Creative Review 01/12

For our Creative Review session this month (takes place on the first Thursday of every month) I have brought an article from December's issue (2011) of Creative Review. The article is titled 'Cut, fold, glue and play'. I chose this article to talk about because during the last project we were asked to produce an A3 3D paper engineered model of our chosen bug, which I personally really struggled with. Usually my work is all 2D mainly painted but with some collage emerging here and there, so working off the page can be tricky. I don’t really possess the ability to construct paper models myself without having to create something with a child audience in mind. The article talks about how paper models and toys are becoming increasingly popular in the illustrative world and the one’s it features are exceedingly good. Basically I was trying to get some hints and tips for my own work and maybe some research pointers as it’s not an area I’ve worked in before.

Book wise I chose to show John Le Carré’s ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ 1974 spy novel as I can’t get hold of the film just yet (release date not until January 2012). It is a useful read to get some context for the Little White Lies competition I’m currently working on. I presume that the film would be a much quicker way to brush up my knowledge on the content but unfortunately I’m too early for the DVD and too late for the cinema unless I trek to Edinburgh (that would be an expensive viewing!)

Recently, I took a trip to the Tate gallery in Liverpool to look at the Alice in Wonderland exhibition so this featured in my presentation, but also some exhibitions that I think will be interesting for future visits. The Manchester Art Gallery has currently for an exhibition on ‘Under That Cloud’ which looks interesting, it’s a showcase of jewellery that was produced by travellers stuck in Mexico City during last years Ash Cloud epidemic and is running from 19/11/11 – 15/04/12.

For my film I chose to present the Black Swan which is another film in the shortlist for the Little White Lies competition. I chose to view this recently to see if I could find another film that was available on DVD so I could use more content in my work rather than the Tinker, Tailor film which I’m struggling to find. My plan failed… miserably. I found the film to be a psychoanalytical thriller – not my bag, sorry.

Lord Whitney

November 21st

Lord Whitney Talk

Lecture Theatre B. Stockport College

Lord Whitney is a two piece collaboration act comprising of two female creative’s, graphic art and design ex-graduates from Leeds. They are labelled as art directors but consider themselves as more 3D illustrators. Their undergraduate course covered a broad spectrum of art specialism’s including photography, typography and illustration. Amy preferred the photographic route whereas Bex was more of an illustration geek. Both are hands on and are heavily influenced by literature and theatre, in particular things that make them laugh, Spike Milligan and Dali and both favourites.

Their talk was an informal explanation of their journey from leaving university to where there are in the creative industry currently. They spoke of the importance to keep on working after uni and keeping in contact with creative friends and peers. This is especially so because the once shared studio will be missed and the support network of tutors and peers. I can personally imagine the loneliness of the situation leaving university and not sharing that with somebody else. At least if I have somebody to moan to every now and again, even if it is only in the pub, it gives you the reassurance that you are not alone in that situation.

For the first year or so after uni, the girls were temping, with jobs moving in quick succession. Both however didn't feel happy in the work they were doing and they finally decided to collaborate properly because they mutually felt that there was no job out there to meet their specific needs and requirements. Originally, they started making business cards to make the idea seem like the reality, these were from scraps of paper and cheaply produced as a lack of funds made it difficult to get them produced to a high standard. However on the plus side these cards will have been much more authentic than the mass produced numbers from firms such as Moo etc. I have just sent off for my free pack of 10 featuring a couple of my own designs but they lack the uniqueness that the cards Lord Whitney no doubt were crafting.

It was endearing to listen to their financial struggles when first setting up their business because it not only shows that it can be done, but you're not the only on in that boat, there are lots of people out there who struggle at first. Logically, because they had a lack of funds for their projects their work was not too precious or overly thought, they had a rough raw feel which makes it much more accessible. Apart from this accessibility it also makes it much more personal and engaging to a student audience particularly.

The setting up of this business made them realise just how much they loved doing what they do. They look at other outlets to broaden their market and client base and currently look at events too and have found that their skills can be applied in all different arenas. A recent event they were asked to collaborate on was The House of Fairy Tales where they made environments for people to become a part of.

They acquired a lot of voluntary work experience to get their name out there and to show what they can do, but the advice was not to do anything for free more than once. If a company asks you back they obviously like your work so to ask you to come back they can afford to pay you.

Also, they have noticed that undergraduates currently spend weeks researching projects and ideas rather than jumping in at the deep end and producing work straight away. They wanted to show that work can be produced really quickly and it doesn't have to take weeks and weeks. They have set the group a week long project to show how quick work can be produced if you apply yourself efficiently.

For them, finding a studio was the kick they needed to properly start working and it provides them a base for more work and commissions to come in. Blogging, Tweeting and using Facebook generates interest from potential clients and they update each constantly to keep interest and their image fresh. To keep money rolling in whilst they are still working on getting their business up and running, they do event styling and window dressing, though it is clear that their creative flair and passion is in their own business.

Finally, inspiration doesn't have to necessarily come from art, look at things around you, things that interest you, your hobbies and passions outside of the art world. It could be a toy shop or things that you love.

What I have gained from this talk is to stay true to myself. If I don't enjoy a particular brief then I need to take from it what is important and make it my own. When Amy and Bex came round our studio afterwards, they commented on my work for its colour. This is something that has been a subject of much criticism lately especially from tutors, however they think that it is this vital element that makes my work mine. I now need to find a vehicle to apply this to any brief that I am issued. It is the colour that could give me the consistency to my portfolio that I have felt it has been lacking previously.

Carson Ellis

At Pete’s recommendation I decided to research Carson Ellis. Carson was born in 1975 in Vancouver, Canada. She illustrates both album covers and children's story books. The 'stripped back' use of colour Pete was talking about is quite prevalent (see images above). It is good to have some idea of what ‘stripped back’ is supposed to mean and what it looks like in practice, but it doesn’t look like anything I would produce.

From what I can see from her website, she also gives back to society by holding free art classes to teenagers every autumn. Not only does this give her something additional to put on her cv (not that she needs it anymore!) but it gives her the exposure that every illustrator requires to keep generating work.

I understand from my portfolio visits thus far that it is of very limited work, it is by no means expansive and it needs to be by the time May comes. Additionally, it doesn't boast the range of skills I have to offer. I am most comfortable illustrating children's story books, they allow my imagination to run off with itself, but to appeal to the widest possible market I need to include different types of brief. Craig Oldham from Music in particular pointed out that he wouldn't feel confident commissioning me for a package brief for example because my portfolio doesn't show him that I am able to tackle that type of a brief.

So, for the latest brief dealing with a live competition, I have decided to undertake the challenge of designing a magazine cover for Little White Lies. I think that this will give me scope to develop my skills further and show potential clients that I possess the ability to undertake different kinds of briefs. With this brief I intend to consider the colour as part of the overall image and not think of it as an afterthought, the type too needs to be considered because if I could integrate it into the image rather than putting it on top as a separate layer it would look much more aesthetically pleasing. The middle and right image above by Ellis look like they have type integrated into the image making it look much better than the image on the left for example.

Alice in Wonderland Exhibition, Tate Liverpool

Alice in Wonderland Exhibition 14/11/2011

The Alice in Wonderland exhibition currently showing at the Tate gallery in Liverpool opened on 4^th November and is due to run until 29^th January 2012 and is described by the Tate as the ‘first comprehensive exploration of the stories’ influence on the visual arts. His stories are rich in logical, philosophical and linguistic puzzles – reflecting their author’s fascination with language and with questions of meaning’.

I arrived with certain expectations from this particular exhibition with it featuring works based on one of the world’s most well loved childhood stories, a 10% student discount certainly impressed me! (and that was on top of the already reduced price for concessions!)

It started out on the ground floor then led up to the 4^th (the elevator saved my little tootsies J), behind the curtain however my excitement soon became frustration. To the right were some photographs printed onto canvas by Annelies Strba and to the left a neon light typography installation by Jason Rhoades created in 2004, words illuminated included ‘Brazilian caterpillar’, ‘beef curtain, ‘trout basket’ and ‘serpent socket’. The layout here was rather sparse, completely not reflective of the zaney, out-there story it was meant to be representing. The canvases hung on bare walls although the brightness of the neon light installation did brighten the atmosphere it was only briefly.

Up on the fourth floor there was much more information to sift through, a tiny breakthrough at least. Although as I walked around I did begin to notice that the information was more on Lewis Carol, formally know as Charles L Dodgson and his life, than Alice in Wonderland itself. There were various photographs taken by Carol during his lifetime (he was a keen photographer) ‘the Victorians prized childhood as a symbol of innocence, and children were often the subjects of his photographs’ and some of the layouts he planned for his story, ‘he planned the book in meticulous detail, even down to the placement of the illustrations, for which he made his own sketches.’ The placement of my text in comparison is usually an after thought, so I can make some personal links to some of the work featured and learn some lessons from it.

‘Copyright on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland expired and it entered the public realm in 1907 with at least fourteen new illustrated editions on sale by the autumn’. Illustrations by Tove Jansson, Maria L Kirk and Adrienne Segur all caught my attention. Sir John Tenniel’s pencil on paper illustrations fascinated me due to their tiny scale and intricate details captured in such a small space, his sense of space and proportion is exceptional. Also, I could learn a lesson or two from Andrei Martynov who illustrated said story with a very limited palette, my palettes have been way too inclusive of recent months featuring a collection of bright colours and more muted shades which don’t always work in unison. Charles Francis Annesley Voysey 1920 created a furnishing fabric showing that Alice in Wonderland was adaptable to many different media; other ranges included ceramics and children’s toy lines.

Later in the exhibition Adrian Piper’s LSD paintings feature as does a porn referenced wall of type, I understand the inclusion of drug related artwork – Alice in Wonderland does hint at drug use when she drinks potions to make her grow and shrink and during the 1960’s drug culture was all the rage. But the inclusion of pornographic related images doesn’t make any logical sense to me, after all Alice in Wonderland is supposed to be a children’s story book, is it not? The neon light installation downstairs also references this porn theme with the words that are illuminated. The exhibition is clearly aimed at an adult audience and not children (though there are warnings where pornographic references are made) due to the formal layout but I am still struggling to find the connection.

Salvador Dali featured towards the end of the display with the inclusion of his illustrations and a short animation on which he collaborated with Walt Disney titled Destino, 1946. Dali later goes on to explain that the girl in the animation is Alice from the Alice in Wonderland story where she is concerned and totally consumed by time. He injects some colour and life into the exhibition space, something that the three of us were desperately searching for, and although we found it, it was only in a very small dose. Dali is playful with the subject matter but still in a surrealist manner.

The layout of the exhibition was disappointing as the subject matter holds such potential for a fun, tactile and engaging environment. I imagined more installations, pointers to the Mad Hatter’s tea party and a dark tunnel to reference the rabbit hole. It was not reflective of the story it is meant to be representing. Instead what we discovered was a very formal, very quiet on the verge of very boring exhibition that could be found in any other gallery, it was standard but nothing more.

But isn't that your job?

Thursday 03/11/2011

But isn't that your job?

By Craig Oldham

Ok so on the brief it described this talk as 'expletive fuelled', I didn't think it meant literally...

Another day another boring lecture, but actually Craig surprised me in the nicest possible way. This guy made me smile. Finally, a creative, design-y guy who isn't afraid to be himself. I liked that.

The talk last around 2 hours and he spoke about how his relationships with illustrators (him working for Music, a design agency) can work and fail. I learned a lot from him, and he managed to keep my attention for more than 10 parsecs.

Being an illustrator apparently we need to be more 'out there', basically more accessible. For example when a designer is looking to commission an illustration and they see a style they like, they can't find any contact details for that particular Mr/Miss/Mrs Lucky. Lesson 1. make yourself more accessible, look through the lens the other way round, if you were the agency, could you find you?

Also designers will more often than not ask to tweak your image but be prepared to stand your ground. If you think that your image looks better in blue, tell them but be flexible, offer to change it to a different shade of blue. Lesson 2. don't be a door mat, you are working to a fee remember, if their demands exceed that don't be afraid to let them know.

If you feel like you can't meet the requirements of the agency communicate with them. The worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and come Monday present them with the work they weren't expecting. If you feel your work isn't what they need, let them know. Lesson 3. be honest with people and theirs and your expectations.

Lesson 4. if your Mum doesn't understand the concept, you're definitely on the wrong path! I can definitely relate to this last one, my Mum turns off very frequently, instead asking what I'm doing for tea - it's time I started taking note!

Working at university is like working in a bubble. I don't get the chance to see these relationships in a 'working' environment, so it's nice for people like Craig to give up some of their precious time to come and see us. I for one find it very helpful and am very appreciative :)

Check Craig out at http://www.designbymusic.com/contact or http://www.craigoldham.co.uk/

Graphic Gurus

My Graphic Guru is Ben Jones, a former Stockport College student and currently teaching at Stockport on Monday and Wednesdays. I emailed him recently for some feedback on the lack on response from industry regarding portfolio visits and for some feedback on my work thus far;

Hay Chloe

It is good if you can get in contact over the phone to let people know you are emailing but more times than not it is better to send a email. I would try contacting some children's book publishers as your work has a nice flair towards that direction. Also maybe try contacting some children's book illustrators.
Other than that try illustration agents.
You could say that you are a student and you would like a bit of feedback and advice in the email and send 3-5 low res examples of your work.

Keep me posted on what you are up to and il give you a bit of feedback.

I am also teaching at stockport Mondays and Wednesdays let me know if you want to show me some work.

Good luck,
Ben

In my earlier post I mentioned about phoning folk, and it looks like this may be a better option, or at least to chase my original emails via phone. I think this is going to be a nerve wracking experience and there will be a few nights sleep lost over it.

Creative Review

Varoom Magazine

Edition: Winter 2010

Daniel Pudles; Old Guitar Player article

I found this article in Varoom magazine and wondered if I could have stumbled upon something any more accurate to reflect my studies currently. In it Pudles reflects on his childhood memories of Picasso’s The Old Guitar Player which he once found on one of his parents LP covers. It is somewhat fitting that he should mention how Picasso had to cram his image into the space available. I can relate to this technique as a working illustrator, if that is what you can call it… a technique. Somehow, no matter how big or small the space is that’s available, I can always bank on me not being able to get the proportions right to fit the frame. It always looks crammed in there; too much information busting at the frame’s seams. For once it would be nice to create an image where the whole of my elements would feature in said image unlike currently where the edges of certain elements are cropped off. Although, the outcome can be a positive one and maybe it’s a technique that should be embraced, something to set my work aside from others. I’d like to think of it as the ‘jam jar effect’, see how much I can possibly fit in without it overflowing the rim.

Additionally, I am looking at Picasso currently in relation to my dissertation, in particular Guernica which came later, after Picasso’s Blue Period (which Pudles looks at here). His Blue Period however, is vitally important in understanding some of the working methods and themes incorporated in his later work, such as and including Guernica.

I think this quote is my favourite of the year thus far is Pudles’ “come on get into that box!”, it feels like whenever I mention it or whoever I mention it to I should be talking about a jack-in-a-box not one of Picasso’s masterpieces!