20091030

Final Piece - What Am I? (3)

This is the final image I created for this project and is finally done! I currently do not posses all the stages of work for this print so I will update it on monday, when I will have all the pictures. Anyways, this is A0-sized 4-color CMYK process print on a vertical wall. This is a lot harder than it sounds...


Artist - Shane Devries

It's been a while since my last post, been drowning in workload really... Shouldn't be an excuse not to blog though so that's something I should work on! Back to the world of illustration with artist Shane Devries and his lovable style of painting.






His blog has a lot of very interesting links to other illustrator blogs like Ashley Wood and Sean Cheetham.

20091025

Artist - Rafael Grampa

Interesting style from graphic novel illustrator Rafael Grampa. His blog is also pretty good, with loads of links to other comic book artists and other illustration-related websites/blogs.


20091024

Work in Progress - Illustrate My Day

Some collages I made for a logo for this website...





20091015

Artist - Louis van Baarle

She studied in Belgium for a while before returning to Holland to finish her studies. Anyways, really nice character designs.






20091012

Final Piece - Der Freitag

I recently joined a design competition, the Young Illustrative Awards. About a week ago I got a mail sent to me saying I unfortunately didn't get selected (even though I was part of the top 50 of more than a 1000 works, go me!). Thinking it was just one of those generic emails I replied that 'yes I would love to stay in touch and potentially work with/for you in the future'. I was positively surprised when I got emailed back saying that they could actually use my help for illustrating an article that was going to feature in a paper given out at a couple of design fairs in Germany. Basically, I had to create an illustration to go with the article about the World Social Forum, an organization and opposes globalization and respects human rights and nature. Later, I was asked to also make a sketch of the mayor of Hitzacker, the town where the summit will take place, because he is interviewed in the paper. This is what I came up with:






The print (a solar plate, from a collage I made) is based on the ideal that we have to reflect and look back at what we're doing at the Earth so that we stop making mistakes. The village is a view of Hitzacker from above. The magazine will be in print on tuesday!

EDIT: and here it is, my first editorial work.





Blogging - DesignFeedr

"Fashion illustration is one of the forms of illustration that has been out there forever but seems to blur into the background a bit. This is a shame, because its one of the most creative and versatile styles in illustration." - DesignFeedr 07/10/09, 'Mixed Media Fashion Illustration' post 


Very interesting post about fashion illustration. I've never actually looked into this but from now on I will change my ways, this is quite amazing.




Examples of Mixed Media Fashion Illustration

Another really interesting collection of images on DesignFeedr I came across today about Digital Painting, featuring artists like Art Grerm, Roboto Kun and Aneyeoni. Check out the links on DesignFeedr to the artists websites.




Final Piece - What Am I? (2)

Besides having my prints as final pieces I should also mention everything that inspires me and how it does that, relate to other artists. Here is a small compilation of quotes and reflections on the subject:

"I don't usually respond to the message. I often work against it. Mostly I'm going to work visually, so the style of the lettering is considering form over content. Blasphemy, I know."  - Marian Bantjes, Varoom Issue 09


"I believe that illustrations are at their best essentially a narrative art form, a universal language in which we communicate our stories, ideas, moods, feelings... I believe nowadays the illustrator is not seen as the poor cousin in the visual arts any longer. But only a few years ago we used to be regarded that way. Maybe that happened because of the nature of our work: we have to create art under certain constraints such as deadlines, a client who needs to be satisfied, targets and some specific communication goals need to be addressed... Most of all, our work is meant to reach a great number of people through technical reproduction." - Renato Alarcao, Meet the Illustrators


"Well as with so many specialisms there are different classifications within. So I guess I see illustration as the visualisation of a story/idea/thought whether that be a newspaper article or a self initiated project, it is about trying to communicate in a visual form." - Emma Kelly, Meet the Illustrators


"Design was promoted to the front line of commercial life: professionalized and strategized, it took ownership of identity and branding within the corporate world... Illustration, on the other hand, clung into the notion of autonomy of expression and refused to learn the language of strategy and branding." Adrian Shaughnessy, Schism and Reunification


"It's a tendency that comes and goes, like Art Nouveau and Pop Art. It's a part of life that will never disappear." - Ephameron, Meet the Illustrators


"The notion of groups of illustrators collaborating on one commission and forming a collective, is a growing trend." - Lydia Fulton, Varoom Issue 6



20091011

Artist - La Boite Concept

I really liked this video. Simply genius execution-wise!


La Boite Concept (arcade multimedia) HD from La Boite Concept on Vimeo.

Talks - Ian Wright

Very interesting talk about his inspirations and work, from the It's Nice That talk-series.


20091008

Final Piece - What Am I?

So, my presentation at university is today. Since the project started I've been exploring various printing techniques, including the dreaded mezzotint.



Basically, you use a rocker to dry point the surface of a metal (here, zinc) plate. You have to rock in about 6-8 different direction to get the desired effect: a jet black print. This effect can only truly be attained by mezzotint, because using techniques such as aquatint and solar plate tend to give a lighter shade of black. Anyways, meet 'Elle'.



I did about 6 prints and this would be the most successful one of the series. The technique takes a lot of time, but the result is amazing. This is truly worth the 6 hours of work to dry point the plate!
Moving on, I did a photo shoot with a friend at the start of summer (thanks Chiara!) and changed the images to silk screen prints, as well as a mezzotint to seal the deal. This is what I came up with:











The series include a couple of one color screen prints, different block color prints, a 4-color CMYK print and a mezzotint. This is the [PRINTS] series.



20091007

Artist - Marko Djurdjevic

Really nice concept art by German illustrator Marko Djurdjevic. He has a really interesting blog to follow, too.



20091005

Work in Progress - What Am I? (4)

So, sleepless nights in my London house... Been thinking a lot about the project lately and started to really appreciate it. Over this past summer I've done some sort of soul-searching journey, looking for my points of interest and finding fragile moments of epiphany, thinking 'that was it'. I guess this is one of them.

What am I? The answer shouldn't be looked for in the darkest corners of my consciousness. That's just silly. It is all much more simpler than that. What do I like? When do I feel the difference? What am I?
Well, I am a print maker. I'm guessing this project was to find our calling and I think I found mine, in that print room.

My mind is wandering off here, partial insomnia does that to you...
Anyways, currently working on a mezzotint. To come? Two screen prints, a solar plate and an etching, all ready to pop out of the idea book I keep next to my bed. My 'creativity' tends to culminate when I am laying sleepless in bed, perfect time huh?

Technique - Spray Painting




I'm loving this artwork. Seeing how he did just makes it look even better... Definitely a technique worth looking into. I've recently got an Airbrush Kit as a present from my brother and sister so I guess I'll be trying it out some time soon...

Blogging - 40 Fakes (2)

Another particularly interesting day of posts on 40 Fakes.

First of all, an amazing stop motion by studio We Love Our Work. Near the end my nerves were truly giving up...


Revenge from Lernert & Sander on Vimeo.



Second, some very refined acrylic and ink painting by California based illustrator, Julian Callos. Do check out his blog.


20091004

Artist - Satellite Soda

Came across this very multi-talented (various degrees of awesome, like they put it) concept art design collective. The different artists illustrate in a completely different way and sometimes work together on briefs. Worth checking out the sketchbook section!









20091001

Artist - 1000 Tentacles




I saw some illustrations I liked so I clicked on the link and was positively surprised. Some really interesting work by illustration studio 1000 Tentacles. They aren't just busy with illustration but also 3D modeling and sculpting. I came across their work on a really good website, Pop Whore.