a-little-review-on-illustration

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Chel: Hey Tulio, what’s a metaphor?

Tulio: Um, my life is a train wreck.

Chel: I know, but what’s a metaphor?

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Alex Grigg

Alex Grigg is animator from Australia and the last to come to the Tuesday talk in this academic year. His talk about his work feels dynamic while as he relies on prepared slides with a selection of his work ready to show. He talks about his education in Australia and how teacher made emphasis to participating in animation festivals. In the present day, he is based in London and have work for Cartoon Network, MTV, Bulb, etc. During the talk, he was asked if he gets the audio early on in the project. His answer was that it depends on the relationship with the musician. Another question was that if for commercial animation who would write the scripts (dialogue) to which he responded that is something taking care by the agencies. As he knows 3D animation he talked about how this ability was useful for him at the beginning but now prefers to animate in 2D. This is mainly because 3D animation will require a bigger team because of its complexity and it is easier to do individual work in 2D. I never considered this to that extend but I do realize do to previous experience that working 3D has its own complexity. He then explains how important is to have personal project while doing commercial projects and that actually personal projects even if small can help in getting commercial projects. This is something to keep in mind.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching his animation and l like the flow of them. Below it can be seen a screenshot of one of the frames of Alex Grigg’s Phantom Limb animation.

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Vivian Schwarz

Vivian Schwarz is very informal while doing her Tuesday talk but tries to make the most of it with her smiles that almost never goes down. She uses her website to describe her practice which centre around children books and game developing. She tells the audience that her picture book ‘There are cats in this book’ may have originated in her childhood and her inability to find book about cats. ‘How do you know how people with react?’ someone asks in reference to creating games. The answer is to this she said that you need to continuously work it out and test it to see people reaction. I was familiar with interactive picture books, which Vivian have work with, but I didn’t remember they could be so fun after hearing one presentation. Then Vivian Talked about installation games and I never really considered this as something real which bring a new approach of the theme to me.

As a reference work from Vivian Schwarz I choose The Treasure Maze, a game played in a 200m roll of corrugated cardboard. I choose because I find the idea of installation games very interesting.

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Faff

This Tuesday talk the class received the visit of Daniel Murtha and Alex Widdowson who organizes FAFF (The Factual Animation Film Festival). They explained how in 2014 they started organizing a film festival about documentary animation in the UK due to them actually not finding one to participate in.   In a very casual approach they explained that in order to participate in the festival the film most be animated, be about the world instead that a type of imaginary world and finally can be perceive as a documentary. They the after a little bit more of an explanation showed the audience the animated documentary film presented at FAFF 2019 version. I don’t if questions were asked but I would have like to ask how do they get to organize themselves. I remember that during their talk previous the presentation of the films that a documentary can be in expository mode, observatory mode, participatory mode, reflexive mode and poetic. I never thought about this before. What I did not beforehand was the existence of animated documentaries even if it was just recent and the shared idea that there are things that animation can do and conventional alternative can’t like maintaining anonymity and enforcing through visual they described actions by someone who is being interview. Thinking about the talk I would like to relate to the real world and its stories not through invention but to observing and hearing them. It would be nice to do this back at home.

Underneath a frame of the film Solos (Gabriella Marsh,2019) can be seen. I chose it because as shore as the doucmentary was the viewer can feel the pass  of time in a plaza in Barcelona very vividly.

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

PETE MILLARD

Six God Alphabet by Peter Millard

Peter Millard is a British animator currently teaching at Kingston University. He studied in the Film School of Wales and then went directly for an MA in the Royal College of Arts. Recently, he was given the microphone for the Tuesday Talks offered by the BA Illustration Animation at Kingston University. He talked about his life before animation, his years studying and his time after university. He narrated a progression of even through pictures of situations while intercalating with the animations he was producing with their influences. Many times, what influences him on his work are random videos with curious sounds or series that actually match his work. Sometimes, as practitioners of any discipline, we forget that we can feed our own work from other areas beyond our own. This is something always mentioned to illustration animation students that would be worthy to put into practice. Peter Millard’s work aesthetically does not really appeal my taste and his drawings are somehow unconventionally childish. However, I would lie if I say that after a while I didn’t start laughing at his animations. The actions that take place in his animation can be surrealistic but able to cause a reaction from the public watching them. To always provoke a reaction is something that will be a must to look out for in my own practice. If there is no amusement what is the point of an illustration no matter how pleasant it may look at first. In Peter Millard's case, his work didn’t open doors instantly after his education but he did continue producing and looking out for opportunities until he started to resonate with people.

http://www.hellopetermillard.com

#animator #tuesday review animation

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Charlotte Agger

Sketchbook by Charlotte Ager (https://charlotteagerillustration.tumblr.com)

“Drawing in a sketchbook doesn’t need to be pristine” says Charlotte Ager a London-based illustrator.  After having studied in Kingston University, she has taken classes in the Royal Drawing School a later on participated on residencies and have done editorial illustration. During a talk she gave, she explains the recollections of her experience during like her time in the Art Prison Residency with Knust/Extrapool in Nijmegen in March 2019 or residency in Bintan, Indonesia with magazine Baccala also in 2019. She doesn’t have a realistic aesthetic in her work but is rather somehow endearing. She uses vibrant colours combined with pastel colours to create sections of slight texturized block colour combined with texture. At the same time, there is a perceived balance in the elements placed within the frame of her work. She recommended students present at the talk to keep a silly sketchbook as drawings as ideas doesn’t need to be pristine every single time. As student one ones to keep perfecting sketchbooks but is true that it will be good to have a sketchbook to test ideas pretty quickly. On the otherside, she also mentioned that is important to develop empathy as an illustrator a you may record the colours you see and decide to later on alter the colour palate.

#illustration #analysis #opinion #review #Kingston University Tuesday Talk

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Olllie Macdonalds Oulds

Location drawing by Ollie Macdonald Oalds on Hopewell, Hanover, Jamaica, 2019.  As location drawing, you can really feel as a glimpse into moment with a burning sun. (https://www.instagram.com/olliemacdonaldoulds/)

Ollie Macdonald Oulds is a young London based illustrator t. During a talk about his work he aided himself with minimalistic slides to talked about the nature of his practices that revolves mainly on location drawing. He described it as an amalgamation of reference, observation and memory. He mentioned that in university he was more inclined to used felted pen markers than now that he has expanded his materials main preferences to pencil crayons, gouche and watercolours. He also talked about how colour alter your emotional perception of things and in this particular case of illustrations. “Try to enjoy the emotion of making it” he advice referring to the act of drawing and while he talks as he points out that is not always necessary to overdraw. What stands clear during the talk is that he draws a lot and you can tell he has a good sense of space. As he has participated in residences people in the talk asked about how he got those residences or how to get them.  He advice being active like for example finding out who the art directors for the residences are. His advices are not unheard of for illustration students, things like: practice, use colours, black and white, try out different materials and enjoy yourself. However, the key themes are that when you see his work the practice and engagement is noticeable.  What is new is that in his practice he juggles with memory, reference and observation most of the time all together. What is interesting is that his work seems like a glimpse of the moment. How to start getting there?

#illustration #illustrationblog #illustration blog #location drawing #review #illustration review

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Laura Fitton

-Politic Drawing by Laura Fitton- (Tumblr: https://thesecakes.tumblr.com )

Laura Fitton’s illustration practice centre around reportage illustration. During a recent talk aided with power point slides, some of the themes she spoke about were how she develops her work, residencies she participated in and her observational drawing habits. I remember that as she mentioned that she studied in the Royal Drawing School and then participated in the Topolski Studio’ residence people were asking how they could apply. She also remarked the importance of hobbies and interests beyond illustration and that she also took inspiration from them. I wish I have asked her how she balance illustration with her hobbies as I often find hard to balance my time with other activities. What really caught my attention was her habit of warming up by making drawings of all the things she observed while walking or on public transport. She does this before focusing on the theme of her reportage illustrations. I was asked to do this just a few hours before the talk and truly perceived a subtle shift between the warming up drawings and the ones after them. The idea of a drawing as a final piece was introduced, which was kind of new to me. But then again in reportage illustration the same location can have as many drawing as different angles and people there can be found. The illustrator may then select a few ones or one as a final piece. I must mention that she adds typography in her drawings documenting the signs and poster in the locations.  She would also add extracts of conversation. I must continue to explore the use of these elements that transport you in to the moment alongside the warming up drawings.

#illustration #review opinion #reportage illustration reportage Laura Fitton

[a-little-review-on-illustration]

Tuesday Talk: Joey Yu

-Seoul Street Corners by Joey Yu- (Tumblr: https://joeyyu.co.uk)

Joey Yu was  invited to give a talk about her work in Kingston University where she studied. She possesses a sketchy style/However, the work is highlighted and balanced by her use of slight texture and well contrasted bright and/or soft colours palettes.

During the presentation, Joey Yu with a cheerful voice showed her work using power point slides. Frequently, a sketchy font, visually similar to chalk texture keep appearing maybe as signature font… She talked about the types of work she has done so far like: editorial illustration, documenting trips, exhibitions, illustrating concerts, etc. As a freelancer, she highlighted that without an agent one must be agile, flexible and have a tough skin. She mentions that travelling and watching movies that revolves around specific themes are important to her practice. I must mention this is an interesting way of doing research with movies. Then she talked about animations group projects done in her university years. As she talked, someone asked how have they come with the transitions. The answer was that the group put down all their ideas down on frames and then decided. She then mentions that is important not to overwork. In retrospective, I wish I have asked how she chooses her colour palettes as many combinations are unrealistic but well matched.

Her illustration even if sketchy tend to be for me well balanced and playful. Being playful with my practice is something I want to achieve in my own way with good balanced elements to sustain it. I may try being more daring with my colours, textures and using colour paper as background.

#illustrators #review #opinion #tuesday talk #Ba Illustration Animation