Context book!

After recieving my book back printed not as professionally as I hoped from  Lulu, example, page numbers facing the spine, images stretched and wonky white bits where there should be none. Anyways, so I decided to upload the pdf version on her to show the final finished product.

Open publication - Free publishing - More illustration

Adrian Johnson

Adrians colourful and simple illustrations have inspired my Milk packaging work, in particular his Robinsons designs for one of there campaigns.

Anna Wray Design

Computer created patterns based on illustrations of animals by Anna Wray, I love her seamless patterns and luckily enough she recently wrote a tutorial within Computer Arts magazine in which she gave advice on creating such patterns, something I feel will help me in this current brief!

    

New Brief! Paper Product Brief

For possibly my final brief of this project I really wanted to create a design for a range of paper products for  an intended or so pretend collection in such places as Paperchase! Beginning my research in perhaps the most obvious style, researching styles and current trends in paper products currently.


Products below from Soul UK

Some of their card designs

Animals seem to work well within paper product design, I quite like the use of them as character based design rather than just a simple shape/flower based pattern.

Below some work from designer Louise Owens, while her work is lovely I feel that alot of the designs are incredibly cliche for paper product designs such as cupcakes!

Some work from Madison Park Group, love their work featuring animals.

Designs from print manufacture and textile designers Eskimo Kids.

Tania Lambert Designs

Interview with Kev Grey

I was pleased to receive my answers from Kev Grey, see artwork below.

It's logical, although my publication is based on female artist,  to get an male artists input, especially one that uses the female form in his work so much.

1.     If first, could you please describe your own design practice and a little bit about yourself, what influences you & your designs.

I work mostly using Staedtler drawing pens on heavyweight cartridge paper making what I see as bold, weird, funny and ghoulish black ink drawings. I’m influenced by lots of different stuff from old comic books, sideshow banner art, 1960’s psychedelic poster art, old skateboard graphics, classic western tattoo imagery and early Disney cartoons such as Steamboat Willie to name a few.

2.     How did you begin your journey to being the illustrator/designer/etc you are today? Where do you see your self going? What would you ideally like for the future?

I began by making fanzines of my drawings and weird comic strips in the mid-nineties when I was in school and from there I also went on to become a graffiti writer and basically just became influenced by different aspects of skateboard, graffiti and tattoo culture, then around 1999 I had started to develop my artwork into the style I work in today.

My attitude is to just concentrate and focus on the present; it’s important to work hard, put in the hours and have a good understanding and knowledge of what sources are influencing your work.

3.     Contemporary craft and illustration is becoming more popular each day, yet a lot of it sectors are still heavily female dominated, for you personally, why do you think this is and your opinions on it?

If you mean why does the female figure appear in artists work then I don’t think that’s anything new, the female form has been appearing in artwork for centuries, and in all honestly I simply see it relating to sex and beauty. I don’t really see anything as being new or original, so there will always be interpretations of these subjects.

4.     A lot of your work is female illustrations, what role does the female play in your own personal design practise? 

I draw women in the tradition of pin-up art as they feature heavily in traditional tattoo designs. I grew up with my Granddad and Uncle who were covered in old tattoos, including pin-up girls, and I initially based my drawings on them, and as I said in my last answer and hopefully without sounding too serious I also see the women I draw as relating to beauty and sex, which for some people can be their pleasure, in other cases what they desire. I guess that’s why I think women will always be a main feature in art.

Interview!

Below is the results of an interview with Leeds based screen printed and illustrator Helen Entwistle, Hello Memo.

1. If first, could you please describe your own design practice and a little bit about yourself, what influences you & your designs. I work as a freelance illustrator and make stationery and other handmade products under the name of 'Memo'.  I coined the name during the second year of my degree in 2005, it comes from my love for stationery, I collect notepads (memo pads), pens, erasers, way too much stuff.  Alongside stationery I also collect objects and memorabilia from the 1940s-60s.  I love things that have a history, another life before they came to live with me.  My collections primarily form the basis for my illustrations and product designs.  Hobbies, pass times and day to day life also provide me with ideas for my work.  My work is handmade, this is something that is very important to me, hand-stitched or hand-printed, no mass-producing here.

2. How did you begin your journey to being the illustrator/designer/etc you are today? Where do you see your self going? What would you ideally like for the future?  I decided what I wanted to do aged 17 when I first had a go at screen printing during my AS-levels.  It has been something I have loved ever since and used to produce products and prints. I completed A-levels and an art foundation course in Chorley, Lancashire and then a Ba(hons) degree in Visual Studies at Norwich School of Art and Design in 2007.   Now I live in Leeds and spend my time creating new work, finding new stockists, promoting my work via the internet and collecting good things.  I set myself little goals each week and hope that one day Memo will be stocked in Little Otsu in San Fransisco, that would be a big achievement for me.  I just keep on going, try and keep myself motivated and drink a bit too much coffee.

3. Contemporary craft and illustration is becoming more popular each day, yet a lot of it sectors are still heavily female dominated, for you personally, why do you think this is and your opinions on it?  I think a lot of what classes as contemporary craft is definitely female orientated, so are the buyers.  Girls like to sit and make things.  Some areas such as zine making and poster illustration involve more of a mix of male and female makers.  I think it depends on the products and their target audience.  I don't think it matters too much that a lot of craft is female dominated, males just don't seem interested in making jewellery, fluffy toys and bags which is understandable really.  Those males I know of that do make such items are successful and not treated any differently to female makers.


4. A more corporate application of this kind of design is springing up alot these days within advertising, 'twee' indie style adverts are abundant now and more low-fi approaches to advertising etc are appearing, what do you make of this? Do you feel it's a fad that corporations are using to appeal to a more young & independent audience? Etc. How do you feel this will effect the independent craft community and the working artists within it?  Advertising involves trends the same way fashion does.  I think current adverts with an indie aesthetic are definitely influenced by the rise of handmade/ independent makers and lifestyles.  I hope that such a trend is creating work for illustrators who work in relevant styles.  It probably won't last, with nothing being permanent but I can't see lo-fi advertising doing any harm to us indie makers, fingers crossed it will boost our profile and help us to make a living!

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Nokia Advert

I'd been searching for this advert for a while to relate directly to the use of illustration in corporate adverts and campaigns!