New Designers

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Hazel Partridge: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Hazel Partidge Image 5
Beautiful nature themed artworks by Hazel Partridge were one of my top picks at this year’s New Designers show, so I was thrilled that she took up the offer to submit for Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion. Her gorgeous papercut piece was inspired by a poem from Black Country poet Liz Berry.

Hazel Partridge Image 11
I found you at New Designers, what was the best thing about that show for you?
New Designers was really inspiring and informative, the atmosphere was great and it was packed the whole time! I really enjoyed looking at the work from all of the different disciplines and Universities; it was really encouraging to see such diverse ideas and products from this year’s graduates. The most useful aspect of the show was that it gave a great opportunity to speak to representatives from the creative industry; at the Falmouth University stand we met people from publishers, agencies and design companies, all of whom were really enthusiastic about our work.

Hazel Partidge Image 9
Hazel Partidge Image 6
How did studying at Falmouth Uni inform your illustrations, it’s such a beautiful town!?
Falmouth is such an inspiring location, and I think everyone studying there would agree! Working in a collaborative studio environment is something that I really miss, it’s so useful to be able to see what others are working on, and get reliable feedback on your own work as well. Nature is a recurring theme for me, and exploring the local Cornish landscapes definitely influences my illustrations. I scuba dive and rock-climb regularly, seeing the world from a different perspective- whether it’s underwater or from halfway up a sea cliff – gets me away from my desk, and more productive when I am back there.

Hazel Partridge Image 4
Where do you like to go when you are at home in the Cotswolds and in need of inspiration?
I’m lucky to live close to so many beautiful places; I love a good long walk through the woods and fields with friends, and heading over to Wales with my family on our motorcycles. I also find a lot of inspiration through reading, I’ve recently finished The Worm Forgives the Plough by John Stewart Collis, which I enjoyed.

HAZEL PARTRIDGE
Can you tell us what inspired your double page for my book?
My colouring page was inspired by imagery from Bird by the Black Country poet Liz Berry. I caught a snatch of the poem; the lines ‘I shed my nightdress to the drowning arms of the dark, my shoes to the sun’s widening mouth’ on the radio, and jotted them down so that I could find out the rest. A little research later and I had discovered an amazing poem that was rich with themes of metamorphosis and migration, and which evoked an enticing yet slightly unsettling atmosphere.

Hazel Partidge Image 8
What are your preferred methods when making artwork?
My illustration was created using cut paper, inks and digital editing. My current favourite mediums to work in are lino print and papercutting, I really enjoy how the process flows- starting with a blank surface and then removing bits of it until the design emerges (hopefully) unbroken. Although working traditionally is by no means the fastest method of producing images in these styles, I find that the results have a warmer and more authentic quality than they would if created digitally as I have put a lot more of myself into their creation.

Hazel Partridge Image 3
Hazel Partidge Image 7
You obviously have a great love for birds as they feature widely in your work, what is your favourite bird and why?
My favourite bird is probably the magpie, because not only are they intelligent and beautiful, but they have such a rich folklore surrounding them – most people know the One for Sorrow rhyme, for example. My illustrative work reflects my interests in natural history and science, and although my images are often decorative I enjoy researching the background information on my subjects and trying to keep the designs accurate.

Hazel Partridge Image 3
What new projects are you working on now?
I am currently working on a series of privately commissioned images featuring various birds in their natural habitats. It’s always hard to part with my original artworks, but it’s lovely to know that they are going to a good home where they will be displayed properly rather than sat in a folder in my studio. I’ve got a few print-based projects in the pipeline as well, but I can’t say more about them at the moment, and as Christmas is on its way I’m beginning to plan some festive projects too. I post on social media frequently, so updates can be found there.

Find Hazel on Facebook, Twitter @HP_Illustrates, Instagram @hazelpartridgeillustration and Tumblr. You can colour Hazel Partridge‘s art in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion alongside that of 40 other international artists. Funding on Kickstarter with only 10 days left, so get your copy now, it makes a fantastic Christmas gift!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday November 13th, 2015 6:38 pm

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring, ,Adult Colouring, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Bird, ,Christmas, ,Coloring for Adults, ,Colouring Book, ,Cotswolds, ,Falmouth University, ,Hazel Partridge, ,illustration, ,interview, ,John Stewart Collis, ,Kickstarter, ,Lino printing, ,Liz Berry, ,nature, ,New Designers, ,One for Sorrow, ,Papercut, ,The Worm Forgives the Plough, ,wales

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Jack Bailey: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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JACK BAILEY illustration
Jack Bailey was one of the fantastic new illustrators I discovered at this year’s New Designers graduate show who answered my callout to take part in the colouring book open brief. His energetic art is created on a large scale then turned into fantastically busy pictures like his colouring book page, inspired by the game of Ultimate Frisbee.

JACK BAILEY illustration
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
The inspiration for my characters comes from a mix of sketching outdoors and making loose marks on a large sheet of paper. When I apply the loose marks to a piece of paper I relate back to my original outdoor sketches and start to interpret the mark as the shape of a body or a facial expression. The characters barely resemble the original sketches however I find studying from life allows me to interpret the marks made in a variation of forms. Previous to this brief my characters where always produced in colour, so it was fun to experiment in black and white for the colouring page and this is something I have continued doing.

JACK BAILEY illustration
Can you tell us more about what is going on in your artwork for my colouring book? who are all those people?
The piece for the colouring book was inspired by an article I read in the New Yorker about the chances of Ultimate Frisbee becoming an Olympic sport. Immediately, due to the word ‘ultimate’, I imagined a huge, chaotic game of Frisbee where only those playing understood what was going on. Almost like looking at a London underground map for the first time. The characters in the image are the people playing the sport and I packed the image full of people to show its rise in popularity. Unfortunately not many people play Frisbee in Liverpool so I picked up on the dynamic poses through watching youtube videos, which also contributed to the hectic feel of the image.

JACK BAILEY illustration
What led you to study at the Lincoln University and what was the best bit about your course?
In all honesty studying at Lincoln was totally by chance as I was still unsure if I was going to go to university at the time. I attended a university fair in Manchester where I picked up information packs and Lincoln University was one of them. When I got to Lincoln for the interview however I knew it was the place for me. It was quiet enough for me to be able to get on with my work and the old architecture of the city really appealed to me. As well as this everywhere was in walking distance and so really accessible. I guess you could say it was destiny! The best bit of the course for me was having tutors from a variety of backgrounds. It really enhanced a brief when you knew a tutor was passionate about the subject and had experience in the field. Another aspect of the course I enjoyed was the encouragement to try different media and new ways of working. Before the course I believed a single image had to be produced using the same mediums and on a single surface. Now I’ll use a whole bunch of mediums on separate surfaces allowing me to be a lot more expressive and confident in the way I work.

JACK BAILEY illustration
JACK BAILEY illustration
How do you translate your ideas between 2D and 3D artworks?
It works in a similar way to how I translate a sketch from life into one of my characters, in that they often don’t appear anything like the original influence. Between the 2-D and 3-D image they will often only share similar characteristics such as the amount of legs, hair style and facial features. Working in paper mache means capturing a dynamic pose is often difficult. This is why I use string to decorate the creatures. I feel the shape and swirl helps add movement to a static creature.

JACK BAILEY illustration
What is the process of creating your 3D pieces?
To create my 3-D pieces I start with a single sheet of paper, often from an old book as I like the stained colour of the pages. I dip this into a wallpaper paste and begin moulding it into any shape that feels natural. Similar to when I create my characters I try not to think too much about the early steps of the process and make shapes with papier mache whilst not thinking of the end product. This is so I don’t miss out on a nice, natural shape for the character. Once I have combined a few sheets of paper I use this as the body, from here I will refer back to my 2-D character and begin creating a head and other features. I finish by adding a face and decorating it with string and found objects.

JACK BAILEY illustration
JACK BAILEY illustration
Why do you find it easier to work on a large scale?
Working on a large scale is easier for me as I find it enhances my creativity. I find the characters look a lot more natural on large sheets due to me not being worried about them running off the page. The marks I make on large sheets are more expressive and full of energy as it is my whole arm moving the brush, not just my wrist. I also find working on a large scale creates new ideas. The sheets become a visual mind map. If I need a tree for an image, on a small scale I will produce one whereas on a larger scale I will produce as many as I can to fill the length of the sheet. This then becomes a new image for me to play around with.

JACK BAILEY illustration
What is it about drawing buildings that appeals to you?
Mainly that they don’t walk off as I try to draw them! What I enjoy to study on a building is the smaller details, often found towards the tops of buildings. I find the top of buildings to have the most character. There are unusual patterns and decorations, small windows and chimneys. You can interpret these as faces, creating relationships between two buildings or as body parts and the buildings can become giants peeping over trees.

JACK BAILEY illustration
How has living in Liverpool influences your approach?
I think the diversity of Liverpool has influenced my illustrations. The city centre is a collection of classic and modern architecture, renovated buildings and desolate warehouses. I also think it encourages creativity here too, with a variety of contemporary and classical art galleries there are always avenues to explore for inspiration.

JACK BAILEY illustration
JACK BAILEY illustration
Why is your new project with Cygnet Ink inspired by Quentin Blake? what is it you love about his work?
What I love about Quentin Blake’s artwork is the energy and looseness of the characters. Each line contributes to the personality of the character and he includes just enough information in each image to depict a scene. His characters also have a nice balance about them too, the positions are believable and you almost move with the character as you look at it. Blake’s backgrounds are a huge influence to me as he approaches them so cleverly. They depict real environments, but he will leave sections out or use a splash of watercolour to describe an area so the characters are the centre of attention.

JACK BAILEY illustration
You can find Jack Bailey‘s lively art in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, available soon from Kickstarter, and the ideal present for that special person this Christmas!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday October 8th, 2015 10:27 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Coloring, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Jack Bailey, ,Kickstarter, ,Lincoln University, ,Liverpool, ,New Designers, ,Quentin Blake, ,Ultimate Frisbee

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Libby Parra: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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LIBBY PARRA risograph bugs
Libby Parra was a stand out find at the 2014 New Designers show, and I love her contribution to Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, a psychedelic landscape inspired by her recent trip to the Austrian mountains.

LIBBY PARRA studio pic
LIBBY PARRA afp
You’ve been very busy since I first discovered your work at the graduate shows last year, what have you been up to?
Ahh a crazy mix of stuff I never even imagined I would be doing; lots of fun freelance work – I did flyers and online ad material for a comedy group Abnormally Funny People for their shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, editorial bits, making coffee for half of Oxford, and I worked as a Graphic Designer full-time. Now I am in London and working freelance as a designer & illustrator and currently working for a company called Unlease that I’m so so excited about.

LIBBY PARRA otro mundo zine 3
LIBBY PARRA otro mundo zine 2
I loved your zine, Otro Mundo, what does it feature?
Otro Mundo is a direct Spanish translation to ‘Another World‘ and it’s just that. I obviously took a bunch of inspiration from the real world, but I had a lot of fun coming up with my own creatures, environments and plants. I wanted to make it bright and insane so using risograph was perfect for that as you can get such intense colours from it. I’m really happy that you liked it, it’s the thing I am most proud of for sure.

LIBBY PARRA otro mundo zine 1
What is it that most draws you to risograph and screen printing?
It’s so satisfying watching all the layers go down one after the other building up an image. I love a gorgeous, perfect screen print but I am a really big fan of the happy accidents you can get if a layer is misaligned, exposing the technique and showing off glimpses of other colour and you often get that with riso prints.

LIBBY PARRA plants
Why have you recently decided to move to London?
It was always the grand plan! There is so many exciting things happening in this city and I just want to be a part of it. I’d often visit my best friend in London when I was back studying in sunny ol’ Kent, and would just feel at home in all the hustle n’ bustle. I love all the graffiti’d streets – there’s art all over the place.

LIBBY PARRA creepy bug
LIBBY PARRA few london
What has been your favourite post graduate job so far and why?
Definitely working for Few London; a leather accessories company that feature limited edition designs from new, up & coming print designers. I draw the designer’s portraits that end up on the product labels and the website. They have recently started selling on Not on the High Street (and are selling out) and will have a new range released in the lead up to Christmas. I just really like that they support new designers, it’s not easy to be seen when you are just starting out and Few London are a great platform for that.

LIBBY PARRA battery
How did you get to decorate the walls of a cafe?
After uni I picked up a barista job in a fab cafe in Oxford, Rachels. The owner Kean makes the most incredible traditional Asian home baked goods and in down time I’d doodle all the little treats, inbetween eating them, and one day Kean said, “Wanna draw on the windows?“. In typical cartoony-cutesy style I would put a face on just about everything and it got a really good response from passers by. You’d have people take photos of my drawings from outside! I had a lot of fun working there. Coincidently (and insanely!) I bagged my new design job in London because my new employer used to live in Oxford and would walk past the cafe all of the time!

LIBBY PARRA how to make work fun
LIBBY PARRA amelias
I understand that your colouring book artwork was inspired by a trip to Austria – why did the Tirol offer you so much inspiration?
Tirol is often called the heart of the alps – and mountains literally surround you wherever you go there. It was insanely beautiful. I love just being engulfed by nature, I think we often forget just how incredible the world is.

LIBBY PARRA trees
Why do you think you are so drawn to the natural world?
Going from a very built up place like London to Austria is just such an enormous contrast it’s almost surreal. A photo or a drawing of a peak or a mountain valley will never compare to actually being up there and experiencing it for real. I think that life can be really dark and difficult sometimes so it’s important to concentrate on all the fun and wonder in the world and that’s what I hope to do with my work.

LIBBY PARRA penguin shortlisted design
LIBBY PARRA anxious alan
What other things inspire you?
I like watching cartoons and playing video games – I like the weird and the wonderful and cartoons and games have this artistic freedom to just do whatever, create a new world, weird and awesome monsters and characters in a whole range of styles and I just like getting sucked up into all of it. Other than that – I get a hell of a lot from other illustrators and artists. There are SO many talented people out there. With just about everyone posting work up on the internet you don’t even need to pop to a gallery to get inspired you just have to check out your favourites on Instagram or whatever and you’re flooded with amazing work that makes me just want to get drawing myself.

LIBBY PARRA kirons monster
Libby Parra features in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion alongside a plethora of other artistic talent. Make sure you secure a copy when my Kickstarter campaign launches very soon!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday October 19th, 2015 4:30 pm

Categories ,Abnormally Funny People, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Austria, ,edinburgh fringe festival, ,Few London, ,instagram, ,interview, ,Kickstarter, ,Libby Parra, ,New Designers, ,Not On The High Street, ,Otro Mundo, ,Rachels, ,Tirol, ,Unlease

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Margo McDaid: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Margo McDaid
Artist Margo McDaid captured my heart with her gorgeous sailors on instagram and has produced a wonderful double page spread for Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featuring her highly decorative portraits of men and women. Here she talks about her move to the coastal town of Ramsgate, and how motherhood as fostered a renewed energy for creating pictures.

Margo McDaid
Where did you study and what happened after graduation? 
I studied at Camberwell College of Art. I exhibited at the New Designers show in Islington and was approached by a company called Babylon Design. I was incredibly naive about the business side of design but so pleased to have been approached by a really well known design company. My designs were produced and sold in The Conran Shop in London and in Paris. When I saw the product I designed in the shop I felt an enormous sense of disappointment. I had laboured over this design in my final year, months spent working on the milling machine, ensuring the product was as beautifully made as possible. The product in the shop was crudely made and lacked the integrity of design. It was a huge revelation and it really quickly made me realize, that I was not prepared to be part of this.

Margo McDaid
How did you get away from mass production and what did you do next?
I started volunteering in an adventure playground in South London. It was so vibrant and fresh and the children were so full of energy and life. It felt like a complete fresh break away form the corporate design world. I started to really love this creative journey. I wasn’t ready for the design world. I just wanted to continue a creative process. I ended up running art workshops in Islington and South London and eventually became a teacher.

Margo McDaid
When did you start drawing and creating for yourself again and who or what has inspired you?
Having a baby was life changing. I became a mother and it felt like a fresh start, a creative start. I had always kept a sketch book and would produce drawings purely for pleasure and make birthday cards for friends. One day I saw my boy drawing and I saw this amazing artist at work. He would come to me and say “I need to draw”. He needed to draw and it completely awoke a long buried need in me too.

Margo McDaid
Can you tell us more about your draw a picture a day project?
It was the daily rituals in my life that led to #drawapictureaday. I believed that if I wanted to make a difference to my artistic journey, then I would have to really invest in skill building. I would need to rid myself of preconceived ideas and just get on with it. Losing a fear of failure is essential. I wanted to discover more about me as an artist.

Margo McDaid colouring
Who did you draw for my colouring book and how did you create your artworks?
I drew two sailors for the colouring book. The sailors are together and are relaxed, they are about to sail away. You can see a boat in the back ground and lots of sea patterns adorn the page. They leave behind the dull aches of life and any expectations others have of them. They have escape. The three women standing in a forest are huddled together in solidarity but there is sadness and fear, both in their expression and body language. They look despondent and detached. They wear clothes that are rich in pattern and their heads are covered in scarves. I think the sub text is about feminism and have we as a society really made progress for women?

Margo McDaid
Where do you draw and how do you integrate your creativity with family life?
I have several tables in different spots where I draw. I tend to move around to be with my children. I set up my drawing table in a playroom/studio. I also have a table in my bedroom/family room. I read a quote recently, by Tracey Emin and she said that mothers couldn’t be successful artists. I felt really angry by that remark but having discussed it with friends I think she made a valid point. To be successful takes a lot of work and focus and as parent, it is almost impossible to give that time to ambition. So that is why I draw everywhere. I draw on the train to work, at football practice, in front of the TV. Any chance I get – I draw.

Margo McDaid
Why did you move to Ramsgate and in what way has it inspired you?
We were living in a tiny flat in Islington, North London and I felt so imprisoned by the physical space. I grew up on a small holding in the North West of Ireland, so I just could not face the thought of my children not having access to the outdoors. Ramsgate was cheap and cheerful, and we fell in love immediately. I have always wanted to live beside the sea, to wake up and just walk to the waters edge. Ramsgate is a varied and really interesting town. The overtly ornate architecture of a once golden age are beginning to be rescued one by one from decay, and even though I am a DFL (Down From London) I have a natural love for this place. Ramsgate has a long history of attracting creative people and has a vibrant art scene. I really feel at home here.

Margo McDaid
What are you currently working on?
I am working on drawings of sailors. I feel that there is a rediscovering of the golden age of seaside life. Dreamland in Margate is a really fun and inspiring place. I want to explore more about seaside aesthetics and develop them in my work. Sea.

Margo McDaid
What imagery and ideas have inspired your range of postcards?
I love the sea. I love the grey textured sea and the clouds. The Thanet skies are really incredible, so much pattern and texture. I make postcards from recycled envelopes. I was opening the water bill one day and thought of the sea. I love patterns, I see them everywhere and I like to combine the way patterns can compliment or contrast. The British Gas cross hatch looks like the November sky in East Kent with rain very softly coming in from the sea.

I have sold out of the first batch of Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featuring the work of Margo McDaid and 43 other artists, but you can preorder a copy to receive in mid January here. Make sure you don’t miss out!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday December 22nd, 2015 3:52 pm

Categories ,#drawapictureaday, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Babylon Design, ,British Gas, ,Camberwell College of Art, ,Colouring Book, ,Down From London, ,Dreamland, ,interview, ,kent, ,Margate, ,Margo McDaid, ,New Designers, ,Ramsgate, ,Thanet, ,The Conran Shop, ,Tracey Emin

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