tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37052760025624122222024-03-05T21:24:56.321-08:00Matt Bray IllustrationMatt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-59791123827669840132012-05-11T06:37:00.001-07:002012-05-11T06:37:41.394-07:00"Bear Have You Been?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After much blogging around the subject of working
on my 'Final Major Project', it occurs to me that I have yet to post any of the
actual work itself. Well, now you can see for yourself what all the fuss has
been about. It's taken me a while to get to this point. It has taken numerous
character designs for the two main protagonists. Numerous background designs
for the world in which they inhabit. It has taken a lot of experimenting with
various styles to use for the book. I've tried using block print textures,
charcoal, pencil, and crayon. I've tried creating it all digitally, then when
that seemed too artificial tried the opposite only to find that a compromise
between the two was the best way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think most people would agree that I spent too
much time worrying over little insignificant details of the designs, like if
both bears should be wearing glasses, or what colours their clothes should be,
or if I should draw each individual hair. The list goes on, and I don't like to
think about all the time I have spent worrying over how I should do the
shading, or if there should even be shading, how dark should it be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its fair to say that some of this time could have
been better served, perhaps on the animation, perhaps even on updating this
blog more often. Either way the important thing for now is the work is done and
I am pleased with it. For the most part that is. When I look at it I still see
my mistakes and can't help but think of things I would like to have done
differently. But then, I think most of my classmates feel the same way when
looking at their 'Final Major Projects', we have to accept that we will never
be totally satisfied, we just have to be content in the knowledge that we have
done as well as we can.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, here it is, see what you think:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-6578129169155694932012-05-11T05:49:00.002-07:002012-05-11T05:49:48.122-07:00Inspiration From Diverse Sources<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Working on this 'Final Major Project' has lead me to realise that inspiration for illustrations can come from a diverse range of sources. As a first year I imagined that my inspiration should always come from within the illustration and design discipline. Now, however I realise that if you never take ideas from anywhere outside of the 'illustration bubble' then your work will lack originality. You should always be soaking up inspiration that can feed back into your illustrations.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I understand now why, at the beginning of this year, once a month our tutor would gather the class for a 'creative review'. This was a discussion where everyone came with a book, a film, and article from a publication and an exhibition to recommend to the rest of the class. At the time I really enjoyed these discussions, I enjoy any excuse to chat about books and movies. Now, I'm grateful to these sessions as they made me realise that all of the above forms of diverse culture can feed back into your work.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When it came time to decide on a brief for our 'Final Major Project', we were asked to use the Christmas break before starting as time to gather inspiration. One of my presents that Christmas was the book 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy. A book as bleak as it beautiful, that tells the story of a father and son, trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. McCarthy describes terrifically the way that the father cares and worries for his son, who he will do anything to protect and the son who fears the large, dangerous and confusing landscape, and looks to his dad as his saviour. McCarthy sums up their love and dependency on each other perfectly when he writes that they are: 'each the others world entire'.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I wrote my initial brief for my 'Final Major Project', I wanted to write and illustrate a children's book and I looked to 'The Road' book for inspiration. Although 'The Road' might seem like an odd place to take ideas for a book aimed at children, the core themes of the text seemed to me like ones that would suit children's literature. The themes of parent- child bonding seemed universal to me. The way that the child looks up to his dad, reminded me allot of my childhood years, where a parent can be your entire world.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I came up with a story of two bears, a father and a son, lost in a forest, trying to find their friends. Like in 'The Road' my book is about parent-child bonding, about father and son against the world, working together to overcome adversity.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The book is now finished, I'm pleased with the illustrations I created for it and with themes those illustrations represent. These are themes that I found by looking to sources far outside 'the illustration bubble' for inspiration.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /></span><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<br /></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-7504674685458327942012-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:002012-05-10T15:01:18.689-07:00Hopes, Fears and Opportunities (Part Two)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>As I rapidly approach
the end of my degree, now would seem a good time to reflect on how this 'Final
Major Project' has gone. Now is also a good time to look forward to what comes
after my increasingly limited time left as an illustration student, as I begin
the journey into the world of freelance illustration.<br />
<br />
At the end of 2011, when writing <a href="http://mattbrayillustration.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/hopes-fears-and-opportunities-part-one.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">'Hopes, fears
and Opportunities (Part One)'</span></a> I wrote of my fear of the 'Final Major
Project'. I was afraid that I would write a brief that would turn out all too
late not to be right for me. I feared that at this point in the course, I would
look over what I had created and feel ashamed, embarrassed and gutted to have
wasted the opportunity. Back then I was continuously haunted by the image of
myself at the end of year show, surrounded by the brilliant work created in
this module by my talented colleagues, and then looking to my own sorry
offering and thinking: "Where did it all go wrong?"<br />
<br />
As relentlessly pessimistic as this now sounds (and it really does) I don't
think that I was alone in this fear. I think all creative types occasionally
doubt their abilities. I'm sure that this is true for even the most talented of
illustrators. And when your classmates produce work as original and beautiful
as mine do, there are few that wouldn't fear their own work looking weak in
comparison. In a way, this fear has helped me to improve my work. I've
constantly been striving to create a better quality of work, because the
quality of work amongst my colleagues is so high. Some would call this
competitive, but I think of it more as a 'team spirit. We've been on a journey
together, refining our skills for the last three years, and for me to produce
work that doesn't meet the standard set by everyone else would feel like
letting the team down.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, some six months later, this fear of letting both myself and 'the team'
down hasn't come true. I feel that I chose the brief that was right for me.
I've wanted to write and illustrate a children's book for years now, and I feel
that my personal 'style' has developed into one that suits children's
illustration. If I had chosen an alternative, more 'grown up' and serious brief
for my final module I wouldn't have been being true to myself.<br />
<br />
I also feel that the project has been something of a success. I usually shy
away from saying that I've produced work that I'm proud of. I suppose because
of a lack of confidence and fear that others may not agree. But this time, at
the end of this project, I actually do feel proud of the work I've produced.
That is not to say that I think the work is perfect, or that there aren't millions
of other, similar pieces done by more talented artists that have been executed
better. But I do feel that the work I have produced is of a higher standard
than the work I created previously and is of the highest standard that I am
currently capable of. So for that reason I do judge the project to be a
success, and for that reason I am pleased, relieved and proud.<br />
<br />
Last year I wrote of how during the closing months of my degree I hoped to make
the most of the time I had left with my tutors and colleagues; I wanted to soak
up as much of the inspirational studio, atmosphere as I could while there was
still time. As this remaining time becomes evermore scarce, I am pleased to say
that feel I <i>have</i> made the most of it. I've spent a lot of time working
in the studio, with my friends and tutors following the progress of my project
and giving me help and advice every step of the way.<br />
<br />
The fact that at the end of the project I feel pleased with my work, is all
down to the support I have received during the previous months. Pretty much
every element of my final piece would have been different had it not been for
all the input I have received from the guys in the studio. No matter how hard I
work on my own, there is still no replacement for the casual, regular advice that
you receive from your mates, whilst you work together.<br />
<br />
It is only really now that I am able to fully appreciate how important and
influential this studio atmosphere has been and how my work has improved as a
result. My fear now is that after university, when I can no longer rely on my
friends and tutors for advice, that my work will suffer as a result.<br />
<br />
My hope is that we all stay in touch, that we continue to keep each other
informed of how our work is progressing and that we continue to offer each other
hints, tips and advice on how we might improve.<br />
<br />
A good way to do this could be through social media, through blogs and Twitter:
Posting our work online and gaining feedback from each other. This is of
course, no match for the studio atmosphere and I hope that we still regularly
meet up and discuss work.<br />
<br />
Another good solution to this could be through 'Draw North West', a monthly
meet up for illustrators in the region that has been started recently and is
proving to be a success. These meet ups could give us an ideal opportunity to
stay in touch and to discuss work.<br />
<br />
There are a few of us in fact, who enjoy working together and who find the feedback
from each other helpful, that have talked of setting up a collective when we finish
university. This would be an ideal way to stick together and to continue to
support each other. And of course, to encourage each other to keep up the
illustration work.<br />
<br />
This brings me to my biggest fear, a fear that I had six months ago when I
blogged of what was to come and a fear that still troubles me. This is the fear
that I will not continue to utilize and progress with the skills I have learned
during my degree once I finish university. The fear that all this work will
have been in vain.<br />
<br />
This is a fear that is often backed up by those in the industry, who talk of
how few of their peers have gone on to pursue illustration post graduation: of
how most of them spent three years learning skills that they will never use and
learning of an industry that they will never be a part of. I so don't want this
to happen to me. I have wanted to be an illustrator since I was thirteen and
dreamed of illustrating children's books. Now at the age of twenty-two, after
three years of studying the subject, my passion for it is as strong as ever.
That's why I can't bear the thought that I might gradually give it up, that I
would let all this enthusiasm slip away.<br />
<br />
This is why I need to stick by those who feel the same, to keep myself focused on developing my work. After all, university may be almost over, but
as I begin to edge towards the world of the freelancer, I can see that the real
work is only just beginning.</span></span></div>
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-24237991897544575602012-05-09T13:42:00.000-07:002012-05-09T13:44:01.176-07:00Beginnings in Animation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/41792621" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Above you will find a short animation I made as part of my 'Final Major Project'. The animation is based upon the children's book that I have been working on, on a double page spread that features the book's two lead characters caught in the rain.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Although I am pleased with the piece (I think the way that the characters looks to each other communicates their relationship in much the same way as the book) I still wish that I could have done what I, perhaps naively, hoped to do earlier, which was to animate the whole of the book. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Looking back now, it seems obvious that with the time given for this project, just getting the book done would take up the majority of the time, and that with animation being such a long process, getting the entire book animated would have taken longer to make than the book itself.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">My finished animation may seem only incidental therefore as it only lasts twelve seconds and only incorporates one double page spread. But working on it has rekindled the passion I had for animation when I was ten and would use my Dad's camera to create stop motion films with my 'action men'. As I began creating the above piece, I felt that same excitement about bringing characters to life as I did back then. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">This has convinced me that although my time as at university may be drawing to a close, I should still experiment with animating my characters. I'm excited at the prospect of pursuing this new direction in my work further and am determined to make more animations in the coming months.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">So, although the above piece is only short, the experience of making it is one that has rekindled a passion in me that I hope to continue as a graduate. </span></div>
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-52296779803338909942012-05-09T12:08:00.001-07:002012-05-09T12:57:38.500-07:00Moving On Into Moving Image<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">During the closing months of our degree we have been set the task of creating a short animation, with regular weekly tutorials to help with the progress. I was really excited when I heard about this, I'd enjoyed working on a collaborative animation with <a href="http://sarahbrewster.blogspot.co.uk/">Sarah</a> enormously. There is something magical about watching a character that you've created come to life, and now I was to get the chance to learn how bring them to life myself. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Following our initial briefing for the animation project I spent a fair amount of time on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>, staring in wonder at one beautiful animation after another. An early favorite of mine, one that I have played endlessly, is this 'Sherbert Christmas Card' from 2010 by the <a href="http://www.thisisitcollective.com/">'This Is It Collective'</a>:</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/17521609" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">There is so much to love about this video, for a start I love the character designs, which are a fine example of someone creating a range of characters that, although diverse, are all instantly recognizable as belonging to 'the same world' (this is something that I have been advised to work on). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">I also love the technique: each model had been painstakingly hand cut and hand painted, a feat even more admirable when you consider that some models look to only have been used for single frames (or at least through my still amateur eyes they do). There are some who would question going to such lengths to create something that could perhaps have been made easier and faster digitally (in a program like Maya maybe). But I would argue that the extra work is totally worth it, the piece has a certain beauty and charm that can only come something that has been crafted by hand, pause the video at any point and you are given a beautifully crafted masterpiece.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Another personal favorite of mine is 'The Man with the Beautiful Eyes', a collaboration between animator <a href="http://www.hodgsonfilms.com/">Jonathan Hodgson</a> and illustrator <a href="http://www.heartagency.com/artist/JonnyHannah/gallery/1">Jonny Hannah</a> based on a piece of writing by Charles Bukowski:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19909066" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></span>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Again, there are many reasons why I love this animation, and again a large part of that comes down to the handmade quality of the piece. There is something charming about being able to see the craft behind a piece in the piece itself, by which I'm referring to the variety of textures that are present in the animation: the watercolour paper, the inks the paints. The whole thing looks literally like drawings come to life and as with the previous piece, every frame of he animation could be framed on the wall.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-18628056102461279862012-05-09T10:36:00.000-07:002012-05-09T10:36:11.229-07:00Is Illustration Still Relevant? Part Three<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Across the river however, <a href="http://www.davidshrigley.com/">Shrigley</a> has created something to appeal to a
broad range of people, not just illustration geeks like me. As I mentioned in a
previous blog post, I loved <a href="http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/david-shrigley">'Brain Activity'</a> and left the gallery smiling. The
point being so did everyone else, everyone that wasn't associated with the
illustration industry. The gallery was filled with a broad range of people all
enjoying the artwork. These people may not have cared for the works aesthetic
quality as much as I did (I really like Shrigley's style but am aware that it
is one that can divide people) but they still enjoyed themselves. They enjoyed
the exhibition because they enjoyed the message. Because Shrigley had something
to say and that something was smart and witty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The question now is how do we, those illustrators in training, keep the
discipline that we love relevant in today's world. How do we stop the work we
create only being appreciated by those within our circle? In my opinion the
best answer is to follow Shrigley's advice and 'Fight the Nothingness!” We make
sure that our work has ideas behind it; we make sure that we use the skills we
have been honing during our training to communicate a message to a specific
audience, one that doesn't end within the illustration circle.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">For example, for my 'Final Major Project' I've been working on a children's
book. The message of my book is all about the father son relationship,
and it s intended to be one that farther and their children will read through
together, perhaps a bedtime story. The book is aimed at children. I do of
course hope that my friends, colleges and tutors like it, and it would give me
no greater pleasure for those in the illustration industry to think that it is
of merit. But when I created the book I created it specifically for children to
read, in the hope that they identify with the characters and enjoy the story. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">To conclude what has become a lengthier point than planned: "Is
Illustration Still Relevant?" Yes, but we can't take that for granted. We
need to ensure that our work has an idea behind it, regardless of its aesthetic
qualities and we need to ensure that the idea is one that those outside of the
'Illustration Circle' can appreciate. I'm aware that <a href="http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/where-is-the-content">Zeegan's recent writing</a>
may have upset some of those within the circle, but the intentions behind the
text are those worth taking notice of. It is only because he loves illustration
that he worries for it so, and why he was inspired to write such a piece. It is
up to us now, the illustrators in training about to put what we have learned
into practice and heed Zeegan's warning. We must remember the message. We must
remember the audience. We must fight the nothingness!</span></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-53496554640223454562012-05-09T10:35:00.003-07:002012-05-09T10:35:59.645-07:00Is Illustration Still Relevant? Part Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This article was written in September 2007<i>, </i>at the time all was well
in the world of illustration and the future looked bright. What a difference
five years can make. In February of this year, Laurence Zeegan, he who had
written about the discipline with such enthusiasm and optimism some five years
previously, wrote an article for Creative Review, entitled: <a href="http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/where-is-the-content">'Where is thecontent? Where is the comment?'</a>, about how in his opinion, the illustration
industry has lost its spark and is in danger of becoming irrelevant. According
to Zeegan:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Illustration has become entrenched in navel-gazing and
self-authorship."</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Zeegan goes on to write of how illustrators have nothing to say anymore,
they still create work that is aesthetically pleasing, but it is all merely an
exercise in image making. Illustrators, according to the text, are no longer
speaking to the public but to other illustrators and illustration students.
This same culture of creating ones own opportunities as opposed to waiting for
commissions, has lead to an industry that values means over message, where
illustrators produce empty, shallow, if beautiful work, whose target market is
others within the discipline.<i> </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As an example of this, Zeegan cites <a href="http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/pick-me-up-2012">'Pick Me Up'</a>, a graphic arts fair that
ran at Somerset House in London. He wonders if the event, where illustrators
display their work and sell prints and related ephemera, will appeal to anyone
outside of the industry. When commenting on the work itself he writes:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"...what is there to be discovered? Are we offered much more than
contemporary eye candy? Are we offered much more than mere nothingness?"</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> This reasserts Zeegan's opinion that the illustrators of today have
nothing say, and regardless of the merits by which they say it, they are still
saying nothing. Hence his assertion that the discipline could be in danger of
sliding towards irrelevance. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He then writes of <a href="http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/david-shrigley">'Brain Activity'</a> the <a href="http://www.davidshrigley.com/">David Shrigley</a> exhibition, which he
puts forward as an alternative to 'Pick Me Up': here is an illustrator with
something to say. Shrigley's 'Fight the Nothingness' poster, displayed outside
the Hayward Gallery would appear the encapsulate everything that Zeegan sees as
being wrong with the industry.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As someone who visited both 'Pick Me Up' and 'Brain Activity' I can understand
this point of view. Don't get me wrong, I loved 'Pick Me Up', I really loved
it, I will definitely be going again next year and dream that one day my work
might even be displayed there. I thought the work was fantastic, and many is
the time that I've looked through the collection of postcards that I bought as
a souvenir, and marvelled at just how beautiful the work really is. That's why I
can't wait to return next year as I found the collection of work to be an
endless source of inspiration.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">However, some would argue that of course I would say that: I'm an
illustration student, so it would come as no surprise that I found 'Pick Me Up'
to be such a joy because the event was targeted at people like me. But what of
people outside of the industry? What's in it for them? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-4867612139333155472012-05-09T10:35:00.002-07:002012-05-09T10:35:51.095-07:00Is Illustration Still Relevant? Part One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It seems like only yesterday that illustration was going through a
resurgence of interest. It had all of a sudden become cool to be an illustrator
and the industry was one that was vibrant, exciting and ready to take on the
world. Contemporary illustrators were taking the discipline in all kinds of
interesting new directions, and were the subjects of big glossy coffee table
books full of contemporary illustration, that couldn't hit the shelves fast
enough. Lawrence Zeegan, Illustrator, Educator, Writer and all round authority
on the subject; documented the disciplines sudden rise in popularity in his
2007 article for Computer Arts magazine, entitled <a href="http://www.computerarts.co.uk/features/illustration-renaissance">'Illustration
Renaissance</a>'. In this piece, Zeegan writes of how after years of
struggling, illustration was all of a sudden in vogue:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"After a decade climbing the ranks following a period as underdog,
illustration now sits as top dog."</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i>Zeegan discusses the role played by the 'digital revolution' in
this renaissance, a revolution that had once bought about the downfall of the
illustration industry, now looked to be the discipline's saviour. The 'digital
revolution' had come as a gift to graphic designers and photographers, who embraced
this new technology and whose industries prospered as a result. But as the
photographers and graphic designers raced towards their exciting digital
futures, Illustration was left on the starting line unsure of its place in this
new revolution.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Come the time of the 'Illustration Renaissance', however, this new and
sophisticated technology that had for so long been out of the price range of
the average illustrator was suddenly affordable and a new tech-savvy generation
of illustrators were emerging to breath new life into the industry. They did so
by creating work that was fresh, unique, exciting and which now seemed to art
directors like a viable and interesting proposition, one that could compete
with photographers and designers.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">These illustrators were not only revolutionary in their work, but also in
their approach: they didn't wait for commissions to coming, they created their
own. Zeegan commented at the time on how illustrators were increasingly
creating their own: <i>"self-publishing fanzines and mags; launching
own-label products, such as T-shirts, badges and stickers; and promoting
self-initiated, self-directed one-off and/or limited edition artworks, through
the organization of exhibitions and events as well as through online portfolios
and stores."</i></span></div>
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-84318518773123726802012-05-09T02:06:00.000-07:002012-05-09T02:06:16.973-07:00David Shrigley: Brain Activity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Towards the end of our much blogged about journey to London, myself, <a href="http://www.jordanobrienillustration.com/">Jord</a> and <a href="http://dominiquebyron.blogspot.co.uk/">Dom</a> found ourselves at a bit of a loose end and so headed down to the SouthBank to catch David Shrigley's latest exhibition <a href="http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/david-shrigley">'Brain Activity'</a> at the 'Hayward Gallery'. Being a big Shrigley fan, I was excited about this, it sounded like fun way to round off what had been a fun and rewarding visit to 'the big smoke'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I wasn't disappointed, every room of the exhibition seemed to be buzzing with creativity and humour. That is what I like and admire most about Shrigley is his sense of humor. Perhaps the funniest room, in a blackly comic and sardonic way, was the room entitled 'Death'. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The first thing you see when you enter this room is a bizarre piece of taxidermy and one of the funniest pieces in the exhibition. It is the piece that has been pretty much ubiquitous in terms of the shows promotion, it is a deceased Jack Russell terrior, stuffed, stood on its hind legs and holding a sign bearing the morbid phrase: "I'm Dead". As I wright this I am aware that such a thing <i>sounds</i> like it would display vulgarity and a lack of taste, but quite to the contrary it actually displays a very playful sense of humor: the piece is hilarious. As people entered the room you could see them begin to crease up with laughter at the sight of this piece, and let us just pause for a minute to consider what an achievement that is: what other artist could make a dead dog funny? Designers pride themselves on their 'out of the box thinking' but I can't imagine there are many that when presented with the corpse of a Jack Russell would see its humorous potential.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Another macabre, but equally funny piece was entitled 'Gravestone' (2008). As the name would suggest the piece is indeed a gravestone, but one that lists the contents of a shopping list 'bread, milk, cornflakes... etc'. Again, I found it hilarious, I'm sure that if you think about it for long enough you could see it as the artist mocking death, or pointing out the futility of a life driven by consumerism (because when you die you can't take it with you) or any number of equally deep and disturbing interpretations. Or you could just see it as a good joke, delivered well. Personally, I choose the latter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As we left the Hayward Gallery we felt satisfied and pleased to have visited, content in knowledge that we had been true art students and seen something culturally and artistically meaningful, and had a laugh at the same time. And then, again like true art students, we got the cheapest possible train home.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-82695523919986195302012-05-09T01:59:00.000-07:002012-05-09T01:59:54.997-07:00Portfolio Visit: Scholastic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Whilst in London I was fortunate enough to get a portfolio viewing at <a href="http://www.scholastic.co.uk/">'Scholastic'</a>, a publisher that specializes in books for children and teenagers. As someone that would like to pursue a possible career in childrens illustration, I was very excited for this visit. I was also very nervous, 'Scholastic" is such a mayjor publisher that I couldn't help but feel intimidated.<br />
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When I arrived, I met with Andrew Biscomb, the Creative Director, who within five minutes had put me completely at ease. What followed was one of the most thorough, helpful and enjoyable portfolio viewings I've had yet. Andrew was very generous with his time, going through each piece of my portfolio in turn and mentioning what he felt were the pros and cons.<br />
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For example with my character designs for <a href="http://www.mattbrayillustration.com/2333896">'Helping Uganda Schools'</a> he liked the monkey and the crocodile, saying that although they were stylized they were still recognizable as the animals. However, in the case of the elephant (that wears glasses and stands on its hind legs) he felt that it was too 'human like' and needed to bear a closer resemblance to the animal in question, like the previous designs. He went on to say that he would be interested in seeing a collection of animal characters in the same ilk as the aforementioned monkey and crocodile. I was really pleased, to find that there was an area of my work that he felt was strongest and worth developing was really helpful and encouraging.<br />
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When it came to the character design for <a href="http://www.mattbrayillustration.com/1509858">'Why Are Girls Always Right?'</a> he felt that the characters were too stylized and abstract to appeal to children in a storybook (perhaps better suited to a medical context). I can totally see what he means, now that it is a year on from this brief, the characters do seem slightly 'distant' and 'sparse' and lacking a certain warmth. When I compare these characters to my more recent designs I feel that I have moved on and that my recent work has more of the warmth that these designs were lacking.<br />
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He liked the pieces I had designed for 'Music' (<a href="http://www.mattbrayillustration.com/2333900">the poster</a> and the <a href="http://www.mattbrayillustration.com/1511237">'Heroes'</a> piece), he said it is encouraging to see elements of graphic design in an illustration portfolio, as it shows that the illustrator is able to work with text and composition. He said that it is rare to find illustrators that can create and work with type as well as the image. Again this is encouraging and helpful, it is good to know that the design skills that I have been taught will be thought of as useful and it has encouraged me to experiment more with text and get some of my own typography in my portfolio.<br />
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Once we'd discussed my portfolio, he went on to mention other illustrators that I might be interested in (he recommended <a href="http://www.oliverjeffers.com/picture-books/stuck">Oliver Jeffers</a> and <a href="http://www.arenaillustration.com/Artists/thumbsDavidHitch.html">David Hitch</a>). He then went on to mention illustration agencies that represent the kind of work I am interested in: <a href="http://www.thebrightagency.com/">'The Bight Agency'</a> and '<a href="http://www.arenaillustration.com/index.php">Arena Illustration'</a>, both of which I have since looked into and both of which are full of just the kind of illustration that I admire and aspire to.<br />
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When I left 'Scholastic', I did so buzzing with enthusiasm and excitement. It had been everything that you'd hope for in a portfolio visit, with lots of helpful feedback and advice. I left feeling that I had a clearer understanding of the direction that I'd like to take my work in the future and of where I'd like to work within the illustration and design industry. I feel very grateful to Andrew for giving up so much of his time and for helping me to get more of an idea of where I'd like to aim towards after finishing my degree.</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-60928869348847453342012-05-03T14:28:00.001-07:002012-05-08T12:26:44.918-07:00Jill Calder Part Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Next came the subject of portfolios, of
course in this day and age a portfolio is contained within an illustrators
website and allows people from all over the world to view their work. Jill
began her career at a time when portfolio visits (much like the viewings I’ve
recently had) were the norm, and the best way to get your work out there.
Although times have changed, Jill still puts a lot of thought and attention
into her physical portfolio.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Jill’s advice is to create a physical
portfolio that will stand out from the crowd and will inspire people. She has
her portfolios custom made by a professional bookbinder based in Fife, who she
went to meet in person and together they collaborated on creating a series of
unique portfolios that are works of art in their own right. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">However, alongside these handcrafted
pieces Jill also uses an iPad as a portfolio. One of the benefits to this is
the zoom feature, meaning that those viewing the portfolio can look closely to
admire the intricacies of each design.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The second big lesson was: Draw. Jill
made it clear that although she, like many other contemporary illustrators,
uses Photoshop to compose illustrations; the elements used are all drawn by
hand. Drawing is still very important to Jill, as are the materials she draws
with. She made a point of saying how she draws with anything and everything.
From the small pencils that are given out free in IKEA, to crayons that she
bought years ago at a market in Mexico. And then of course there is ink, which
can transform any household object into a drawing implement and produce a
unique and distinct quality of line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Then there is the question of what to draw;
Jill talked of the time she likes to spend exploring the world with a sketchbook
at hand to document her discoveries. She now has a large collection of
sketchbooks documenting various people and places that she has encountered over
the years, and all of which are now unique reference points that can be used in
commissions. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">She also mentioned what she referred to
as ‘Google Drawing’; this is where you draw with reference to Google Images. To
be honest I’ve been overly reliant on this process for a while now and could do
with collecting more first hand sketchbook references like the kind mentioned
previously.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Jill’s final lesson was to “Make
mistakes and be silly”. She explained how illustration student are often guilty
of taking themselves and their work too seriously, and that often when they
start to get paid to illustrate they take their work even more seriously and
forget to have fun. This means remembering to be playful in your work, to have
a sense of humor about it and to have no fear about making mistakes. It is
often when we are at our most playful that we are at our most creative and
create our best work. If you have fun in creating a piece this will show in the
piece itself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">I myself, now that I am faced with
looming deadlines and responsibilities have been guilty of taking my work too
seriously when I should always be remembering to be playful and enjoy the
process. This important piece of advice came just at the right time for me, and
I’m grateful that it did.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was a
fantastic talk, given by a passionate and confident speaker. Jill was as
humorous and entertaining as she was informative and helpful. Thanks Jill!</span></span></div>
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-67777016996596025342012-05-03T14:28:00.000-07:002012-05-03T14:28:10.980-07:00Jill Calder Part One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve been a big fan of <a href="http://www.jillcalder.com/">Jill Calder</a> for a while now and
recently had the pleasure of attending a lecture, where she spoke of the
lessons she has learned over her prolific and successful career. A career which
began in 1993, with her first commission from ‘The Scotsman’ (a £65 editorial
job) and has gone from strength to strength ever since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">She started by discussing the business side to
illustration, and began with her first lesson: ‘Get Paid!’ It may sound like an
obvious point but as Jill went on to explain, there are certain commissions
where the job is the easy part but getting the client to pay you can be a long,
arduous drawn out affair. To illustrate this point (no pun intended) she cited
the following quote:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“The
freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.”</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/robert_benchley.html"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Robert Benchley</span></a></span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Although the quote was made in relation
to writing, the words ring all too true when describing the world of freelance
illustration; some clients will do anything to avoid paying and it can often be
up to the illustrator to be insistent and persistent and chase up payment. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvHkr7tB5FkSihf4DUrRvvxW68svFKf81SDbLg90DNlZ5qd1cjHTluer36JMXr5oBQYcU8K4M9aUmgY0dFWsIGdB8N3bwH9RMSRRiWQu6T5t4kTWumg1hgnm-Sx7skT93OsPV69aIBB2K/s1600/SanFrancisco-JillCalder-flair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvHkr7tB5FkSihf4DUrRvvxW68svFKf81SDbLg90DNlZ5qd1cjHTluer36JMXr5oBQYcU8K4M9aUmgY0dFWsIGdB8N3bwH9RMSRRiWQu6T5t4kTWumg1hgnm-Sx7skT93OsPV69aIBB2K/s320/SanFrancisco-JillCalder-flair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Jill found this out the hard way and
had her fair share of difficult clients. She is now however represented by the
<a href="http://www.centralillustration.com/index.asp">CIA (Central Illustration Agency)</a> who handles that side of things, giving Jill
more time to concentrate on her work. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Of course, the pros and cons to agency
representation could be a whole blog post unto itself; Jill finds that the
agency she is with is right for her, she has a good relationship with them and
the arrangement is one that works well for her. She feels the same way about
her American agent ‘<a href="http://friendandjohnson.com/#p=home">Friend and Johnson</a>’, she said that with both agencies she
has received, interesting and exciting high profile and well paid commissions
that she might not have had otherwise.</span></span></div>
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-1640974556533216892012-05-01T13:12:00.000-07:002012-05-01T13:12:45.933-07:00Portfolio Visit: Serpents Tail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-VdNApvyWrM7WOS3_aG1_CrlkOOgHgm7WEDIyW6_aGz7gJu81SHcpQ8N8bjLzZ6xyS0MTaIIPXNp7MaA7YkTzdzOqbaCMwcl3cnjq3uNRsB0MpVYH92SUETu1YeflmPtAJj7J5smbKLN/s1600/Serpent%2527s+Tail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-VdNApvyWrM7WOS3_aG1_CrlkOOgHgm7WEDIyW6_aGz7gJu81SHcpQ8N8bjLzZ6xyS0MTaIIPXNp7MaA7YkTzdzOqbaCMwcl3cnjq3uNRsB0MpVYH92SUETu1YeflmPtAJj7J5smbKLN/s320/Serpent%2527s+Tail.png" width="184" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">"Serpent’s Tail is a consistently brave,
exciting and almost deliriously diverse publisher."</span><span lang="EN-US"> <br />
</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Will Self</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Whilst down in London, a few of us from the ‘Illustration’ Course went
to visit <a href="http://www.serpentstail.com/">‘Serpents Tail’</a>, an independent publisher that specializes in
publishing books that represent the kind of independent thinking that is so often
neglected by the mainstream. It is this philosophy towards representing unique
and interesting ideas that gained them a reputation as a publisher of brave and
exciting work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">When we arrived we met with Marketing Director Niamh Murray, who
talked us through the process of commissioning book cover designs. What came as
news to many of us was how many different people are involved in the cover
design. Many people were under the impression, as I was, that it was down to
the illustrator and the art director. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">What we hadn’t realized was the number of marketing representatives
who needed to approve the cover before it could go ahead. For example there
would be a representative from ‘amazon’, who would asses a covers potential
based on how well it works as a thumbnail; similarly a representative on behalf
of supermarket chains would asses how well the cover would fit into their
store, views which may contrast with that a book shop representative.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I then, met with Art Director Peter Dyer for a portfolio viewing. As
most of my portfolio was made up of children’s illustration, there were a few
pieces he didn’t feel he could comment on, which lead me to realize something I
should have learned a while ago, which is that it is important to edit your
portfolio before a viewing depending on who you are going to see. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The piece that Peter was most interested in was the ‘Heroes’ piece I
developed for ‘Music’. He said that it is the kind of image he could see on a
book relating to pop music. He liked the notion of the ‘reductionist
portraits’; he said that this was an avenue worth exploring. However, he went
on to say that <a href="http://www.dutchuncle.co.uk/illustrators/noma-bar/portfolios/portfolio">Noma Bar</a> is currently the ‘go to guy’ for this kind of
illustration, and that if I wanted to pursue this ‘reductionist portrait’ area
further that I would need to work on a way of separating my work from Noma
Bar’s.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7UHzroKQAbmadxIZjrV0RApixLIMIVV-LQzJ_5CScq2jndHpFTFBX9jCGTRjqdYPOoxssWQY1YeRwjTW5fyc65NFBXhV_VInFxZ1PFhc34gq9p3AibSTiUp1ekeZosmisSKMkvvK3Jh_/s1600/Noma-Bar_GuessWho-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7UHzroKQAbmadxIZjrV0RApixLIMIVV-LQzJ_5CScq2jndHpFTFBX9jCGTRjqdYPOoxssWQY1YeRwjTW5fyc65NFBXhV_VInFxZ1PFhc34gq9p3AibSTiUp1ekeZosmisSKMkvvK3Jh_/s320/Noma-Bar_GuessWho-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxwQSEyAw1pQeOHwfenXCnLnvZjT24SxJo3zFKc8KXUiqlpS_lXa-NYLAeRMIqWkcEj5KM3Nqf-BsCQIn-32uUPT_teIxnlTDTXpOYbCLaQ4C5jQdvN3d-o-u46JPZg81_UYxq-XuxIwe/s1600/Noma-Bar_GuessWho-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxwQSEyAw1pQeOHwfenXCnLnvZjT24SxJo3zFKc8KXUiqlpS_lXa-NYLAeRMIqWkcEj5KM3Nqf-BsCQIn-32uUPT_teIxnlTDTXpOYbCLaQ4C5jQdvN3d-o-u46JPZg81_UYxq-XuxIwe/s320/Noma-Bar_GuessWho-39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">A big thanks to Niamh Murray and Peter Dyer for all their help and advice;
and for giving us all a rare insight into the world of publishing.</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-57168497086992242712012-05-01T12:21:00.002-07:002012-05-01T12:23:54.504-07:00Portfolio Visit: Nobrow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.nobrow.net/">Nobrow</a> is a publisher that specializes in showcasing the work of
illustrators. I’ve been a big fan of Nobrow since I first discovered one of
their publications in the first year of my degree. Ever since then I have
watched with a keen interest everything that they have published as their
collection grows along with their reputation for representing interesting, exciting
and diverse illustration from around the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I was really excited when, on a recent journey to London, Myself; <a href="http://www.dominiquebyron.com/">Dom</a>,
<a href="http://www.jordanobrienillustration.com/">Jord</a> and <a href="http://cargocollective.com/krissale">Kris</a> went along to the Nobrow Headquarters for a portfolio viewing.
When we got there we met with Sam, one of the founding members of Nobrow. He
began by talking to us about breaking into the illustration industry after
university. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">He talked of how upon finishing university, few students ever actually
progress onto becoming full time illustrators and that those who do make it in
the industry do so through persistence. He spoke of how many students wrongly
assume that upon finishing their education, they are the finished article and
that their working method or ’style’ is set in stone, and how in reality the
most successful of styles are those which are developed over many years of
refinement and persistence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Then he looked at my portfolio. His preferred pieces were those, which
had more of a ‘hands on’ physical process behind them. He was less keen on the
digital pieces and preferred those that had been created through printmaking.
He said that it was the texture and imperfections of those pieces that made
them more interesting. He said that although this process had its limitations
when compared to working digitally, these limitations worked towards creating
stronger more interesting work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">When I mentioned that my main interests lie in character design and
children’s illustration he recommended I look at the work of <a href="http://www.heartagency.com/artist/MarcBoutavant/gallery/1">Mark Boutavant</a>
(who Nobrow have worked with in the past). He said I should work towards
creating my own ‘world’ of characters in the same way as Boutavant, where the
style is versatile enough to apply to a variety of characters but also refined
enough that we can tell that they all belong to the same ‘world’ created by the
same artist.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8M85i2EwZGYQq3VoSN0YCVwj3Mz_qAUytt5vz0tha1gTa3Z28xQV3ecXLDa_a4uozONwBLHHSTq17OutLTsX4TXHyPYyjaEJ7gTLMUQ8DW7pITzKaNOn7eQKyaaXrSP3d7dbuAi3IYCWN/s1600/marc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8M85i2EwZGYQq3VoSN0YCVwj3Mz_qAUytt5vz0tha1gTa3Z28xQV3ecXLDa_a4uozONwBLHHSTq17OutLTsX4TXHyPYyjaEJ7gTLMUQ8DW7pITzKaNOn7eQKyaaXrSP3d7dbuAi3IYCWN/s400/marc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The advice we all got regarding our work was helpful, informative and honest.
Thanks to Sam from Nobrow for taking the time to see us and helping us to move
forward in our careers. </span></span></div>
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-67456362155487365982011-12-20T06:48:00.000-08:002012-05-04T02:40:38.918-07:00The Benefits of Collaboration (Part Three)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I sent the illustrations of 'Jack' off to Sarah, thankfully she liked them, and so I set to work on the other elements.<br />
<br />
The next thing I was to create was the door that Jack breaks through. I tried to keep my illustration close to the original door from the film in terms of colours and design. When it came to the illustration of the 'Feel Good' bottle I kept it as simple and bright as possible. I wanted the drink to stand out from its gloomy surroundings and I knew that it was important to clearly show the brand. I kept the design of the table this was to sit on even more simple. This was after all just a background piece and I didn't want it to distract attention away from what was happening.<br />
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Then came the design for 'Wendy'. I struggled slightly because she doesn't have the same stand out, instantly recognisable features that Jack has and so is not as easy to caricature. In the end when I came up with her final design I had 'Olive Oyl' from 'Popeye' in mind. I decided that I wouldn't concentrate so much on getting her to look close to the original character, as I had with Jack, but would instead concentrate on getting across her overall mood, which for the most part is scared.<br />
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It was an interesting change to create illustrations for animation. With each character that I created I was essentially creating a puppet. One that needed movable arms and legs, that needed to be able to blink and change expression, and most importantly one that needed to be easy to animate. I tried to fulfil this last point as best I could by keeping the characters various elements in clearly labelled and organised layers, which hopefully helped.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/33966223"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB_6iAu9bdFF5J0fmXsxBi9rMrli-BSUZ3pekmMjalLeStO2JxipUvfZ4C_0epbaFU_wb08SgwIYgbc_so5jIevcQ7KUmgQAccwjmLh5NKPEFrNkDL94bUdchglWINEaV2YmcZsDOjyia/s400/frame1jack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/33966223"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBn-NSRXBZY27tY9efT-Wa2hyphenhyphen62K3ecDtkEasfGHUgPT5rcrRRGy4BZj9Fue6dX_aWc4UgPDDrIie3PEr8eTzrc8u2RBgzEcz5kUn_NNI6p4i-D1m1Uq0tr7cw46tWmxH3LzzON93GyUtd/s400/wendyframe1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I really enjoyed illustrating for animation and would definitely like to do it again, there is something magical about watching your illustrations come to life. I would also love to collaborate with Sarah again, she has done a great job with the animation and the whole project has been fun from start to end.<br />
I now realise why collaborations are such a good thing, its the bringing together of two peoples skills and ideas that creates something unique. I'm really pleased with how the animation turned out and really enjoyed helping to make it.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/33966223"></a></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/33966223?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/33966223">Feel Good Drinks Advert | Dec 2011</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user8673428">Sarah Brewster</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-8637010192211158422011-12-20T04:40:00.000-08:002011-12-20T06:42:31.812-08:00The Benefits of Collaboration (Part Two)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, now that I had been provided with a storyboard and a list of the characters and elements that I was to create for this new and exciting brief, I set to work.<br />
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The first challenge was to create the character of 'Jack Torence'. I needed to create a character that would be instantly recognisable as the part that Jack Nicholson plays in 'The Shining', while at the same time keeping in mind that I needed this to be in the same cartoony and naive style that I have been using recently and because of which Sarah had asked me to collaborate.<br />
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To do this I started out with the basic head shape, eyes and nose that I have been using for previous projects as a template. To this I added some 'over the top' caricature eyebrows (an important point as Jack Nicholson has become known for his iconic eyebrows), an overly large toothy smile and some stubble (because when one is going insane, one doesn't have time to shave). The hardest part to get right was the hair, in the film Jack has a unique slightly eighties style that by the time of the 'axe scene' has started to unravel. To be honest, I'm still not sure if I got the hairstyle completely spot on. I was watching 'The Shining' recently (which I naturally counted as being 'home work') and couldn't help but become fixated on Jack's hair. Even when he was chasing his child through a maze with an axe I still found myself wondering 'did I get the fringe right?'. In reality, I don't think this point really makes much difference, it is the face that matters more to people and with the eyebrows, the stare and the smile I think I got that part about right.<br />
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Sarah required a side view of Jack for when he is breaking down the door and a front view for when he is delivering his famous line. Here's what I came up with:<br />
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-21628525497449885922011-12-20T03:43:00.000-08:002011-12-20T03:43:00.748-08:00The Benefits of Collaboration (Part One)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Over the last few weeks I've been working on a collaborative project with 'Moving Image' Student <a href="http://sarahbrewster.blogspot.com/">Sarah Brewster</a>. She asked if I could create some illustrations that she could animate as part of her project. I jumped at the chance straight away as I have been wanting to do animation for a while now and this was the perfect opportunity.<br />
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She asked me to produce two characters and various elements that she could then animate into an advert. The advert she was making was a drink called <a href="http://www.feelgooddrinks.co.uk/">'Feel Good'</a> and her concept was to create an advert as part of a campaign, a campaign in which iconic scenes from classic films are changed to include the drink '<a href="http://www.feelgooddrinks.co.uk/">Feel Good'</a>. For this advert she had chosen the film 'The Shining' (1980) and the famous scene in which the insane Jack Torence chops down a door with an axe so that he might kill his wife, Wendy Torence. The scene has gone down as a classic and has been parodied by numerous people (including 'The Simpsons'), it is a scene that even if you haven't seen the film you will inevitably have seen it elsewhere, this is why it was such a good scene for Sarah to choose.<br />
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</div>In the advert Sarah planned to recreate the part with Jack chopping down the door and saying the now oft-quoted phrase "Here's Johny" with Wendy screaming on the other side. In this version of the scene, however, Jack breaks through the door only to then walk past Wendy towards a bottle of <a href="http://www.feelgooddrinks.co.uk/">'Feel Good</a>'. Once he has downed the the drink his mood changes from one of raging insanity to one of happy contentment. Thanks to <a href="http://www.feelgooddrinks.co.uk/">'Feel Good'</a>, Jack now feels good.<br />
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Sarah wanted me to re appropriate these characters in my style. It might seem like an odd choice to use my cartoony and naive style to recreate a scene from a horror film but that was part of the idea, it would make the scene funny from the start.<br />
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Once Sarah explained all of this me she gave me a brief and a storyboard, we agreed on a deadline and I set to work on what would turn out to be my favourite project of the year so far.<br />
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-23235783753569023262011-12-19T07:05:00.000-08:002011-12-19T07:05:54.427-08:00Graphic Gurus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ji1hYX58eqHTYSI2QohqRvjQunF06xRp-qS-SLwV-54tVbe0tAQVFIS0eOsC_Ddbw64cSCbNctS9gqd9KdTrCWz6nmSjW_G08rN0iqH8uj7ikHw4IqRny4k2cC6uODdTEwUusd2cz7xL/s1600/chris_madden_fireworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ji1hYX58eqHTYSI2QohqRvjQunF06xRp-qS-SLwV-54tVbe0tAQVFIS0eOsC_Ddbw64cSCbNctS9gqd9KdTrCWz6nmSjW_G08rN0iqH8uj7ikHw4IqRny4k2cC6uODdTEwUusd2cz7xL/s400/chris_madden_fireworks.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the end of my first year on the illustration course, I can remember going to the 'then third years' end of year show and being really impressed by the work of <a href="http://www.maddenillustration.co.uk/">Chris Madden</a>. I found it really inspiring and hoped that I would have of such quality when I reached third year. This is why I was so pleased when I was told that he was to be my 'Graphic Guru' for this year, because I admired his work so much. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The 'Graphic Guru' programme was set up as a way of linking students in the third year with past students of the course who have gone on to become successful, the idea being that we can ask them questions regarding our work and future careers.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first time I met Chris he mentioned how he had got his first commissions while still at university doing editorial pieces. He mentioned that this was a good way to start out, and it made me realise that I need to get some editorial work into my portfolio, which at the moment seems centred more around children's illustration.</span></div><br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He also mentioned that there are various publications that are good for showcasing your work to potential clients. He mentioned a submission based magazine called <a href="http://www.ammomagazine.co.uk/index.html">'Ammo'</a> that he recently had his work featured in, and recommended that we do the same; submission based publications are a great way to get you work out there.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The second time I met him was at the 'Draw North West' event. This was the first meeting of what has now become a regular meet up for illustrators in the north west, a meet up which Chris helped to organise. At the event I met a range of interesting,talented people working in the industry, all of whom spoke highly of Chris and his work: it made me proud to have him as my 'Graphic Guru'. The event was a resounding success and taught me the importance of networking and meeting other illustrators. As Chris pointed out, Illustration can often be a solitary career and the chance to meet up with others in the same profession is always useful.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I showed him some of my work at the event and he offered some helpful and constructive feedback. In the new year I'd like to show him my portfolio, get some tips for improving my work overall and for breaking into the industry.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-15308355800482448062011-12-18T09:57:00.000-08:002011-12-18T15:22:03.761-08:00'Heroes' Update Four<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WdUb4JVaij7g-d3rs8aHNIsW_tEw74GwgJzyG6MIXB6J8_b13vFolw7ChZNSMqJ_33_-jID88QgOG4j7pl1OxI0d-OM0f6R1I2_gKD9etnjfV_267hu3ykD7t3wLbV7kWp_AbXoSO1Z0/s1600/music+poster+colour+test2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WdUb4JVaij7g-d3rs8aHNIsW_tEw74GwgJzyG6MIXB6J8_b13vFolw7ChZNSMqJ_33_-jID88QgOG4j7pl1OxI0d-OM0f6R1I2_gKD9etnjfV_267hu3ykD7t3wLbV7kWp_AbXoSO1Z0/s400/music+poster+colour+test2.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A while ago the majority of my blogging consisted of updates for a project I was in the middle of for <a href="http://www.designbymusic.com/">'Music'</a>. It only just occurred to me that the project has now ended and I haven't followed this up with a blog post.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Over the summer Ed and I would send Emails back and forth to each other, I would send designs and he would send feedback. Between us we eventually settled on a collection of 'Heroes' to use for the installation and came up with designs that we were both happy with. This was a really positive experience and it taught me a lot about the benefits of collaboration and gave me experience in working for clients and working with designers. The final designs were a big leap forward from those that I had initially submitted and I am very grateful to Ed for all his input, help and support.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The designs went up at the end of October and recently came down to make room for a Christmas piece. For the time that the 'Heroes' installation was up, I was really pleased with the results. After all the tests and all the changes, the final designs worked well to fulfill the original idea: the faces were recognizable, worked well together and people enjoyed using them to 'become their heroes'.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I would like to thank Ed and <a href="http://www.craigoldham.co.uk/">Craig</a> for all their help and for choosing to use my idea even if the initial designs were somewhat rudimentary. I would also like to thank <a href="http://dominiquebyron.blogspot.com/">Dom</a> for helping me to put up the installation, to return the favor I recently went in to help her put up her <a href="http://dominiquebyron.blogspot.com/2011/12/music-portfolio-visit-6.html">Christmas Installation</a> which is looking great. The whole project was a really enjoyable learning experience. To see how the installation looked, check out this rather amazing <a href="http://www.thefishtank.org.uk/">website</a> that Ed has been working on, the photos will be up soon.</div></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-8043965640918324622011-12-18T06:29:00.000-08:002011-12-18T06:29:47.663-08:00Hopes, Fears and Opportunities (Part One)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <style>
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</style> <div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>To be honest I cant quite believe that I’m writing this; I still feel as though I have only just begun University and am now having to face up to the realization that soon I will no longer be a student and will have to make my way into the ‘real world’. It would seem so easy to ignore this, to bury my head in the sand and try not to think about the fact that I won’t be in education for much longer; but one of the things I admire about the course that I am now so rapidly approaching the end of, is that they don’t allow this. They want us to come to terms with this and to prepare us as best they can for life after graduation. That is why they have asked us all to write this piece about our final semester and life thereafter.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>So, what <i>are</i> my hopes for the future? I suppose my biggest hope will to be pleased and satisfied with my work. This all sounds so simple, but as any art or design student will know all too well, it is often far easier to love the work of others than it is to be proud of your own. It usually takes me a long time to decide that a piece is complete and usually when it is I am relatively pleased with it, but then the next day or even the next hour I usually look back at it and see only the mistakes that I have made and can bring to mind only the changes I would like to make or how I would like to do it differently were I to do it again. It often takes a while, a few weeks usually, when I am removed enough from the project in question that I can better judge my work, and then I can see the piece’s merits in amongst all of these said mistakes. That is how I feel about my portfolio, I’m proud in retrospect of the work and ideas that lay behind it but still cannot help but think that I could do it all so much better were I to do it again. Perhaps this constant dissatisfaction with your own work is inevitable and in honesty it is probably healthy as it keeps you perpetually aiming forward towards creating better work. All I want at the end of the year is to able to look at the work in my portfolio and to like it all. Obviously I want other people to like it also: I want to create work that my colleagues, friends family and potential clients will enjoy; but as I am my own harshest critic I feel it is important that I like it and am proud of it.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>As for my other more professional hopes: I would hope to get commissions from clients to create interesting and enjoyable work. What for that work will take and who those clients are, I’m not yet sure. The past year has taught me that the most satisfying and interesting work can be the most bizarre projects from the most unlikely of sources. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Now for the scary part: my fears. My biggest fear for the next semester is that I will choose a brief that will lead me in completely the wrong direction and will result in work that I don’t like. I worry that I may throw away this last great opportunity and create something that lets down all of the work I have created up to this point. I have this terrifying image of standing at my end of year degree show, looking with envy at the overwhelming collection of beautiful and sophisticated work created by my colleagues and looking at my own with a soul destroying feeling of guilt and disgust. I fear looking through my portfolio as a graduate and thinking: ‘is that it? Three years of blood, sweat and tears and that’s it?’.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>My fear for after graduation is that the previous three years that I have spent in my most enjoyable and creative part of my educational life, will ultimately lead to nothing. I fear never getting the chance to utilise the skills that I have acquired during my time at university, of never receiving a single commission and of being condemned to an unfulfilling and disappointing working life.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Ultimately, I am the only person who can do anything to eradicate these fears and it is up to me to work hard through this last semester and thereafter to create the best work I can, to not give up and to keep on pushing forwards in the hope that it will ultimately lead to a working life as enjoyable and creative as time at university has been.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>On a more positive note, this next semester is filled with exciting opportunities. For a start we are given plenty of time to create, complete and become immersed in our ‘Final Major Project’. Hopefully this will give me time to create work that I am truly happy with; to be given this much time to work on a self initiated project really is a fantastic opportunity to create the best work that I can. If I use this time wisely enough and make the most of the input from my tutors and colleagues I should hopefully end up with something positive.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I have been working recently with animator <a href="http://sarahbrewster.blogspot.com/">Sarah Brewster</a> on a collaborative project whereby I provide illustrations for her to animate. This throws open another exciting opportunity. The project has been my favourite of the year so far and has led me to think about possibly pursuing illustration for animation in the future. Learning more about animation would also be useful in light of the way that the industry is evolving and illustration and animation seem to be merging (see previous post regarding ‘Illustrations Digital Future’).</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The talk we had recently from <a href="http://mattbrayillustration.blogspot.com/2011/11/lord-whitney.html">Lord Whitney</a> and my recent installation for Music has made me realize that the world is full of interesting and unexpected opportunities for illustrators if they are willing to look outside of their usual sources of work.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>So to conclude, in my final semester I aim to make the most of the time I have left to produce the best work I can and leave with a portfolio that I can be proud of. After University I aim to look to beyond the usual sources of work to continue to refine the skills that I have learned over the past three years. In the meantime, for the time I have left in education I aim to make as best use of my tutors as I can to prepare me for what is to come. Finally I aim to appreciate and take advantage of working in a studio alongside my colleagues, who are some of the most intelligent, creative and inspirational people that I have ever met.</span></span></div><style>
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</style></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-29799762863414933492011-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:002011-12-16T14:00:14.652-08:00Illustrations Digital Future<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I know these are hard times for print journalists, I read that on the internet. One day you’re writing for the papers and the next day you’re sleeping under them.”</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Malcolm Tucker </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'The Thick of It' </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although this quote was originally directed at journalists, it speaks volumes about the concerns facing illustrators today. Editorial illustration is still the 'bread and butter' for most illustrators and yet the newspapers that commission them are seeing sales drop year after year as the truth becomes painfully evident that digital technologies are bringing print journalism closer to extinction. Why would anyone want to go out to buy an actual newspaper when they can find their news online? Many are blaming the 'Kindle' and the 'iPad' for allowing consumers to download the days paper from the comfort of their home and thus bringing printed news ever closer to irrelevance.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, I would argue that those that despair over the deaths of both journalism and editorial illustration are somewhat missing the point. The public may be loosing its appetite for newspapers in their printed form but they haven't lost their appetite for newspapers all together. They may be able to find news online but the public still wants the verification and assurance that what they are reading is true and that only comes from trusted and reliable sources: like newspapers. The newspaper is not dead and neither is the editorial illustration, the home for both is now no longer at the news stand but on the IPad ,the Kindle, the SmartPhone or the Computer. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The same can be said for book illustrations; the public still wants to read books and now they have the technology that can give them an entire library, full of books and full of illustrations at their fingertips.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is still a market for editorial and book illustration, but illustrators have to realize that the format has changed and that their work is going to be viewed digitally. And with this change of format comes a range of exciting new possibilities. For example the illustration need no longer be a static, lifeless image, it can now be animated, it can now have sound, it can be interactive and can compliment its associated text in a whole new way. A good example of this is the Oliver Jeffers book '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc3fghSJvBM">Heart and Bottle',</a> a children's book created for the iPad that was released to much acclaim last year. Jeffers tells a story using the standard practices of reading a book (for example page turning) and animation and the iPad's interactive potential has created a new and exciting way to children to engage with the text and the illustrations.<br />
<br />
The new digital format may prove to be a blessing in disguise for some illustrators, after all now they need not worry about the print quality of their publications, thus allowing them to use a variety of textures and colours that may have otherwise been unsuitable. I am reminded of an i<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqkAzPbpBBM&feature=related">nterview with Cris Ware</a> (at 3:25 in the video) during which he mentioned the difficulties he had in getting his book printed correctly. He mentioned how there had been certain editions where the colour combinations that he had so carefully chosen had not printed in the way he had intended and hence the entire mood of the piece was changed and the atmosphere he was trying to create was lost. Arguably he need not have had such concerns were the book published digitally.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So as illustration moves towards its digital future all hope is not lost, so long as illustrators can find creative and interesting ways to adapt to their work's new context. </div><br />
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</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-37625884856514285682011-12-16T08:52:00.000-08:002011-12-16T08:52:48.696-08:00Website Research<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Over the summer I started to build my <a href="http://www.mattbrayillustration.com/">website</a>. I suppose I had always seen the website as being something of an afterthought, a means of showing your portfolio to the world. I quickly discovered however that this is not the case, a poorly designed website will let down work of even the highest quality. There is an art to creating a website, as there is to any other form of design, and if I want to sell myself as a creative designer then I need to have a website with a creative design behind it.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, a successful website for an illustrator (essentially an online portfolio with contact details) should be simple, professional, beautiful to look at and be easy to use. The idea is to give a potential client an overview of your work in a way that is interesting and represents your work well.<br />
<br />
An example of a website that successfully achieves all of the above is the website of illustrator <a href="http://www.gemmacorrell.com/">Gemma Correll.</a> Her website opens with a charming start page that consists of a selection of her unique drawings and typography, each providing a link to various sections of the website (portfolio, blog, etc). I love this website design because every last detail of it its in her style, every page and every link has her personality and carries her 'voice'. I think that this is all important, because when constructing a website you want to sell yourself to a potential client as quickly as possible and with this website from the moment you enter you are entering this illustrators own quirky little 'world'. This is something that I need to incorporate into my own website, just having my work on the site isn't enough, every detail needs to carry with it a sense of my style to sell to a potential client. I could learn a lot from this example by <a href="http://www.gemmacorrell.com/">Gemma Correll</a>.<br />
<br />
On the subject of making that first impression count, lets turn our attention to <a href="http://www.maddenillustration.co.uk/">Chris Madden</a>'s website. Madden's website opens straight onto a page on which is his entire portfolio containing thirty pieces of work. Much like the website mentioned previously, when we enter this site we are entering a 'world' that is filled with the Madden style and voice. We get to know the artist instantly, right from the beginning. Gaining such an overview so quickly is no doubt just what a potential client is looking for and Madden's site does this perfectly.<br />
<br />
As my website has been built on <a href="http://cargocollective.com/">Cargo</a>, it makes sense to look at sites using <a href="http://cargocollective.com/">Cargo</a> well. I very much like the way that <a href="http://jackteagle.co.uk/">Jack Teagle</a> has set up his site, in a way that gives us an overview of the entire portfolio on the start page but also leaves room for plenty of white space so as not to feel cluttered. The same can be said for <a href="http://alexwestgate.com/">Alex Westgate</a>'s site, again we get all his work upfront but because he has stuck to a simple layout it is still easy to navigate.<br />
<br />
My favourite website layout however has to be<span> <a href="http://www.malikafavre.com/">Malika Favre</a>'s site. The layout is simple, bold and confident; its all about using big, simple shapes and flat colours that coordinate well. It goes to show how effective a sophisticated use of minimalism can be, the website feels exciting and bursting with ideas and yet is easy to navigate. </span><br />
<span> </span><br />
<span>I could do well to learn from all of the above with my website, I want mine to be easy to use and yet bursting creativity and personality like these all have.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-78340220908643688102011-12-14T05:19:00.000-08:002011-12-16T12:25:16.427-08:00Portfolio visit: 'Taylor O'Brien'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I recently had a portfolio visit at <a href="http://www.taylorobrien.com/index.php">'Taylor O'brien'</a>, a design agency who specialize in brand inspiration. This was the first visit that I have organized over the phone, which perhaps doesn't sound like a big deal, but for me it felt like a step forward. There is after all something safe and removed in setting up meetings via Email, but whereas phoning up an agency may feel more intimidating at first, it is actually far more practical and straight forward. It also separates you from all those people who sent in an Email, only for it to go to the bottom of the pile.<br />
<br />
I felt far more confident going for the visit itself, as it was the third time I'd gone into an agency to inquire about my work, I felt I had a better idea of what to expect. I had also taken the advice of Craig and Ed from my previous portfolio visit at 'Music' and made some changes to the layout of my portfolio and had bought along some of my 3D designs to give a better idea of the concept. These changes really paid off, when I was presenting my portfolio the overall flow seemed a lot smoother and the layout looked far more professional. Bringing along some 3D designs also went well; the designer who looked through my work seemed to appreciate being able to see how some of my designs worked 'off the page' and I think it made looking through my work more interesting.<br />
<br />
I also got some helpful advice; the designer who I spoke to liked the printed texture of my work and thought the style may be suitable for editorial illustration, but questioned how quickly the use of such a technique would allow me to make changes to my work, should the client ask for it. He asked if I would rather work freelance or for an agency, I wasn't quite sure about the answer, in fact I'm still not entirely sure, but it made me realize that these are sort of questions that I need to be asking myself as I come to the end of my time at university. When he asked if I had a business card, I felt really unprofessional when I answered that I hadn't, but I suppose this is because I am still thinking of myself as a student, which I won't be for much longer.<br />
<br />
That's one of the biggest things that I'll take away from my visit at <a href="http://www.taylorobrien.com/index.php">'Taylor O'Brien'</a>; that I now need to think of myself as an illustrator, not a student.</div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-48128652629924116432011-12-14T05:17:00.001-08:002011-12-18T10:31:58.060-08:00'But isn't that your job?" (Part Two)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: small;">For the next match, Music commissioned illustrator '3D Glasses' (Chris White) to produce a poster that would portray the speed with which player</span> Shaun Wright-Phillips moves around the pitch.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here's an example of '3D Glasses':</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqYRu50WX_gdVnUmE5dq5UVgN3wNvzkzdQ0HNPdb6XqZ_3w5XP2FoRZinGaWbjbI-iPZM1WBBK9siE4eDOFCcXLMQmaUZnSoB894Twhhvan1M3o8l7PGCSXL7CP9LSgh_WgGEo19EPZSf/s1600/FU_BLOG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqYRu50WX_gdVnUmE5dq5UVgN3wNvzkzdQ0HNPdb6XqZ_3w5XP2FoRZinGaWbjbI-iPZM1WBBK9siE4eDOFCcXLMQmaUZnSoB894Twhhvan1M3o8l7PGCSXL7CP9LSgh_WgGEo19EPZSf/s320/FU_BLOG.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
Craig mentioned how another illustrator had tried out the brief but hadn't hit upon quite what they were looking for<span style="font-size: small;">. Then '3D Glasses' came along and created this:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0Ww5fjQgaOMQIODYLXhajeBJudMH2avLrGxE8xHgXR6MDmBEcKN0y5qcl9Jl3msy8odSBpfKQeq1RDGHCfTDgdxLErntHVJpoWI4RnK8z8-f_Cd65KTpabFAc2LkwHs3i_6Vqh9XTndg/s1600/swp01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0Ww5fjQgaOMQIODYLXhajeBJudMH2avLrGxE8xHgXR6MDmBEcKN0y5qcl9Jl3msy8odSBpfKQeq1RDGHCfTDgdxLErntHVJpoWI4RnK8z8-f_Cd65KTpabFAc2LkwHs3i_6Vqh9XTndg/s400/swp01.jpg" width="280" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkLNS4Wt26r4VvCx_KWkaKkPtbfp1WKzedkhYa8JTAYAomc1OQ-OfSXmbu0U1czAtl3UE-Pf_0AzOf-J1i7poUGTAFuJTZIZnIYGw6MwQKB-v9mZIFkMzxPP1DpKs2vOCVo86YKBhYo2Y/s1600/97_swp07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkLNS4Wt26r4VvCx_KWkaKkPtbfp1WKzedkhYa8JTAYAomc1OQ-OfSXmbu0U1czAtl3UE-Pf_0AzOf-J1i7poUGTAFuJTZIZnIYGw6MwQKB-v9mZIFkMzxPP1DpKs2vOCVo86YKBhYo2Y/s400/97_swp07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When it was time for City to take on Liverpool, it was Craig Bellamy that 'Music' wanted immortalized. They wanted to represent two sides of the player: the often negative public view of him, and his passionate, ferocious side that the fans admire him for. To achieve this they turned to the man often described as the 'Picasso of Gig Posters': Todd Slater.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMV4ThOspGhLe_N9mLHrRC1XM5VHVe6ZWN2YJj4u8WG9OzncrJLFz7zoTjDt7Ye0lGlPnhmFcY4t9hAE2wp8EHzHjFRCX71He-RFr-HBO0dUwZ7Z0__VYL7xQniK_ao8mWngoDiBR1mgna/s1600/toddslateruclaartparty_thumb.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMV4ThOspGhLe_N9mLHrRC1XM5VHVe6ZWN2YJj4u8WG9OzncrJLFz7zoTjDt7Ye0lGlPnhmFcY4t9hAE2wp8EHzHjFRCX71He-RFr-HBO0dUwZ7Z0__VYL7xQniK_ao8mWngoDiBR1mgna/s320/toddslateruclaartparty_thumb.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Slater understood the 'Jekyll and Hyde' duality that the agency wanted to portray and created another successful poster for the campaign: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedVGcPcYVE9RIDsC_OIjPLpRz5tYMmOrcY3dhV6rLvVV8Ug7Nx35JH1FPEq9XYb_p54GeGEBHB_knPmsYrs0AN2YqdqUMkfO-Av5WB-_5N7D-vQu3ldFgJG4zGvJIj95EfwPTZ_4RJM5P/s1600/bellamy01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedVGcPcYVE9RIDsC_OIjPLpRz5tYMmOrcY3dhV6rLvVV8Ug7Nx35JH1FPEq9XYb_p54GeGEBHB_knPmsYrs0AN2YqdqUMkfO-Av5WB-_5N7D-vQu3ldFgJG4zGvJIj95EfwPTZ_4RJM5P/s400/bellamy01.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Craig commented that he could understand how Todd Slater had earned such a reputation: he got what they were after straight away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, it came time for the big one: the 'Manchester Derby' and the central figure in this showdown was Carlos Tevez, he was the one who had left United, joined City and got City fans very excited. Craig wanted to represent him as an icon for hope, and so turned to the famous 'Hope' poster designed by Shepard Fairey.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nj2sAbTUrYB66XEfxNN_I86SN73-de-Eq6iNTsgYV_YHCcU6KT0UwOi9K66JX0qkD7cPT_rUtYIT5jac9jeKaYpFBAmm32emGrYF64JPpAIZI9uCftg3vu7KFivJQUsKQJjkpuIa9zh2/s1600/obama-hope.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nj2sAbTUrYB66XEfxNN_I86SN73-de-Eq6iNTsgYV_YHCcU6KT0UwOi9K66JX0qkD7cPT_rUtYIT5jac9jeKaYpFBAmm32emGrYF64JPpAIZI9uCftg3vu7KFivJQUsKQJjkpuIa9zh2/s400/obama-hope.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Craig wanted to create a poster that would do for Tevez what 'Hope' had done for Obama, he wanted to create a homage that showed Tevez as an icon carrying with him the fans hopes and dreams. And so in collaboration with Shepard Fairey, this is what was created:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrjg46vC-LcXXKRvM80XPRL5vw9A60kP2G6bEbqQiIkwP0oc2QCxtfzKgfwBIopbB9m_IuRMdduDzMYIVOYgRN1Gczbgo7KWCdVmSXfoMWJM-eqw7Ex5yKHG0iG4vA7JmJyC-50qxVsAW/s1600/tevez01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrjg46vC-LcXXKRvM80XPRL5vw9A60kP2G6bEbqQiIkwP0oc2QCxtfzKgfwBIopbB9m_IuRMdduDzMYIVOYgRN1Gczbgo7KWCdVmSXfoMWJM-eqw7Ex5yKHG0iG4vA7JmJyC-50qxVsAW/s400/tevez01.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This campaign for 'Manchester City' is just one of the projects that Craig told us about in what proved to be a very interesting, informative and entertaining talk. With each project that he went through he took us on a journey from the initial idea to the final piece. We all left with a greater understanding of the industry and what actions we can take to work within it. </div></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705276002562412222.post-68866520355691511272011-11-29T10:46:00.000-08:002011-12-18T10:32:13.601-08:00'But isn't that your job?" (Part One)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;">Meeting <a href="http://www.craigoldham.co.uk/">Craig Oldham</a> recently reminded me that I still haven't written a blog post about the talk he gave at college a few weeks ago. It was called 'But isn't that your job?' and was essentially Craig talking to us about his experiences of working with illustrators. He did this by taking us through a series of projects from beginning to end and talking honestly and openly about how he had found working with illustrators on each of these projects.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For example 'The Big Four'. This was a series of posters that were created to publicize football matches commissioned by 'Manchester City'. The aim was to create a buzz around each match. Craig had the idea that the posters should be designed like gig posters. The thinking behind this is that football on the scale that City play has more in common with a music gig than a traditional lower league game. A City game is now a major event not to be missed, like going to see a band at an arena. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, as something different for this project Craig decided to commision illustrators assosiated with the 'gig poster style' to create gig- esque posters for the games. The first was a City vs Arsenal game and the agency commissioned illustrator Michael Gillette (famed for his 'Bond' Covers for Penguin) to create a poster, using his unique style of typography and form, that would make player<span style="font-size: small;"> Emmanuel Adebayor look like a rock star.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's what he was famous for: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDp25Y_gw7st02SP2xreQ_7vNCBluM_iMmCy33r559gl26_pxDZBLJ0IFLuSQPybj2-QiFblXTg5QLdXjvNrHae1Vrx1wyUX7pBhw4hTGS3_fFMKfYl76zqebG4oVANYDD-XgUqDmgp-F/s1600/Michael%252BGillette%252B-%252BJames%252BBond%252B%252528007%252529%252B-%252BPenguin%252BBooks%252Bcover%252Billustration%252B-%252BLive%252Band%252BLet%252BDie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDp25Y_gw7st02SP2xreQ_7vNCBluM_iMmCy33r559gl26_pxDZBLJ0IFLuSQPybj2-QiFblXTg5QLdXjvNrHae1Vrx1wyUX7pBhw4hTGS3_fFMKfYl76zqebG4oVANYDD-XgUqDmgp-F/s320/Michael%252BGillette%252B-%252BJames%252BBond%252B%252528007%252529%252B-%252BPenguin%252BBooks%252Bcover%252Billustration%252B-%252BLive%252Band%252BLet%252BDie.jpg" width="198" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And here's the finished piece: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdFZvcaZYD95MlIXmYRnUWSk3Vd8ZbICZVpCkI2ax4kEQwqhoczY8j-ZkwFF0XN6CwpL7YgQCcZ2QzolTivy-3x-7w3UARtljdD5nPwtkPq44BysISpkXD1gVhmnCDE3ENv7GfJl2J_ga/s1600/adebayor01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdFZvcaZYD95MlIXmYRnUWSk3Vd8ZbICZVpCkI2ax4kEQwqhoczY8j-ZkwFF0XN6CwpL7YgQCcZ2QzolTivy-3x-7w3UARtljdD5nPwtkPq44BysISpkXD1gVhmnCDE3ENv7GfJl2J_ga/s400/adebayor01.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPzpmi_P0Iq03-i8tvkTdg6g5i8GB_RAkBcY9siA1qF7XAewnTinOC0s_mys2HaS_EoETgu3n3S0k1YGRYmLPHwfG9mRgq3lDFB2Gsoc5HCPUnbkZigMN5hLhRJ1NhGYOzq5DHytiRrlp/s1600/michaelgillette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPzpmi_P0Iq03-i8tvkTdg6g5i8GB_RAkBcY9siA1qF7XAewnTinOC0s_mys2HaS_EoETgu3n3S0k1YGRYmLPHwfG9mRgq3lDFB2Gsoc5HCPUnbkZigMN5hLhRJ1NhGYOzq5DHytiRrlp/s400/michaelgillette.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;">Craig talked us through the process of commissioning the artist, discussing what was needed, discussing changes to be made to drafts, discussing money and even discussing how often they were allowed to reproduce the image.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div></div>Matt Brayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17633516353614198000noreply@blogger.com0