Mark Hearld
Practice
- Mixed media image maker, uses predominantly hand-rendered methods
- Main inspirations include nature and the countryside; this has ben used in picture books that appeal to both children and adults
- Studied at Glasgow school of Art where he found his talent and passion for using collage
- "I suddenly found something that worked for me"-graphic quality and capacity to compose in a really strong way
Why am I inspired?
- The visual quality of Hearld's work is absolutely stunning, you can really gain a sense of reflection of his passion and interest in nature and environment through the attention to detail applied with a high level of skill
- It is really refreshing to see hand crafted skills being used in contemporary practice, as it is largely dominated with digital methods of image making
- With illustration being used in an educational context, it visually teaches children about the beauty of nature
- Powerful imagery discovered as a child stays with you for a very long time, which is really sentimental
Links to my practice
- I enjoy using mixed media (although I have been practicing digital methods more recently)
- I aspire to produce education/visually informative illustrations
Insipiration/Promotion
- Mick Manning: Tutor at Glasgow school or Art, really encouraged Hearld to study the great outdoors, he knew a lot about plants and animals
- John Morris-Wood: Tutor at Royal College London: Admirable in the field of English Mid 20th Century art and design
Both of these people were important as the were drawing things that Hearld was deeply interested in.
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Oliver Jeffers
Practice
- "Oliver Jeffers makes art"
- Very broad practice includes: figurative painting, instillation, illustration, picture book making and more
- His picture books are among the most recognisable and accessible on a global scale
- He has won many awards e.g. The New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award
Why am I inspired?
- Jeffers does NOT limit himself within the work that he produces; it is so expressive, charming, humorous and also has an educational element to it
- Uses traditional methods of image making; emphasises the importance of craft and communication within illustration
- He is such an interesting person! Amazing imagination and positive with an enthusiastic outlook on life- this really reflects in his imagery
Links to my practice
- Uses a range of media, but still has a distinctive tone of voice (which I am aiming to achieve)
- Likes experimenting and trying out new things
- Targets a large audience- not just children
- Interest in telling stories, both through images alone, and through picture books
Inspiration/Promotion
- Creatives such as Norman Rockwell, Maurice Sendak, Saul Steinberg, Ralph Steadman, Lucian Freud, Cy Twombly, Eduardo Recife, David Hockney etc.
- Create a disposable portfolio when starting out (like a promo pack)
- Website is essential; accessible and immediate means of showing work
- Ideal scenario: when the work you do for other people aims to promote you as well
Owen Davey
Practice
- Award winning illustrator living and working in the UK
- Graduated in 2009 from Falmouth University with a First Class Degree in Illustration
- Work has been published in every continent apart from Antarctica
- Primary illustrator for 'two dots' iPhone/tablet game which has been number one in over 70 countries
- Clients include: Facebook, Google, Flying Eye Books, NoBrow, Templar Publishing, BBC, New York Times, The Guardian and loads more
- He has an agent which is really helpful
- "It takes a while to build up a good client base so hang in there"
- "Thumbnails, concepts and composition are so important; I spend longer on these than I do on the finished piece"
- It is important to do LOADS of research
Why am I inspired?
- He has been successful very quickly after graduation due to hard work and determination with a positive approach to his practice
- Strong colour palettes and use of textures; also very distinctive style created by using vectors
- Appealing to a large audience; both children and adults
- Wide range of clientele; work can be applied across so many different platforms
Links to my practice:
- I aspire to build upon a tone of voice that appeals to a wide scale audience
- I love using vectors!
- He is pretty hot off the press in terms of graduation (I'm only 8 years behind him haha)
- His work has an educational element to it, for example his most recent book 'Mad about Monkeys'
Inspiration/Promotion:
- Make a simple and professional website; online presence is really important
- Work really hard and make lots of contacts, don't be afraid to get your work out there
- Biggest inspiration comes from mid century designers like Charley Harper who implemented a style called 'minimal realism'- so seeing shapes, textures and colour combinations as well as structures, rather than the subject as it exists as a whole
Charlotte Mei
Practice
- Recent graduate from Camberwell School of Art (2012)
- Specialises in handmade ceramics and illustrations
- Good list of clientele considering short time as a practicing professional: Converse, Penguin Books, The V&A Museum, i-D magazine etc
Why am I inspired?
- Mei shows what can be achieved from hard work and determination when entering the trade
- I love her versatility- doesn't have one set way of working
- Fun and playful tone of voice
Links to my Practice
- I am really keen on involving others within my practice via workshops and events
- Mei has been really successful with this already with her Clay Club, which is positive because it introduces versatile media that isn't commonly associated with illustration
Inspiration/Promotion
- Loves practitioners that make animation and cartoons e,g, anime/adventure time
- Akira-film
- "It makes your practice better if you let ideas come out of your head and do some self directed work from time to time"
- Ikegami Ryouchi and Kioke Kazu: Crying Freeman (book)- about a Japanese potter who has a run in with a Chinese mafia and becomes an assassin (combines her interest of pottery and criminology)
- Set up a creative with fellow graduates from Camberwell
- Online presence is important!
A Studio Visit with Charlotte Mei from Joshua Whitelaw on Vimeo.
Blexbolex
Practice
- French comics artist and illustrator
- Studied screen printing (sénegraphic)at the School of Fine Arts in Angoulêne
- First works were self-published, then gradually publishers started to take him on board
- He also has experience in directing art studios, as well as working regularly with a number of editors
- In 2009 he received a prize for "Best book design of the world" for his 'L'imager den gens' (2008)
Why am I inspired?
- Use of shapes and colour is BEAUTIFUL
- Simple yet strong tone of voice
- Use of language with imagery
- His work has a large target audience- not just aimed at one particular age group
- Emphasises and explores the potential within minimalism
Links to my practice
- Relates to my interest in producing picture books
- I am interested in his use and combination of language with image
- There is an education element within his picture books- particularly 'seasons', in the most stripped back form. This is a skill that I would like to capitalise on
- Methods of screen printing are used- beautiful overlaying of colours: I would like to use screen printing more frequently
Inspiration/promotion
- Uses a 'line claire' style (meaning clear line)
- Hergé: Belgian cartoonist known for creating 'The Adventures of Tintin'
- Inspired by the films if Jacques Tati and 'Whodunits' of the 50's and 60's
- His children's books became popular in the early 2000's and have been successful ever since; part of this success came from the audience he gained from the work produced from practitioners that he was inspired by
Summary:
Researching these five different practitioners in great depth has been really informative, especially finding out who they are inspired by and how their interests have shaped their practice and tone of voice. In particular, I am so interested in the elements of storytelling and teaching alongside and within their illustrative practice, it really shows a lot of scope how alternative methods of learning through creativity can be implemented, and I wish to explore this even further.
Plan of Action:
- Research into the National Curriculum
- Find out what people think should be taught in schools
- Write lesson plans and potential workshop structures based around given themes
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