My tutorial with Matt to discuss my progress for this brief so far, was really enlightening. I think that my idea was well received overall and I was excited to get looking at the practitioners he had suggested I take a look at. Matt also suggested that my top 10 list was a little bit too formal and relating too much to my time at uni instead of outside life as well, so this is something that I want to change when it comes to creating the final artwork. The list is just words, and a way of reminding me of what I would like to achieve in this format, therefore to visually capture my "rules" I will attempt to communicate something more specific to myself - a certain scene/specific task that resonates. I would like to be more conceptual with the artwork that I produce using shape and texture, as apposed to literal, but I do plan on using my artwork after its submission, having them positioned around my home studio etc - to remind me of my rules and what I want to gain from them, therefore I feel that conveying literal "scenes" will help compliment this.
Suggested Practitioners
Holly Wales
Website: http://hollywales.com/
Having not come across Holly's work before, I have instantly fallen in love with it. The process in which the London based illustrator creates her illustrations is so simple, yet helps her to create incredibly bold, striking and intricate/lifelike pieces of work. It is like the mundane has been heightened by Holly, and aside from the eye-catching colour, I am drawn to the marks she is able to achieve with marker pen. This is a process I would like to explore more in my own work, having not worked with marker pen since one of our first poster briefs where I chose to colour a large amount of pockets using pro marker pens. Holly obviously knows her chosen media well, and I would like to be as confident in my own processes.
Stephen Smith / Neasden Control Centre
Website: http://neasdencontrolcentre.com/
Again Stephens work (who works under the name 'Neasden Control Centre') is completely new to me and the main elements of his work that really appeal to me are his use of mixed media, collage and shape. I am yet to branch into mixed media, having only spent a limited amount of time using it this year in Visual Language tasks and it is really refreshing to see this method being used so successfully in the industry, especially for editorial work. I like how Stephen doesn't just focus on illustration, but works with typography and animation also - its good to have your finger in many pies. Stephens work also helps to show the relationship between shape and colour which is so important within illustration and something I would like to employ further in my own work. Note to self: MAKE MORE HANDMADE TYPE!!! Maybe start my own personal sketchbook to explore and develop unique typefaces?
Nicolas Burrows
Website: http://www.nicolasburrows.co.uk/
Nicholas' work has popped up now and again when I have been researching into shape and print. This work is what I would love to have on my walls. The colours and harmony in the way shape is used, makes each piece really pleasing and interesting to look at, with such a stripped back simplified approach to visually representing a subject such as a garden. Lino cut in particular is an artistic print process that I would really like to experiment with when using the print resource at uni in my spare time. If I get confident enough, I would like to use it for future briefs.
Micromegas
Paper, gouache, aluminium, enamel paint, masking tape on matchbox. All 35mm x 55mm
Kate Gibb
Website: http://kategibb.co.uk/
Kate's work and her process has recently become one of my favourites. I have known of her since her work for the Chemical Brothers record sleeves , however after speaking with Matt and checking out her website properly - I am in awe at what she is able to create using silk - screen. Colour is everything, and the last 8 pieces above created for Dries Van Notan, have used colour is such a cleaver way creating an almost sun-bleached effect, colours which you only ever see when you have been on a sunny beach for too long without your sunglasses. Everything is beautifully warped and these unique and striking colour palettes are definitely how I want to approach my future work from now on. Happy accidents seem to form a basis for a lot of Kate's works, something which I would like to become more comfortable with in my won practice.
Rob Lowe / Supermundane
Website: http://supermundane.com/
Robs work is well known throughout the industry and I have come across it before, through my many many searches for inspiring work. What I like about his practice is that it works across the board, as he is an artist, graphic designer, typographer and writer as well as an illustrator. The use of line and pattern is paramount in adding interest and detail in this work and makes it extremely pleasing to look at aesthetically. Robs typography work reminds me of Si Scott, another designer who has inspired my practice and been one of the main influences to why I have chosen to pursue my love of illustration and design.
Marcus Walters
Website: http://www.marcuswalters.com/
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The use of multi-layering collage elements and print adds a huge amount of interest and depth to illustrative work and Marcus's practice is no exception to this. Each piece is extremely clean and design orientated in some way which strengthens the aesthetic and conveys its context. Using paper-cut techniques is nothing new to me, however I rarely view it as collage, using a variety of mediums to create a final piece. I would like to approach this in my personal work, and work for this brief - using paint and print as well as paper to build up a composition - it works well for Marcus, so hopefully it will for me too.
Petra Borner
Website: http://www.petraborner.com/
Other: http://hugoandmarie.com/artists/petra-borner
With a big client list ( Luis Vuitton, Elle and Vogue to name some) and a huge influence in the fashion and textiles industry, Petra is such an inspiration - finding the balance between commercial works and personal. Out of all the practitioners Matt suggested, Petra has to be my favourite simply for her amazing use of clean paper-craft and pattern. It has just dawned on me how great a combination this is (I have never thought of exploring pattern and paper before) and I am so inspired to do some for myself. A story can be told in such an interesting way through pattern and can be applied in so many different forms as Petra's work shows.
Final thoughts
After researching into these practitioners as Matt suggested, I am inspired to incorporate a variety of colour, shape, paper and paint into my final paper-cut scenes for The Illustrated Self brief and look into trying to fit it all into a matchbox (maybe the larger size than the really small ones). Taking the time to become inspired by practitioners I know little/nothing about has been really beneficial and I am really happy to have found some new favourites and possible new techniques to start experimenting with.