A lot of my work is very nostalgic. The patterns and colours of my childhood make an appearance in much of my painting. The image on the left, which currently forms the blog backdrop, was created in Gouache and shows a Charles Carmel carousel horse galloping across a landscape influenced by a 1970s wallpaper pattern. The swirling pattern on the right, representing the streams of experiences that we have to gallop over or through in life, is taken from the grain of the wood pattern in a wedge heeled shoe I loved.
Influences are key, but it is important to keep our work current and fresh. Choosing to attend University, and not just to produce my own work as I had previously done, was a deliberate decision, in part designed to open up my circle of influence. To learn who is current? what kinds of images are popular? who wins awards? who exhibits?
This image by Benji Davies won the Children's Books category and is again a very personal subject matter, dealing withholding a grandparent and remembering someone. Davies works largely in digital. My preference is to work in paints and inks, but through discussions with professional illustrators I am learning the value of both techniques, combined for speed and efficiency of editing. More of this will be revealed in later blogs.
The winner of Overall New Talent category for 2015 was Jessica Bromley with her beautiful illustrations for her own book, a story about a man 'falling desperately in love with a drowned woman'. Interesting for me as a student, Bromley created the text and illustrations as part of a Sequential Illustration educational module. I completed my own Sequential Illustration module last semester, with images I created showing the contrast between the life of a little girl who tours with a fairground and her father's carousel horse ride (my love of carousel horses again!) and a little girl living a more conventional life who visits the fair. There is a message here for me in that all work, even that created for a brief we may not love (although I did love producing the fairground illustrations) is important. The briefs we are given are designed specifically to make us into versatile, educated illustrators with a capacity to earn a living doing what we love best.
My personal favourite competition is run by Illustration Friday - have a look at their wonderful website here. Every Friday a one word topic is announced and illustrator have one week to submit an image using any medium or style they choose, as long as it fits that word. Each week the entries are featured in an online gallery and a winner is chosen. The entries are so diverse that it is impossible not to be inspired, rather than daunted, as can happen in the more specific competitions. Take a word and interpret it, visually, in any way you like. There is no prize, but the online exposure is there for the taking and the one week turnaround forces the creative mind into action - although of course there is nothing to stop you submitting a suitable, already produced piece if the topic is applicable.
Of course another major source of inspiration is to experience art 'in the flesh' - go and visit as many exhibitions as possible. This week I went to the amazing Nottingham Contemporary to see the 'Monuments should not be trusted' exhibition:
The exhibition, curated by Lina Džuverović comprises of illustration, graphic design, artefacts, TV and collage. A number of the illustrations showed 1970s/80s type of crude, postcard sexual stereotype humour, but with famous artworks depicted within the settings. For me, this made a comment about how 'real' art during the period was sacrificed for popular kitsch. What was valued was not, for example, the Mondrian shown in the image on the left, but the lewdness of the naked couple shown in cartoon form before the fire. Cartoon tits over priceless works that require thought to understand. The obvious over the abstract.
There are over 100 works in the exhibition which runs until 4th March. There is also an extensive library room at the Contemporary which is free to use. Entry is free but donations are, of course, welcome.
So I think my learning this week has been this, my very personal and autobiographical art style has a place. Research is key. Influence is important, but always strive to discover new influences. Competitions are out there and available, even to a second year illustration student and success can be achieved by being passionate and authentic in what you do. Learn, learn and learn again as much as you can about techniques, how other people work, what is popular, what is out there and above all, have a go.
You have to be in it to win it, as they say.
H. x
There are many design awards, for example the coveted D&AD 'pencil' awards for design and advertising offer exposure to both professionals and fresh new talent annually. Look here for an archive of previous winners. The entries are inspirational but as an illustrator, not an area I am likely to enter. So where to look for further inspiration?
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| Oliver Kugler |
The Associate of Illustrators (AOI) is the natural home for illustration awards. The overall winning entry for 2015 was from Editorial Illustrator, Oliver Kugler. Kugler created a series of Illustrations in response to a brief from Médicines Sans Frontières depicting the circumstances experienced by Syrian refugees, in order to bring a more accurate picture, literally, to a wider audience. There are synergies in the way in which Kugler and I work in that there is a personal story in each image. Kugler visited the camps and recorded interviews, ate with and lived among the refugees. The images are personal and show the extraordinary and the ordinary moments in the lives of the subjects.
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| Benji Davis |
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| Jessica Bromley |
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| Helen Collard |
My personal favourite competition is run by Illustration Friday - have a look at their wonderful website here. Every Friday a one word topic is announced and illustrator have one week to submit an image using any medium or style they choose, as long as it fits that word. Each week the entries are featured in an online gallery and a winner is chosen. The entries are so diverse that it is impossible not to be inspired, rather than daunted, as can happen in the more specific competitions. Take a word and interpret it, visually, in any way you like. There is no prize, but the online exposure is there for the taking and the one week turnaround forces the creative mind into action - although of course there is nothing to stop you submitting a suitable, already produced piece if the topic is applicable.
Of course another major source of inspiration is to experience art 'in the flesh' - go and visit as many exhibitions as possible. This week I went to the amazing Nottingham Contemporary to see the 'Monuments should not be trusted' exhibition:
"Monuments Should Not Be Trusted brings together over 30 leading artists and groups from the “golden years” of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - the period between the early 1960s and the mid 1980s.
Over 100 artworks and artefacts illuminate the key contradictions of this single party state – built after WWII on socialist principles, yet immersed in “utopian consumerism.”
The exhibition, curated by Lina Džuverović comprises of illustration, graphic design, artefacts, TV and collage. A number of the illustrations showed 1970s/80s type of crude, postcard sexual stereotype humour, but with famous artworks depicted within the settings. For me, this made a comment about how 'real' art during the period was sacrificed for popular kitsch. What was valued was not, for example, the Mondrian shown in the image on the left, but the lewdness of the naked couple shown in cartoon form before the fire. Cartoon tits over priceless works that require thought to understand. The obvious over the abstract.There are over 100 works in the exhibition which runs until 4th March. There is also an extensive library room at the Contemporary which is free to use. Entry is free but donations are, of course, welcome.
So I think my learning this week has been this, my very personal and autobiographical art style has a place. Research is key. Influence is important, but always strive to discover new influences. Competitions are out there and available, even to a second year illustration student and success can be achieved by being passionate and authentic in what you do. Learn, learn and learn again as much as you can about techniques, how other people work, what is popular, what is out there and above all, have a go.
You have to be in it to win it, as they say.
H. x
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