seem to see, and helped us to broaden our minds. By identifying little irritations, you can produce a whole host of ideas. He was really easy to talk to and definitely very helpful as far as the new project is concerned.

Group Project

2010-11-21T16:50:00.023Z

For the group project I was put in a team with 3 other members (Lisa from Illustration, Mike from Graphics and Luke from Moving Image). We were given the word 'kinetic' as a starting point and our thought process began by examining natural kinetics, in particular water based movement such as rain and tides. We liked how they are not controlled by ‘man’ and have quite a spontaneous nature to them. As a result of the water theme we decided to use inks, which are water based and have a fluid nature to them.

The concept of gravity also played a part in the project. The group thought it would be interesting to see how ink would fall when put on paper. It was very successful and because some drips fell further and quicker than others, it looked really quirky.

We also decided to experiment with throwing ink at a piece of paper. It produced a really nice effect; when different colours collided with each other they mixed and flowed in different directions. The group couldn’t decide between the drips and splatters so we concluded that we would experiment with both on the computer. In the end, we decided to combine the two as it created a more varied animation.

These are the two final pieces that we used in our animation:

This is our final animation/film:

Jen Stark

2010-11-12T14:25:00.007Z

Sorry for not updating in so long, just don't seem to have chance, but I will make an effort to try and post more often! Whilst doing research for the group project, I came across Jen Stark, a contemporary artist from Miami. Her paper sculptures are so beautiful and captivating; you can't look away from them. I can't begin to imagine how she creates her pieces, they look so detailed and complex, it makes my head hurt! However, it's probably something I'd really enjoy doing, as it's so exact and fiddly.

I was immediately drawn to her pieces because of the bright colours she uses and the varied patterns the paper create. They almost seem to be in mid-movement, one in particular looks like a volcano erupting, which is why I thought they'd be appropriate for the kinetic project. I also like the almost op-art and kaleidoscope look to them; they're so different to anything I've seen before.

Jen gets her inspiration from a variety of sources such as nature, geometric patterns and microscopic views of objects. Her pieces might explore how people and objects are made up of literal and metaphorical layers. This scientific edge is really interesting as there are endless sources to use as inspiration.

Jen has also branched out into creating drawings which are just as crazy as her sculptures. They also seem to have a sense of movement and are very chaotic but beautiful to look at. She has also created animations out of her sculptures, which are really hypnotic and kaleidoscope-like. They're so clever and I'd love to contact her to find out how she produces all her work.

Patrick Hruby

2010-10-14T16:34:00.005+01:00

I've just been having a look around my new favourite site, the Print and Pattern blog, when I came across Patrick Hruby. I just had to give him a mention because I absolutely love his work! His sense of colour his amazing, it never looks too much or too little; always perfect. I like the almost graphic nature to his work, the sharp edges and shapes really compliment the colours and make them stand out. I've looked at his blog and website and the range of themes he covers is astonishing, he can do buildings, animals, people; all in different scenarios. He is my new favourite artist and I'm very jealous of him!!

Print and Pattern Blog

2010-10-14T13:23:00.009+01:00

While researching for the box project I came across an amazing blog called Print and Pattern. It's my idea of heaven!! Not only do they show artists/designers work but they also go around shops like Paperchase and photograph loads of items. I'll share a couple of my favourite findings, starting with Pat Albeck.

Pat recently created a collection of tea-towels at Emma Bridgwater. I love her designs, she uses quite simple shapes and all of the colours are bright and happy. They're very 60s in style which is something I was very influenced by in the box project. I'm so impressed that Pat has been producing designs for over 40 years; they look so current and fresh. I will definitely be keeping me eyes open to see what she produces next.

Another designer who caught me eye was Carolyn Gavin. Her work she produced for the company Ecojet (which creates products made from recycled materials) is gorgeous! She has an amazing sense of colour and pattern and even though her designs have lots of things going on, they never look overcrowded. I particular like her letters made out of patterns, they look really effective and it's something I'd love to have a go at.

The design company Allihopa are also really inspiring. I love the bright, vibrant colours and the innocent images they create. I really like the colourful patterns set on black, it makes the colours 'pop' out of the page. They're designs are very simple, which is something I really like; they let the colours and images speak for themselves. I like how they've branched out into so many different areas; toys, notebooks, cards, stationery. There is obviously a great market for their work (including me!).

You can have a look at all the amazing work at printpattern.blogspot.com. Enjoy!!

Timorus Beasties

2010-10-10T17:49:00.009+01:00

As my recent work has been very pattern based, Ian told me about a group of designers called Timorous Beasties. I had a look at their website and really loved their work. They produce contemporary fabrics and wallpapers reminiscent of Toile de Jouy wallpaper from the early 1800s. At first glance their patterns look like elegant panoramas, but look closer and the images are a grisly depiction of Britain today. They want to explore social and political issues and don't hold back on their subject matter. Prostitutes, tramps and drug users all feature in their controversial patterns, with crumbling buildings and seagulls serve as a backdrop. Once described as "William Morris on acid", the Timorous Beasties aren't afraid to explore taboo subjects, but by cleverly 'disguising' them in a traditional wallpaper style they have managed to create an extremely successful business.

Just to show a couple of examples, these are their London Toile and Glasgow Toile. The first image shows how 'normal' they look from a distance, whilst the second images are close ups which reveal their hidden meaning.

I think this is how to take my work to the next level; through letting my patterns be informed by themes and content. In the next project this is something I'd like to explore, it would be a good way to challenge myself and create work with a more serious content.

P.S. This is a really good video I found of Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons (the founders of Timorous Beasties) discussing their working method and the ideas behind their work.

Tracey Eastham

2010-09-19T17:46:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I went to the Cornerhouse in Manchester and saw Tracey Eastham's work. She creates paper collages which usually feature landscapes with a twist. The romantic style images seem to represent something deeper, but as they appear so innocent you are not sure what it is. What I found really intriguing was how the images appeared to float in the frames. There is a real sense of depth even though they are just flat pieces of paper. The pieces on display were a mixture of fantasy and reality; each one telling a different story.

I enjoyed looking at all her pieces and it really inspired me to work with paper again. For the narrative Box Project I want to create an animation so I'm going to explore collage using brightly coloured papers and see where it goes!

Las Meninas, Part 5

2010-09-18T17:02:00.001+01:00

Just remembered that I haven't actually posted anything on the last swap of the summer project! So better late than never, here it is.....

Emma used a combination of elements to make her piece and I really like how they cohesively fit together in the composition. I especially liked her use of collage - it's very true to her style. This is her piece:

For my response I decided to take elements of Emma’s work and rework it in my own style. I liked the use of thread in her work so I used different coloured cottons to sew my image of the Lady onto paper. I tried to use colours similar to the original painting and attempted to spilt the line drawing up into sections so each important shape was clearly visible.

I was really inspired by Emma’s use of collage so I decided to create my own. I’ve hardly done any collage since foundation so I thought this would be a good chance to try it again. I really like using old magazines and newspapers to find imagery as I find they have so much more character. I also love the almost tea stained colour of the paper. I recreated the table and tea service and also added a candelabra and shoes which feature in the original painting.

Finally, I added a hanging birdcage which combined Emma’s use of birds and dotted lines. I was a bit worried that the image of the Lady was too faint alongside the collage elements, but I actually quite like it. It’s almost as though she’s fading into the distance after the curse has struck. This is my outcome:

I found it really useful to use Holly and Emma’s work as inspiration; after so long it was nice to see someone else's work. I found it helpful to see how they had responded to the painting and it gave me lots of new ideas to think about.

Las Meninas, Part 4

2010-09-08T17:49:00.006+01:00

The first piece of work I received was Holly's response. She made a concertina book and used bits of the Tennyson poem as inspiration to collage from. I thought her piece was really good, I liked how it responded clearly to the painting and poem, whilst still being 'Holly'. This is her piece:

As I didn't particularly want to mess around with her work I decided to do what Emma had done and add another page onto the book. I decided to create a woven paper background, using similar tones to Holly's work. This time I used paper which was quite thin; meaning I could easily make sure it went together as tightly as possible. As both Holly and Emma had used lines from the poem I decided to incorporate the lines "there she weaves by day and night" and "she left the web, she left the loom". Both of these refer to weaving so I thought it was quite appropriate to use alongside my background. Finally I added a line drawing of the Lady onto the weaving. Initially, I was going to draw the outline onto the weave, but it ended up being barely visible among the lattice effect. So I then decided to fill the inside of the drawing white; to make it stand out more and add a bit of definition. This is my outcome:

I found it useful to use Holly's work as inspiration; after so long it was nice to see someone else's work. I found it useful to see how another person had responded to the painting and it gave me lots of new ideas to think about.

Las Meninas, Part 3

2010-09-06T17:15:00.010+01:00

For my piece I decided to incorporate an image of the Lady with some sort of weaving. I did this to coincide with the idea that the Lady has to weave images of King Arthur's kingdom. However, I didn't use material to weave with, instead I used paper strips. In the first year one of our briefs was to manipulate paper, and this was where I first experimented with weaving paper. But this time I did it on a larger scale and took more time making sure the paper strips were all exactly the same size. As I was using quite a thick paper, I couldn't get the strips to get close enough together; so I had to leave gaps in-between. Since then I've used thinner paper and this works much better as you can get a tighter finished look.

For the Lady I used my line drawing of her and scanned in different textures and patterned papers to decorate each segment with. I also used patterns I have stored on my computer to create a more layered look. I tried to stay quite close to the colours of the original painting; just making them a bit more textured and brighter. I was really pleased with the result of this; as it's very me, whilst still staying true to the painting.

For the final design I scanned in my weave and adjusted the hue to a more pink tone. I also graduated the darkness to make it a bit more interesting and to focus the eye on the Lady. Finally, I scanned in some little paper coils I had made. This was to add a bit of movement to the piece as well representing the balls of wool on the painting.

Jenny Bowers

2010-09-05T15:55:00.006+01:00

I was recently having a little wander around the internet, when I stumbled across Peepshow - a group of 10 artists who have come together to share clients and collaborate. One of the artists in particular really caught my eye; an illustrator called Jenny Bowers. Colour, colour, colour!! Her work is so amazing, it's so bright and happy; I could look at it all day! The way she draws is so playful and innocent and her pattern work is also really beautiful. Looking at her client list, she's illustrated for a diverse range of companies; demonstrating how her style can be applied to a variety of concepts. I'd be really interested in contacting her to find out how she comes up with fresh ideas and what techniques she uses to create her work.

Las Meninas, Part 2

2010-09-04T17:45:00.015+01:00

As the Lady of Shalott is quite a busy and complex painting, I started by thinking about how I could simplify it. As she is the main focal point of the piece, I decided to start with the Lady and see how that went. I wanted to get her down to her raw form and strip away all the textures and shading. So using a light box, I traced over the outlines of all the shapes I thought were important to her figure. I was really pleased with the result, as it almost looked quite Art Nouveau and I liked how it was so contrasting to all the busy elements in the painting.

I scanned this drawing into Photoshop and traced over it to get a more even and smooth line. I then began thinking back to all the beautiful colours I'd seen on my holiday in Spain. I had bought a little elephant figurine from Guadalest and I decided to use it as inspiration. I love all the blocks of colour and pattern painted onto it; it's so bright and eye-catching. I also think the black lines around the colours help to make them stand out a bit more. The idea of blocks of colour is also present in a mosaic lizard my sister bought. Using this idea, I looked at the painting and chose the main colours from the sections I had drawn.

I think the piece has turned out really well. Again, I like the simplicity of it and how it's more 'me'; with all the bright colours and black outlines. Also, if I take the black outlines away it creates a nice silhouette shape, which is interesting to experiment and work with.

¡España!

2010-09-01T18:03:00.004+01:00

My recent holiday to Spain has been hugely influential on my summer project. People there don't seem to be afraid of vibrant and dazzling colours; they use them everywhere! One of my favourite nights was when we went to a street festival; the costumes the performers were wearing were amazing, they were so extravagant and complex and they just kept coming. There must have been at least 50 groups of performers and all of the costumes were completely different.

We also visited a mountain village called Guadalest which, from a distance, looks quite muted. But hidden away on side streets are an array of quirky shops, all stuffed full of colourful and exciting trinkets. There also seemed to be a lot home-ware items which had been decorated in the most stunning colours and patterns. One of my favourite shops had hundreds of items covering the shop frontage. It was like a bejeweled entrance to Aladdin's cave! In the shop was an amazing cabinet; it was huge and had 9 square drawers, each of which had its own beautiful hand painted pattern.

As the Lady of Shalott is bright and visually exciting, I've taken inspiration from Spain and really centred my project around colour. I've mainly played with the image of the Lady and tried to rework the colours in different ways. I'll post some pictures in the next day or so to show you what I mean!

Las Meninas, Part 1

2010-08-26T16:57:00.010+01:00

Sorry for the delay in posting my latest entry - things have been a bit chaotic - but here it finally is! Holly and I visited the Manchester Art Gallery and enjoyed wandering around all of the gallery spaces and exhibitions. We were both particularly drawn to the Pre-Raphaelite room - simply because the works seemed more intriguing and exciting. We both liked a couple of paintings - one of which was 'Work' (1852-1865) by Ford Madox Brown.

During the middle of the 19th century, the moral value of work was much discussed and this painting reflects this debate. The story behind the piece was really interesting and we also liked how there were hidden details everywhere you looked; there was lots of room for interpretation.

In the end, though, we both decided that the our favourite painting was 'The Lady of Shalott', an oil painting by William Holman Hunt which he produced between 1886 and 1905. The range of colour in the painting is what particularly caught our eye; it's so rich and intense.

The Lady of Shalott is a Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892). The poem describes how the Lady of Shalott was bound by a curse which forbade her to look upon the outside world. Isolated in a turret, she was forced to produce weavings of King Arthur's kingdom, her only guide being the reflections seen in a mirror. However, the singing of the knight, Sir Lancelot, seduces her into looking out onto the real world. The Lady's world begins to self-destruct like a tornado, but Sir Lancelot rides on; oblivious to her devastation.

The painting represents the Lady's failure to carry out her duties, perhaps alluding to human's lack of responsibility. The piece is so richly symbolic that there are endless possibilities to explore. I'm particularly interested in the idea of weaving - I experimented with paper weaving last year so it's something I'd like to try again.

D&AD 2010

2010-07-13T11:44:00.008+01:00

On Monday 28th June I travelled down to London to see D&AD New Blood, an exhibition for art students from all over the country. It was set in an amazing building called the Old Truman Brewery and despite the fact that it was boiling inside(!), there was a great atmosphere to the whole place!

There were so many different subjects on display but I thought the illustration work was particularly good, not that I'm biased or anything! The work was really impressive and there was such a huge range of different styles and ideas. All of the pieces were of a high standard and looked totally professional. It left me a little overwhelmed but also very inspired to achieve something just as good. I collected lots of business cards so I could take the time to look at various websites and blogs in detail. I love how all the rows of cards were like individual pieces of art, a lot of thought had obviously gone into them.

I liked lots of the student's work but I'll just mention a few who really caught my eye:

Poonam Mistry is a third year Illustration student at University of Hertfordshire. Her bold use of colour and pattern is what attracted me to her work, it's so vibrant and exciting. I like how she has taken inspiration from her religion to incorporate the rich patterns into modern illustrations. Looking through her blog, she has tried lots of different techniques, such as wood carving and stain glass, to explore her passion for pattern.

Emma Carpendale from University of Northampton had some beautiful work up. Her illustrations are very soft and sweet but also tend to have a slightly darker side to them. Looking at her website, she's uses an array of materials such as water-colours and collage to create her pieces. These combinations produce a really textured and interesting look.

Margaux Carpentier from University for the Creative Arts Farnham (Graphic Communication) displayed some really interesting work. The animals he had created were really stunning; the way he broke them up into hundreds of different pieces was so clever. I love the almost fluorescent colours he used, it made them so eye catching and different to anything else there. I looked at his blog and he's applied this technique to lots of different animals, I think they look fantastic as a set.

I'm going on holiday for two weeks, but when I come back I'll post updates on my summer project!

Yulia Brodskaya

2010-07-09T09:38:00.002+01:00

This is my very first post(!) so I thought I'd begin by looking at one of my favourite artists, Yulia Brodskaya. She was originally born in Russia but moved to the UK in 2004 to complete a MA in Graphic Communication at University of Hertfordshire. She creates beautiful paper designs using a technique called quilling. This practice involves coiling strips of paper and sticking them together to create images and designs.

I think her work is just jaw-dropping, she must have so much patience and a very steady hand! The designs are so intricate and I love the colours she uses - they're always really bright and happy. I also like how some of the pieces have 'movement'; the paper coils seem to be in the process of rolling along the page.

Yulia has designed for a wide variety of clients, including Hermes, Cadbury, The Guardian and Starbucks. This vast range of companies is really impressive as it shows she is capable of applying her technique to a variety of briefs and ideas. Yulia is definitely one artist I would love to contact to find out more about her design mentality.