interview

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Jenny Tang: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Jenny Tang The Jaguar
Jenny Tang contributes a vibrant image to Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, featuring loads of excitable dogs chasing some sausages, I love it! Jenny is a recent graduate of Bucks New Uni with a degree in Graphic Arts and would one day like to get into publishing and editorial.

Jenny Tang The Jaguar
Why did you decide to enter an image for the colouring book and what inspired your choice of subject matter?
Well, a while back I had seen the Kickstarter campaign for your 10th anniversary magazine, That Which We Do Not Understand. I was really intrigued by the brief and thought it was a great project (I’m also inexplicably drawn to anything printed with gold). Unfortunately I was a little late to it so I was unable to get involved, however since then I popped in now and again and was delighted to see another interesting open brief; I couldn’t resist! The rest as they say, is history.

I thought about what current colouring books offered and most were of intricate patterns or detailed flora, which were good and all but not really my cup of tea. I love engaging people with characters or stories, so I wanted to create something that a person could use a starting point for their own narrative whilst they were colouring. What are each of the dog’s names? What are their personalities? Who is the pack leader? Will they ever outrun that butcher? I love the playful nature of dogs, which is an aspect I hope to convey in the image as well as encourage readers to be more like them!

Jenny tang dog spread
How did you set about creating your picture?
I always start with thumbnails to explore what ideas might work, one of the first ideas for the brief was lots of cats following a crazy cat lady. When I eventually settled on an idea I sketch it all out and use a light box to line everything. I find that doing line work on another sheet makes clearing up a lot easier as you don’t have to worry about getting rid of the pencil marks. I then scan it in and colour using Photoshop.

Jenny Tang The Interview
Why did you decide to combine studies in illustration and graphic arts and what is your favourite part in the process of creation?
Interesting question, I guess being able to know different skills outside of illustration can only ever be a good thing in my eyes. I originally wanted to be a ‘pure’ graphic designer but my heart never left illustration. I was lucky in that my university course openly encouraged exploring different disciplines and had many students with different ambitions, we had graphic designers, children’s book illustrators; even people that wanted to start their own clothing brand. In terms of graphic design, I loved doing layout, editorial and publishing; learning design for me was pushing what I could do with my illustrations and vice versa. Why just do an illustration when you can create and design your own illustrated publication? The skills were also pretty handy when I had to design my business cards and CV…

My favourite part of the process is sketching, you don’t have to worry much about ‘failing’, it’s the bit where if it ends of looking a bit rubbish you can just hide it away and everyone else is none the wiser. Colouring is starting to become a favourite too, it never used to be; I hated it but after practising and a lot of cajoling from my tutor I’ve gotten better at it and it’s quite satisfying seeing an image come to life.

Jenny Tang Interchange Cover
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind your Interchange comic strip?
Sure, I was in a long-distance relationship for around 2 years with a charming man from Leeds. I was down South and since neither of us had a car the train was next best option. We saw each other on average 3 days per month, usually the weekend just before or after payday! Subsequently, I had a stack of train tickets which catalogued each time we saw each other and the other places we went to. (One of my favourite tickets is my 1st January ticket to London; we celebrated New Year’s Eve on a Thames boat cruise.) I’m a sucker for soppy stories and have always wanted to create a comic, so armed with a mapped out timeline and plenty of soppy fodder I set about creating Interchange. For those that may be wondering, we’re still happily together and he’s recently moved down!

jenny Tang Garden of Eden an Experimental Illustration
Why do you love rabbits so much?
Since my sister is allergic to cat and dog fur my parents compromised and got us rabbits instead. I’ve always had at least one throughout my childhood, with imaginative names like Blackie, Smudge and Patch. I loved them all to bits and to this day rabbits still incite such a strong dose of cute aggression not many animals can match. I think they’re under appreciated creatures when compared to cats and dogs, but I love the shapes they make and some of the mannerisms they have. For example when a rabbit expresses pure joy they run and jump erratically about, flicking their bodies; rabbit enthusiasts call them ‘binkies’ and it’s so unrestrained that they often land/crash into walls and furniture.

Jenny Tang Fluorescent Animal Posters
Where do you look for inspiration when you are most in need?
Strange as it may seem, most of the time it’s from reading newspaper articles or watching a documentary. Usually they involve something controversial but not always. The subject matter is always thought-provoking though and gets my mind thinking about the wider world and how I could portray it in a illustration. For example my jaguar illustration was inspired by a National Geographic article called ‘Path of the Jaguar‘ and a more recent documentary I was inspired by was about whether video games really do make people violent. If I get stuck on something more technical like perspectives or backgrounds I look to graphic novels. They are really good for top notch illustration, and they always have interesting compositions and layouts.

Jenny Tang Interchange Artwork
Jenny Tang Interchange Artwork 2
Can you describe the space where you work, what would we find there?
At the moment I’m a bit of an nomad illustrator, I don’t have a permanent studio yet and have to find some pretty, er, interesting places to work at. I’ve drawn on the bus, in bed, on an ironing board, a glass chopping board from that time I tried to make a makeshift light box (it didn’t work out) and occasionally a table when I sneak into the university studio despite graduating. There’s this awkward transitioning period after you graduate for illustrators; do you get a full-time job to be financially secure or do you just go for it and jump straight into freelance? Of course, unless you’re very lucky to already have clients under your belt before you leave university you have that catch 22 of a full-time job with more money but less time to draw or starting freelance with more time but less/no money. There’s this pressure from friends, family and yourself to get your career kick started and I must admit when I see fellow graduates seemingly move straight into the professional sphere I sweat about what I’m not doing. I guess that I’m still trying to figure things out in that department.

However, I am saving up for a studio space and already have optimistic dream of what will go in it. I would love to have a Risograph printer and a bunch of nice looking furniture (probably from Ikea) that will house my growing collection of graphic novels. You’ll probably also find lots of paper and work in progresses dotted around the place, a worn out drawing tablet, a dying succulent and a giant inflatable T-Rex.

Jenny Tang Spot the Difference Dinosaurs
Jenny tang Spot the Difference Dinosaurs 2
What kind of art do you hope to be making in the future?
At the moment I know I’ve still got a lot to learn and still have an open mind as what to do. However, eventually I would love to become a freelance illustrator or something that would combine both design and illustration together; like children’s publication or editorial. As long as I’m able to draw and design, I’ll know I’ll be a happy person.

Jenny Tang 100 Likes Promo Illustration
Jenny Tang is one of the contibutors to Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, available really really soon on Kickstarter.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday October 22nd, 2015 8:14 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Bucks New Uni, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Jenny Tang, ,Kickstarter, ,Path of the Jaguar, ,Risograph, ,That Which We Do Not Understand

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Becky Dinnage: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Becky Dinnage Terranium 72
Becky Dinnage of Ludicrous Prints is a remarkably talented illustrator and surface designer, infusing her fantastical designs with incredible detail despite her imperfect eyesight. Here she shares her story and her jungle reef artwork for Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion.

Becky Dinnage Portrait
I first encountered you as graduate from the surface pattern design course at LCC, what have you been up to since then?
I started work as a graphic designer shortly after graduating, with a designer I had interned with during my degree. I loved being in such a creative challenging environment until health issues meant I had to stop. I learnt so much about how the design world worked, and how to run a small design company – which made me all the more determined to work for myself.

Becky Dinnage
Becky Dinnage
How would you describe your style, and how does your love of pattern infuse your illustrations?
I’ve always loved pattern and found that I couldn’t let it go as I moved from working with textiles to paper. I would describe my illustrative style as intricate, slightly surreal and kind of quirky! I find if I don’t fill my drawings with a ludicrous amount of detailed patterns and doodles I can’t connect with my work… I want it to be crammed with interesting things that people keep discovering every time they view it.

Becky Dinnage
What have been your biggest challenges in producing work as an illustrator?
My biggest challenge in producing illustrations has been my vision. I developed an eye condition just before university and have since had to have my cornea replaced. This set me back quite a bit and unfortunately didn’t help improve my sight. I am now partially sighted but awaiting a special contact lens which I am hoping will give me my eyes back!! It’s been an interesting journey, my illustrative style being so intricate and battling with my vision; there are days where my eyes want to hide away behind my sunglasses but I know I have to keep pushing to get where I want to be.

Becky Dinnage Avocet Screen Print 72
What other jobs keep you going?
Alongside illustrating I work part time in a Ceramic Painting studio. Most of our customers are kids and I love working with them, they’re so fun and imaginative and extremely inspiring, so every day at work is just one big creative bubble of joy! It’s also a great job to give my eyes a rest, which makes me fresh for my days off to illustrate.

Becky Dinnage
You have already produced a series of images for an adult colouring book, how did you get this commission?
A few months back I showed my designs at a local Pop Up Art Gallery and the Senior Editorial Director of a well known book company was there (incognito of course) and we got to chatting about how my work would look great in a colouring book, something I had always wanted to do. We exchanged details and it went from there. It was such a fun project, and I would love to work on my own intricately detailed colouring book in the future. I completely believe in putting yourself out there and talking to everyone, you never know who they are or what they could bring to your life!

Becky Dinnage
What kind of landscapes inspire you the most?
Anywhere with water is an inspiration to me; I am happiest when I’m near the sea, or by a lake or meandering along the side of a stream. I love the force water brings to completely change a landscape, its look, the emotions, the colour. A little while ago we bought a camper van, and it completely changed my life. I adored being out in the wild amongst nature, discovering new places that we could ‘live in’ for a day or two before moving on to the next adventure. It bought out the ancestral gypsy in me.

Becky Dinnage Sealife Colouring in Original Draft
Where did you get the idea for your jungle reef seascape?
With my desire to be close to water, I set out to create my own pattern-filled, bold and graphic underwater jungle, full of all my favourite rainbow colours and quirky and imaginative shapes and animals. I’ve been inspired by the Great Barrier Reef and London Aquarium, that are both filled to the brim with unusual magical creatures. With my poor vision I’m sensitive to light, and enjoy the night, the stars and the moon… and how these connect so importantly to our oceans to keep them moving and growing. All hand drawn, I’ve created a repeat pattern out of the image that should flow horizontally like the ocean currents around earth.

Becky Dinnage
What are your biggest hopes for the future?
I want to start my shop, selling my prints and products, and to expand my brand. I hope I can continue to be creative for the rest of my life, it’s what keeps me happy and is all I can think of being. I would love to work on more commercial briefs and projects, as they shake up my imagination and push me out of my comfort zone, into a more challenging exciting world.

Thank you so much to Becky Dinnage for being so candid about her life as an artist, an inspiration to us all! Find her artwork in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion very soon!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday October 15th, 2015 11:32 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Becky Dinnage, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,Great Barrier Reef, ,interview, ,Jungle Reef, ,LCC, ,London Aquarium, ,Ludicrous Prints, ,Surface Pattern

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Jo Taylor: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Seeds-and-Pods-Jo-Taylor
Self taught artist Jo Taylor is based in Gloucestershire near the canal, where she creates a diverse range of whimsical illustrations for multiple clients including other colouring book publishers. Her double page of extravagant birds features in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion alongside 43 other artists, available from my Big Cartel shop now. Here she talks countryside inspiration, the joys of a tidy studio and offers inspiring advice to all untrained want-to-be artists.

Me-Drawing-Jo-Taylor
What were your original qualifications and how did you come to make art as an illustrator?
I’ve been working as an illustrator full time since around 2005. I have never had formal training in this field but I’ve always known I had some talent as an artist since I was little. Over the years, prior to being an illustrator, I never really knew what I wanted to do so hopped from college studying computing to working for a computer games company and two web design companies, where I learnt the basics of Photoshop and then on to an art gallery where I started to realise that I could make art that would sell, drawing little pictures in chalk pastel, that they displayed and sold for me. There I also met buyers who were coming to look at the art for use on greetings cards and, through that contact, I had art published on cards and calendars. In early 2000 I was perusing the Writers’ and Artists’ Year Book, on the lookout for more publishers for these. By chance I started reading the section on illustration and thought I’d like to do that as a job. From that point on, I found out as much as I could about it and, in my spare time, I worked on art that I felt would work for an illustration folio. The internet was becoming more and more useful by that time and I joined a brilliant forum. In 2003 I was taken on by an agent who had the foresight to see that my work could eventually be right for the industry and, with her advice, I further improved my folio until regular work started to come in.

Teapots-Jo-Taylor
What advice would you offer someone wanting to enter the illustration industry with no formal training?
There are so many podcasts and blogs giving advice on this subject and probably doing it a lot better than I can. But I would stress that you don‘t need specific qualifications so don’t let not having them stop you. You just need to really, really want to do it and be prepared to put in the time to research and to make art. Podcasts are particularly great because you can listen to advice and work at the same time. When I started illustrating my first job was some black and white drawings for the BBC and I was literally terrified. I have learned so much since then, my drawing skills have improved and I can interpret briefs and produce work much faster but I still have loads to learn. You don’t need to know it all before you start, just get on with it and have fun.

Woodland-Fairy-Jo-Taylor
Where do you live and can you describe what your studio looks like?
I’m really lucky to I have a dedicated studio in my house in Gloucestershire. I live near to the canal and the River Severn and so, although it’s pretty built up with houses on the one side of me, in the other direction it’s beautiful countryside. My studio has been, until recently, a bit chaotic and messy but I’m in the middle of a total makeover. It’s all white walls, wood, natural colours and lots of plants. It’s turning into a lovely space to work in, plus I can actually find things now.

Winter-Seeds-and-Grasses-Jo-Taylor
How does your surroundings influence your work?
I am actually really concentrating on that thought at the moment. As I said, I’ve worked in a muddley, unpretty studio for years but I’m now making into a great space to work and I’m kind of styling it in a way that I hope will inspire my art. As I love drawing organic things I also use the countryside around me to fuel my recent art and I have long walks with my dog every day taking it all in and bringing home bunches of all sorts of plants, grasses and berries. I now want to include local people and places as inspiration for my art as there is so much great stuff to draw.

Lavender-Fox-Jo-Taylor
What are your favourite ideas or themes to draw and why?
Plants and flowers, because the lines are gorgeous to draw, I find it almost meditative to make those organic shapes. People – I love people watching and I’m fascinated with the way they decorate themselves, hair, fashion, tattoos, jewellery. Anything organic really, although lately I’m enjoying drawing buildings, now I’ve given myself permission to draw these in my own way rather than with exact perspective and straight lines.

Jo Taylor Double-Page-Spread
What inspired your artwork for my colouring book and how was it made?
I’d been drawing a lot of birds for my daily instagram art and been really enjoying it so I thought I’d continue that theme. I sketched the whole piece up in pencil then, for the black and white side I drew in the lines with a Pitt fine liner then tidied them up in Photoshop. For the colour side I redrew the pencil outline and then coloured it in with a mixture of gouache, felt pens and fine liners.

Blue-Doodle-with-Bird-Jo-Taylor
In what way have you used social media to expand your reach as an artist and do you use it for any other things?
I haven’t used social media half as much as I feel that I should. I do have a website, a Pinterest account, Twitter and a blog but I would like to make more of them. I’ve recently started to regularly put work onto my Instagram account and that has been really useful for making me create work in a new style.

Snippet-from-Sixties-Colouring-Book-Jo-Taylor
You’ve already contributed to other colouring books – how did you get involved with that and what kind of images have you made?
I found colouring book publishers I wanted to work with and sent them in a portfolio. I didn’t actually send black and white line work but my usual coloured illustrations and patterns. I’ve done animals and fashion colouring books for kids. For adults, animals, Scandinavian and Sixties Patterns, Mandalas – and plants and abstract patterns for a selection of calm, soothing type books.

Girls-on-Skateboard-Jo-Taylor
What do you look forward to in 2016?
I’m currently building up a portfolio with an emphasis on beautiful line work and a great palette as I’d love to start working on jobs for magazines and packaging. For the immediate future I have a list of amazing people and businesses I’d like to work with both local and further afield, and my plan is to make that happen.

Me-not-in-my-studio-Jo-Taylor
Fox-Jo-Taylor
How inspiring! Get your copy of Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featuring Jo Taylor from my Big Cartel shop.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday December 19th, 2015 6:19 pm

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Big Cartel, ,Colouring Book, ,interview, ,Jo Taylor, ,Writers’ and Artists’ Year Book

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Claire Powell: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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CPowell_Sleeping
Artist Claire Powell describes how coming late to illustration has been no bad thing, why dance inspired her colouring book artwork, how to make an award winning animation in your spare time and the joy of fart machines. Love meeting my featured colouring book artists!

CPowell_ColourBk_Spread
Your artwork is about the freedom of dance, can you tell us more about it?
Well I knew almost immediately I wanted to feature a variety of characters in my artwork and I chose dance because I felt I could create a feeling of happiness and movement which would be fun to colour. I wanted to capture the feeling of being lost in the moment, which is how I feel when I’m illustrating and that’s how people feel when they dance to good music… or colour in! Each character is dancing in their unique way, lost in the music. The composition intentionally starts small and grows across the page – a crescendo of movement. Hopefully this piece makes people smile, maybe they’ll have a favourite character, or identify with a dance move – one comment on Instagram was ‘my mum dances like that!’ which made me smile.

CPowell_Portrait02
How do the worlds of graphic design and moving image intertwine in your life?
I think training as a graphic designer has informed my illustration work hugely. I was taught a very traditional approach, tight grids and layouts, lots of typography, often drawn by hand and the simplicity of ideas was drilled into me – it shouldn’t take more than a short sentence to explain your idea! Those things have stuck with me and I see them appearing in my work now. Working in TV for nearly 10 years has also hugely influenced my ability to tell a story in a short amount of time. Storyboarding, sequencing, composition – all directly translate into my illustrations, especially my children’s books where I’m telling a narrative over a series of page turns. I often think of my characters moving, I imagine how they would walk or react to a certain situation (sometimes I act it out!) and then I try and capture that in a single illustration. I used to feel disappointed that I was arriving at illustration a bit later in life but now I see how the years of training in design and TV have actually been great ground work for where I’m moving to now… it’s all coming together like the ingredients of one ginormous, yummy chocolate cake!

The Scapegoat claire powell
What inspired your short film The Scapegoat and how long did it take to make?
My film was inspired by the book Arthur & George by Julien Barnes which I borrowed from Brixton library. I had no idea what the book was about when I picked it up but by the time I’d finished it I was hooked. I thought the story was so intriguing, it just felt like it would make a wonderful film. It’s based on a true story so there are several factual books written about the case, one written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, which I used as the basis for writing the script. After that followed a rough storyboard and animatic. Then I began drawing out the action of the entire film, frame by frame where necessary which took about a year. I had a huge chalk board with all 36 scenes written on and I’d cross them off one by one. I did it in every spare second of the day – before work, after work, weekends, on trains, planes… even on Christmas Day to my family’s horror! I scanned each scene as it was drawn and replaced it in the animatic. Then I started to colour each scene and add backgrounds. I’d chosen a style which was heavily textured, inspired by the Victorian era the film is set in which I always imagine to be dark and misty, so colouring was very labour intensive and took about 18 months. After each scene was complete it would get wiped off the chalk board, so bit by bit gaps started appearing on the board until there was one scene left, wiping that off was an amazing feeling. Music composition was happening in parallel and this was magical for me… Ged Adamson the composer got it so right the first time I heard his score I had goosebumps! Final stages of production were done in April 2014 – we recorded the final narrative with a voice over artist Jonathan Kidd and did a final grade. The whole film took 4 years from start to finish and I had a full time job through the entire process so there were definitely times I thought it would never be done but now it is I’m very proud I made it. You can find more including pictures of the chalk board at www.the-scapegoat.com

CPowell_Artiste
How have you refined your illustration style and what materials do you use?
Well my film has a very specific look which I chose intentionally to capture the drama of the narrative but it isn’t necessarily a style that reflects me personally – it’s a bit dark! My illustrations have a natural humour to them and they’re actually quite simple. What I’ve always wanted to try and capture with my final illustrations is the spontaneity of my initial sketches as that can be lost when translating from sketchbook to laptop. So I’ve spent a while experimenting with how to retain the texture and looseness of the sketch. What interests me most is not having perfect outlines, I love it when the edges of a line or block of colour are broken in some way… I always start with a pencil sketch, sometimes I get it right first time other times there’s pages and pages of sketches. Then I ink each element of my pencil sketch separately using indian ink and a paintbrush or old fountain pen, scan everything, put the drawing back together and then add colour to the ink scans in Photoshop which retains the texture. I can spend hours choosing colours! I’ve also started playing around with different ways of creating texture – graphite, chalk, finger painting… I even busted out a potato the other day and painted with that! It’s an ongoing process of experimentation.

CPowell_Pairs
You recently joined the agency Darley Anderson, how did that happen and how has representation helped your career?
I did a children’s picture book course last year run by author/illustrator Claire Alexander, which she now runs at the House of Illustration. As part of the course Claire organises for industry visitors, the agent that came was from Darley Anderson. I expressed an interest in finding a picture book agent and the next day they asked if I’d go and chat to them which I did and they offered me representation there and then. It all happened quite seamlessly! I’m still very much at the start of my career and that’s exactly why I enjoy working with my agent Clare, she obviously has great industry contacts and a wealth of experience in what is a very competitive industry… she also buys me cake which is always a bonus.

CPowell_Yoga Farty Marty
Can you tell us more about Farty Marty – he sounds ace!
He is quite a character! All I can say is it’s the story of a mouse called Marty who adores cheese but cheese makes Marty Farty! His flatulence problem gets him into quite a lot of trouble. I’m in the process of artworking now and I’m pleased with how it’s looking. He’s a very expressive character who you can’t help but love and some of the spreads really make me chuckle. I read the book at Crouch End library to a group of children this summer and I took a fart machine with me for dramatic effect which seemed to go down well.

CPowell_Expressions
What led you to volunteer at the hospital?
I was actually approached by the events company (AD Events). They’re screening Disney’s film Inside Out for the children at Chelsea & Westminister Hospital MediCinema and were looking for some pre-entertainment. They asked if it would be something of interest to me and of course I said yes! Myself and another illustrator will be drawing pictures for the children to take away with them. It’s a great opportunity to do something for a charity event and practice drawing live! Eek.

CPowell_Perch
Any other exciting projects in the pipeline?
As well as my children’s book work which is ongoing I’ve recently been talking to an independent card company about developing a range of cards for them and whilst it’s early days I’m really excited about it, so fingers crossed! I’m also doing a school visit where I’ll be doing character workshops with 2 groups of secondary school kids which will be great fun and I’ve been commissioned to do a collection of nursery prints too!

I’ll aim to post one interview a day until I’ve introduced everyone, so keep reading about my Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artists right here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday September 21st, 2015 8:43 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,animation, ,Arthur & George, ,Chelsea & Westminister Hospital Medi Cinema, ,Claire Alexander, ,Claire Powell, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,dance, ,Darley Anderson, ,Farty Marty, ,Ged Adamson, ,House of Illustration, ,interview, ,Julien Barnes, ,Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ,The Scapegoat

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Josh Patterson: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Josh_Patterson
Birmingham City University graduate Josh Patterson creates intense fantastical images in a distinctive colour palette that immediately caught my eye at New Designers this year. His artwork for Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion was inspired by the super pretty Wilderness Festival, but will surely appeal to festival lovers anywhere. I am also super pleased to announce that Josh is creating the cover for my book… and it’s already looking absolutely fabulous.

Josh_Patterson
You’ve already done exceptionally well for a graduate, how did Birmingham City Uni set you up for your career?
BCU was a great place for me to go to. The course and facilities on campus were top notch; although, I almost wish I had made more use of them during my time there. As I’m sure with most creative courses, the tutors really push you to extend the boundaries of your creative thinking. But what I found really useful about BCU was their focus on preparing us for what the industry would be like. With talks from the AOI, agents and top illustrators, I think the majority of my year left with the necessary knowledge to do well in this competitive industry.

Josh_Patterson
What awards have you won?
I won two awards at the Lara Vis Com Awards ceremony this year. The first was called, ‘The Illustration Award’ and was sponsored by the AOI. I believe this was to go to the most promising new illustrator, so that was very encouraging! The prize for this was a 3-month internship with the AOI. But I’ll talk more about that a bit later. The second award was the ‘Illustration Using Print Award’ – which was sponsored by Nobrow. The prize for this one was a portfolio review with Sam Arthur, the Managing Director and Founder of Nobrow. This was a great opportunity to get some professional advise on my work, and being a huge fan of Nobrow myself, it was great to simply have a one on one chat with him.

Josh_Patterson
How have you found commissions for work to date?
The majority of my commissions at the moment have been from people/companies contacting me via email. Most of them having stumbled across my website or seen my stuff advertised on various social media sites. I’ve actually just been approached by an architectural company in Guatemala, Mexico – about potentially doing some illustrations for an up and coming project they’re working on. I guess that goes to show the power of the Internet and social media in today’s society! However, I do still send out samples to magazines and newspapers – that’s how I got the Computer Arts job.

Josh_Patterson
What inspires your style and colour palette?
Anything and everything really… I try to document the inspirational things I see, whether it’s a quick sketch or taking a photo. Usually the latter if I’m on the move! For example, I was on the train the other day and noticed the colours in the pattern on the floor so I whipped my phone out and started snapping away. I did get a few strange looks mind you… I try to keep up to date with what is current in the industry and see how I can interpret certain aesthetics or concepts in my own way. I’ve always enjoyed drawing people with small heads and elongated figures as I find this almost adds personality to the characters in my drawings yet, allows me to maintain a strange sense of anonymity throughout an illustration.

Josh_Patterson
How do you create your artworks?
I’ll sketch the roughs and scan them into Adobe Illustrator. Once the vector drawing is built up on a grayscale I’ll start to think about a colour scheme for the illustration. I like working in grayscale initially as this allows me to establish the correct tone and shading in an image. It also makes it easier when working with gradients too. After all this I superimpose the textures into the final coloured illustration.

Josh_Patterson
What kind of atmosphere best suits you when working?
At the moment I work in my studio from home. I’m pretty content working by myself as it allows me to get my head down without there being too many distractions. However, I think I’ll be looking to rent a studio space soon, preferably one that is shared with other creatives as I appreciate getting other peoples inputs on my works in progress. I really enjoy freelancing as I can work to my own schedule, which is a real privilege of the job. I also love the fact I get to listen to music all day, as this is another thing I’m immensely passionate about. But, it is probably one of my biggest distractions when trying to work. I find myself forever trawling through the deepest reaches of Spotify discovering new music and making new playlists.

Josh_Patterson
How did you come up with the idea for your colouring book illustration?
My submission was inspired by a recent trip to Wilderness Festival. I was so captivated by the atmosphere there that I was looking for any excuse to illustrate it, so this brief was perfect! I’ve made the illustrations slightly personal by highlighting particular events that my friends and I got up to while we were there… So there may be a few private jokes in there! In an attempt to capture a sense of the chaotic nightlife I’ve experimented with a slightly more vibrant colour palette to what I usually use. I’ve juxtaposed this chaos with the tranquil scenes of boats in the (hot-tub surrounded) lake and people doing yoga: in order to represent a genuine feel for the festival.

Josh_Patterson
What have you been doing at the AOI?
For the past three months as well as working on freelance projects, I’ve also been interning with the AOI and assisting the awards manager in curating the World Illustration Awards exhibition. This has been an amazing and invaluable experience for me – especially at this stage in my career. I’ve met some awesome people, made some great connections and learnt a lot about the industry during this time. They’ve helped me out massively when it comes to accepting commissions and pricing my work as well. I would highly recommend to any illustrator (new or experienced) to consider becoming a member as it will only make you more knowledgeable of the industry, thus making you much more professional as a creative.

Josh_Patterson
I hear you have a few other projects on the go, can you tell us more about them?
I’ve just finished a project for a company called RM2, who specialize in employee share schemes for private companies. They’re in the process of writing a book about their industry and asked me to illustrate the front cover – which unfortunately I can’t share with you as the book hasn’t been published yet! I also produced a series of 4 illustrations to accompany certain headings on their website. I pretty much had free reign when it came to thinking up the concepts behind this project. However, I was restricted with the colour scheme, as they wanted it to more or less match the colours of their logo. I sometimes enjoy working with colour restrictions as it encourages me to focus on other elements of an illustration and I’ll often produce an outcome with a much more interesting composition or perspective.

I’ve also just closed on a deal with a company called Bramwell Brown to produce a series of three different clock designs for them. I’m very excited to get started on this project, as I’ve not done any illustration to this kind of format before. The clocks are really cool as well; they have illustrations that rotate inside them, with a section that shows certain parts of the image relative to what the weather is like that day. They have various other themed ones as well but are interested in me creating a London styled one. And have, again, given me free reign on the concepts for the other two. So I’m very excited to get started on this one!

You can find the stunning work of Josh Patterson in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, available from Kickstarter soon.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday October 14th, 2015 10:32 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adobe Illustrator, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,AOI, ,Birmingham City University, ,Bramwell Brown, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,Computer Arts, ,Illustration Using Print Award, ,interview, ,Josh Patterson, ,Kickstarter, ,Lara Vis Com Awards, ,Nobrow, ,RM2, ,The Illustration Award, ,Wilderness Festival, ,World Illustration Awards

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Eleanor Percival: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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eleanor percival atalanta 5
The delicate artwork of Eleanor Percival translates beautifully into her colouring book image of a heavily tattooed lady plucking a pear. Here she talks about her love of fiction, Renaissance paintings and good quality watercolours.

eleanor percival in studio
eleanor percival spread
What would be the story of your tattooed lady?
I think she’s a tattooist herself, but a bit of a psychic too. She can see her clients’ true natures and tattoos them with symbols of their characters, good or bad. She’s covered herself with images that represent who she is (I got very caught up in the meanings of tattoos while I was developing this piece, and even added in a couple that would mean something to me if I ever had the guts to get one). She would probably be very sought after, but would also get into trouble with those who didn’t like her representation of them.

eleanor percival fftmc
Who are your favourite writers and why?
I love strangeness in fiction, the uncanny – Roald Dahl’s short stories for adults seem to be set in the real world, then something knocks the story off-kilter and it feels like another universe. Virginia Woolf is always great but Orlando is, without doubt, my favourite of her books: the way the character moves through history (and genders) is written so cleverly that it barely seems odd at all.

eleanor percival poppies
Where did you do your BA and MA courses and what were the best things you learnt on them?
I did my BA at UCA Maidstone, which sadly has been closed down since. The course had been famously good since the sixties, so attracted wonderful staff. They really taught us to have clear motivations in our work – ‘Why have you used red here?’ ‘What does it symbolise?’ ‘What will viewers associate with it?’ Etc. They were also fantastic at driving home to us the practicalities of being an illustrator – how to promote ourselves, how to approach clients, even how to do our accounts. I loved it. I chose to do an MA at Camberwell because I wanted to free up a little, and to refine my style. I’m no Jackson Pollock, but my work has loosened up so much, and I’m more confident.

eleanor percival atalanta 1
Who is Atalanta and what attracted you to her story? (see also the opening image)
I knew from the beginning of my MA that I wanted to do a project around fairy tales or mythology, but I also wanted to champion a female character who wasn’t a feeble little princess or a conniving vamp. While I was researching endless Greek myths, a woman called Atalanta kept cropping up. She was always described as the strongest fighter and the fastest runner, and was featured in lots of famous stories, but I’d never heard of her before. So I did some more reading and amalgamated all of the bits I could find about her into my own narrative. She and her lover are turned into mountain lions in the end, but I made this into a happy-ever-after for them.

eleanor percival colouring in 1
What kind of references to art history can we expect to see in your art if we look closely?
The strange perspectives and proportions that I love are definitely influenced by Renaissance paintings. They used an obsessive mathematical approach that left a lot of imagery looking quite other-worldly and, though I don’t go anywhere near a ruler when I’m working out a composition, I try to recreate that slightly wonky effect. Indian Miniatures have crept in too – the space is very organised in most of my paintings, details are purposeful and sparse. And my figures often have very gestural poses too.

eleanor percival alicante
How do you arrange your workspace and what does typical work day look like?
My studio is a tiny spare room in the flat I share with my husband in Brixton. It’s absolutely crammed with books, old work and art materials, and my desk takes up about half the room. My working day is usually much the same: I’m at my desk with a cup of tea by nine but rarely start painting immediately; I look at artsy blogs, catch up on my e-mails and make to-do lists until I’m in the right mood. I’ll then work for the rest of the day (though I often find I’ve been staring out the window for ten minutes). At the end of a project I often find I need a day wandering around a museum or gallery to refresh.

eleanor percival atalanta 2
Why is it so important to you to embark on personal projects and what have you been doing most recently in this arena?
Every experienced illustrator I’ve ever met has underlined to me how important it is to do personal projects. It’s inevitable that when working with an art director, you find yourself doing little things that you wouldn’t do if left to your own devices. And that’s an important practice, but it’s also crucial that you do projects that are more essentially yours – things only you would think of doing in that particular way. I’ve been working on my own little colouring-in book recently. I wanted to have a break from working in colour, and also from doing projects with causes! It’s very simple, barely even a narrative, just an introduction to a character who lives in a cottage and loves gardening. I’m also putting together a line of greetings cards to sell in some local independent shops.

eleanor percival thank you card
Where will we be able to buy your greeting cards, and can you share a preview with us?
I’ve got a couple of designs for sale at Green & Stone on the Kings Road already, but I’m going to be approaching shops in Brixton Market.

eleanor percival ice-skaters
What is it that you particularly love about watercolour and where did you learn how to use it properly?
On my BA I didn’t have a clue about materials – I just grabbed whatever was close to hand – but after I graduated I got a part-time job in a beautiful old art supplies shop and learned all about the properties of watercolours, fine brushes and paper. With my discount I could afford to gradually build up a collection of really good quality paints and other materials. I use Schmincke and Daniel Smith paints mostly – they have really intense colours and granulate beautifully. I love that watercolour has a life of its own; you have a certain amount of control before you apply the brush, then the paint does whatever it wants – it just rolls around on the paper. But equally, it’s a lovely medium for creating delicate little details.

eleanor-percival-recipe1
Which cook’s recipes would you most like to illustrate and why?
Definitely my friend Milli Taylor’s, because I know how amazing her cooking is! I love the way she put ingredients together, and the flavours she creates. She’s brilliant at making her dishes look beautiful too – as she says in her book ‘we eat with our eyes’.

eleanor-percival-fruit-salad-recipe
Can you tell us anymore about your own colouring book plans?
I’m going to print a small edition to take to a few children’s book publishers and hopefully find someone who wants to sell it for me! My plan is that, over time, I can build up a series of stories about the same character that are fun to read as well as colour in.

eleanor percival colouring in 2
I love how every illustrator featured in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion creates such different work. Make sure you grab your copy of this limited edition colouring book once the campaign goes online on Kickstarter!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday September 28th, 2015 1:50 pm

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Atalanta, ,Brixton, ,Camberwell College of Art, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,Daniel Smith, ,Eleanor Percival, ,Green & Stone, ,interview, ,Milli Taylor, ,Orlando, ,Roald Dahl, ,Schmincke, ,UCA Maidstone

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Kaja Szechowsko: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Kaja Szechowsko
Kaja Szechowsko is a Polish illustrator and jewellery designer who was inspired by her range of necklaces to create a surreal double page for Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featuring Siamese twins. She tells us about the woodland of Lodz, aleatory concepts that have inspired a book she is making, and the idea of travelling through life as a hitch-hiker.

Kaja Szechowsko
Why did you decide to study sculpture and how has that informed the way that you design and create art today?
I attended a preparatory course for drawing at my university, and I was rather thinking about choosing graphic arts later. One day I lost a doll that I had pinned to my bag. It was a plush miniature of me that I had sewn and I called it my Voodoo Doll. I was upset and when I went in to my course the next day, I told my friend about the loss. And to my surprise he said: “Really? I saw it sitting on a pedestal in the hall. I thought you had an exhibition.” And there I found her, and so I found my place. I feel that the biggest thing I learned while studing sculpture was a way of thinking, of analysing my work, and making myself question it as if I was somebody else. All the rest is some kind of sensibilty that remains the same, regardless of medium.

Kaja Szechowsko
Where do you go for an injection of inspiration in the city of Lodz?
It’s difficult to say now, it’s somehow the city of my past, and everything reminds me about something that I don’t need anymore. As for today my favourite place is the forest on the outskirts, near my parents hause. It’s neutral enough and meaningless to feel comfortable.

Kaja Szechowsko
You run a jewellery brand called OMG! Jewels – how did you learn how to make jewellery, what features in your current range and how are the pieces made?
My jewels are just miniature sculptures. I didn’t take any special courses. It all started with a necklace portrait of my flatmate’s dog that I made for her birthday. It turned out so cool that I decided to make some more. The first collection is made up of necklaces featuring different kinds of creatures such as unicorns, holy sheep, slugs, meat-eating plants and animal skulls. Some of them are a little creepy, others are just lovely, however all of them are at least a little kitsch. I can reveal that the new collection will be even more freaky and will use an illustration medium.

Kaja Szechowsko double spread
Who or what inspired your colouring page artwork?
One of the necklaces I have made for OMG! Jewels features my favourite Siamese doll, who is also the protagonist of my colouring pages.

Kaja Szechowsko
You’ve moved around a lot in the past few years – what has taken you across Europe and what have you done to keep your creativity alive on the go?
Generally, I have terrible feelings that I’ll suffocate if I stay in one place too long. Usually there is some small indication that I follow. Once I found a little Eiffel Tower below my feet. Another time, I read about a place in one of Roberto Bolaño‘s books. And so on. It seems like a childish play, or maybe it’s just a selective subconscience, but I find it magical. I try to work in the conditions in which I find myself; it’s a little hard and I’d like to improve that point of the story. I was working in an artistic recidency and I have had some other temporary studios, but I feel now I need another quality of working calmness.

Kaja Szechowsko
What is your preferred process to create an illustration?
I work mainly with traditional techniques using paints and crayons. I like this process, I find it relieving. I use the computer only to put things together. Generally I wouldn’t really mind a life without a computer. I feel it destroys all the magic, both in life and art.

Kaja Szechowsko
Who is your new illustrated book Bad Herbs aimed at and what kind of ideas will it feature?
It’s definitely aimed at adults. It’s based on an aleatory concept that I invented. The drawings are only a pretext. It’s more or less about randomness and choice. But I cannot reveal more, because then, there won’t be a surprise anymore :).

Kaja Szechowsko
Where are you based now and what are your plans for the future?
Currently I’m not based anywhere at all. I’m just passing my mental SPA holidays in my parents hause, stroking my beloved cat Alisek and planning the brightest ever future. I’ve just left Barcelona with a deep conviction that I’ll never go back again, although I left all my stuff there. It’s irrational, but typical for me. I have a lot of plans for the future! When I finish the book it will surely satisfy my illustration hunger, and I’d like to go back to creating my mechanical toys, which I have abandoned for some time. And then travel, travel and look for the new adventures, and somewhere in the middle build a place where I can rest and work in peace.

Kaja Szechowsko
What was the most inspiring part of your travels?
It was surely the aspect of the unknown and the whole range of possibilities open to me, the uncertainty about what will happen and the complete certainty that something (whatever) will happen. I love the idea of life as a kind of hitchhicking experience. Another thing is that I like a change of scenery (or at least a scenography), at that point when I’m catching myself looking, but no longer seeing. When I getting used to something, it’s like the first sign I am getting languid.

Kaja Szechowsko 02
Where else do you look for inspiration?
In the dreams. I’m really good at remembering my dreams. Currently I’m trying to learn some techniques of lucid dreaming, to have still more fun. However as for now, the result has been completely the opposite and I just fall asleep immediately or don’t remember anything at all.

Preorder your copy of Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion to arrive in January and don’t miss out on the opportunity to colour unique artwork created by 44 artists from all over the world. Just click here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday December 22nd, 2015 4:57 pm

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Alisek, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Bad Herbs, ,Colouring Book, ,etsy, ,interview, ,jewellery, ,Kaja Szechowsko, ,Lodz, ,poland, ,Polish, ,Roberto Bolaño, ,Voodoo Doll

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Eliza Fricker: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Baines and Fricker minerals wallpaper
Eliza Fricker of design duo Baines & Fricker contributes an imaginative colouring page to Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion inspired by the weird and wonderful statues of the V&A museum in London. She tells us more about her creative life in Brighton; running a business with her husband, creating wallpaper designs inspired by the everyday, and her upcoming graphic novel.

Eliza Fricker portrait
Why did you decide to study at Chelsea and what was the best thing you took from your time there and has informed your design practice today?
My dad studied at Chelsea and it had a good reputation. It was good to travel out of my area to go there and meet different people. I liked learning actual skills such as life drawing and the lectures were great – I think these foundations are essential to becoming an artist. We were given experience in each area – interiors/architecture, photography, drawing, 3D.

Eliza Fricker worldsend
How has your work been inspired by your upbringing and how have your parents affected the way you approach your creative practice?
My dad taught me a lot – he taught me to draw and how to see things (he is a fine artist and political cartoonist/illustrator). We drew together and went along the Thames and looked for interesting things. We lived in a very conservative area and both my parents were different from the other people and they taught me to see things differently and to question everything.

Eliza Fricker frontier
Why do you currently live and work in Brighton? what took you there and what keeps you there?
I moved to Brighton when I was 19 – we had friends here and my brother had lived here already. I shared a flat with my brother and eventually my parents moved here too. I met my husband here and his family are all nearby. It’s great for our daughter to live with her grandparents around her. Brighton is a perfect combination of city, sea and countryside. It has lots of good pubs and restaurants and friendly creative people. Although it is getting more and more expensive and making it harder for artists to afford to live here!

Eliza Fricker cast
When did you set up Baines & Fricker and why?
When I met Steve we shared similar interests – I was manager of an arts cinema in Brighton and Steve was commuting to a city job in London that he had been doing since he was 16. It was a natural progression to work together and earn money doing a job we loved.

Eliza Fricker makingacomeback
How easy is it to run a business with your husband? Who does what? Any tips and tricks for keeping home and work life separate?
We work together and separately – the studio is upstairs and the workshop is downstairs. There are elements we do separately, as Steve is the ‘maker’ and I do the social media/emails etc. I also still do my screen printing and illustration stuff. Our home life and work life is quite fluid and that works because we are doing a job we both enjoy!

Eliza Fricker collage
How did you hook up with an American publisher co-produce a stationary range, and what kind of imagery have you used?
They contacted me. They are adapting my Cat’s wallpaper to create a range of notebooks.

Eliza Fricker print
When you first start to design wallpaper where do you look for inspiration?
Some of my wallpapers come from screen prints and other are illustrations developed from my sketchbooks. I like to look at everyday things – such as pets, plants and food.

Baines_Frickercushions
Where will you be shooting your next range of furniture and wallpaper designs for Baines & Fricker?
We will be photographing these will Abel Sloane and Ruby Woodhouse from 1934 which will be great as we really admire their work and style.

Eliza Fricker properjob
I hear you are working on a graphic novel, can you give us a glimpse of what will be inside?
My mother was very ill for a number of years, with various physical and mental health problems. She became a spectral person, losing all of her former self. She just sat in front of the TV and ate crisps and chocolate until she was eventually diagnosed with a huge brain tumour. Miraculously she has made a full recovery but her personal life has changed radically – she is no longer with my father and she also lost her job as a bookshop manager during her illness. I am doing the book to help us all as a family process what happened and for my mother especially as she doesn’t remember being ill. One of the lowest points of her illness was when she was referred to a councillor who said she was fine and ‘Just Getting Old’- this is also the the title of my book.

Eliza Fricker colouring page
How did you come up with the idea for your colouring pages?
My images were inspired by sketches of post classical European sculptures that I made at the V&A, focusing on the surreal and almost comical nature of their outlandish outfits, hats and hairstyles.

Baines and Fricker cement works wallpaper
What kind of design inspires you most and where do you hunt for that inspiration when you need a new dose of it?
Our holidays and outings inspire us the most – we have lots of English holidays along the South Coast and the West Country and we also love San Francisco and New York. We take lots of pictures of things we see and like and this can be anything from signs to colours and shapes. Our Pew Bench range is inspired by visiting old churches and the bench seating in them. We like to create long lasting design and avoid fads or trends and we like to create furniture to keep forever.

Find artwork by Eliza Fricker Baines & Fricker in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion alongside that of 43 other artists, available to preorder to receive in January from my Big Cartel shop now.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday December 23rd, 2015 10:14 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,1934, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Baines & Fricker, ,Big Cartel, ,brighton, ,Chelsea College of Art, ,Colouring Book, ,designers, ,Eliza Fricker, ,interview, ,Victoria & Albert Museum

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Laura Schofield: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Laura_Schofield_5
Laura Schofield has contributed a wonderfully vibrant artwork inspired by a love of pattern and texture. The Arts University Bournemouth graduate talks about her love of microcellular biology, how to spread the concept of sustainability and possibilities for the future. Find her work in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion now.

Laura_Schofield_1
You clearly love to use colour, what inspired the colour palette for your double page spread in my book?
Colour palettes and complimenting combinations have always intrigued me. I take inspiration from a wide variety of objects but mostly from the colourful, unique items I have collected on my travels. I am also interested in the possibilities of mismatched arrangements and enjoy the elective feel they can bring to my work. For the colour palette in this piece, I was admiring the vibrancy in exotic fruits and also took inspiration from a patterned hair scrunchie I found on the little Greek island of Skiathos!

Laura_Schofield_10
Where did you find reference material to create your illustration?
If possible, I always try to find real-life references and like to keep my sketchbooks to hand from all the previous inspiring locations I have been lucky enough to visit so far. Therefore, for the plant shapes and textures in this particular piece, I used my visual research collected from Kew Gardens Greenhouse a few months back. And with regard to the monkeys and apes, I enjoyed another trip to my local zoo where I often spend hours enjoying their fascinating company.

Laura_Schofield_3
When did you first start drawing and when did you realise you wanted to make a career as an artist?
When I was young, my Dad always encouraged my drawing and took my brother and I to draw horses in the local fields near my hometown. We would also take many enjoyable trips to sketch the spectacular views of the South Devon countryside and coastline. Drawing and exploring nature became a passion of mine that I didn’t want to let go of and although I still have quite a few other academic interests, I decided pursuing Illustration would make me happiest and hopefully also bring such joy to others.

Laura_Schofield_4
I first found your work at the AUB graduation show this summer, what was the best thing about getting your work out there at the end of your course?
It was great to finish university off with a bang in July with The Observatory AUB graduation show. I was heavily involved with the organisation and coordination of this exhibition, which was a fantastic experience in itself. But, being from Bournemouth and managing to get our work up in London, for it to be seen by the creative eyes wandering about Brick Lane, was very exciting for all of us and has opened up many opportunities since.

Laura_Schofield_2
What inspired your beautiful installation at the show?
I am allured to the mystery and depth within the jungle environment and so I based my installation on the beautiful yet peculiar shapes and colours found within such exotic climates. Being interested in the potential of working with both 2D and 3D surfaces, I also explored the placement of my designs on textiles and ceramics and enjoyed a very positive reaction to these.

Laura_Schofield_9
Why are you so fascinated by microscopic cell biology?
As nature has always been the main inspiration for my work, of course Biology has always appealed to me; I love learning about how natural things work the way they do. Though, I am particularly intrigued by microscopic cell biology because of the intricate detail and complexity inside something almost unimaginably small. I also find the fact that while all living things are made up of cells, there is such immense diversity between each type of cell. And when observing them under the microscope, I find the patterns and textures they unintentionally create absolutely incredible.

Laura_Schofield_7
How do you incorporate or promote sustainability into your work?
Being passionate about sustainable and eco-friendly living, I see my overall role as an Illustrator to use my creativity to help influence people’s views and actions to make the world a more sustainable and harmonious place. Yet, as there seems to be a current abundance of fear-evoking campaigns, I try to counteract this by creating positive, colourful and energetic designs, in the hope to gain an optimistic and more productive outcome. Most recently, I have submitted designs to Paignton Zoo’s The Great Big Rhino Project, in conjunction with Wild in Art. I hope to gain the chance to promote rhino conservation with Save the Rhino International and give these critically endangered, beautiful but shy-natured creatures, a voice.

Laura_Schofield_8
Can you tell us more about your bespoke gift service L-E?
A fellow illustrator and myself created L-E in our second year at AUB as part of the Young Enterprise Start-up Scheme. It was a trial business, only lasting for the duration of a year but in that time we managed to set-up and run an illustrative gift service, hand-making products to order, such as personalised cushions, cards and mugs. I find the prospect of turning my illustrations into products that the public can purchase very exciting and it is something that I may likely pick up again in the future.

What are you drawing tribal masks for?
After visiting the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford earlier this year and researching into the backgrounds of their vast collection of indigenous folk art, I found such masks and artefacts highly inspirational. A lot of these fascinating and skilful creations have been delicately made in cultures with isolated environments; with natural surroundings being their predominant influence. I think this is something to be celebrated. I hope one day that I will get the opportunity to see the making of such art firsthand and am eager to learn even more about the purpose and uses of such exquisite items.

What do you hope to do with your designs in the future?
In the future, I would like to see my designs spread across a variety of different platforms. My work can be easily adaptable and applicable to a wide array of concepts and I see it fitting well within packaging and advertising design. Yet I am also eager to explore textiles and the many products this medium can produce. There are a lot of possibilities and I am very excited to have the opportunity to be flexible in the way I work. I can’t wait to see my designs in action!

What is your favourite way to relax after a hard day’s drawing?
Preferably I would be on a beach, overlooking the Ionian Sea and watching the sun go down, but I suppose a few drinks in good company will do!

Laura Schofield is featured in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion alongside 40 other artists, funding on Kickstarter. Get your copy now, it makes a perfect Christmas gift!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday November 9th, 2015 9:53 am

Categories ,#ameliasccc, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Arts University Bournemouth, ,AUB, ,Brick Lane, ,Coloring, ,Colouring, ,Colouring Book, ,Greenhouse, ,illustration, ,interview, ,Ionian Sea, ,Kew Gardens, ,Kickstarter, ,L-E, ,Laura Schofield, ,Pitt Rivers Museum, ,Save the Rhino International, ,Skiathos, ,South Devon, ,The Great Big Rhino Project, ,The Observatory, ,What do you hope to do with your designs in the future?, ,Wild in Art, ,Young Enterprise Start-up Scheme

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Erika Rier: Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion featured artist.

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Durga-Slaying-the-Buffalo-Demon-Erika-rier
Portland based Erika Rier is a multi disciplinary artist with a unique vision. I am so glad she entered my colouring book open brief, with an amazing and unusual narrative artwork based on the struggle of womankind. Here she talks about her inspiration, how language and place informs her art, and the joy of homeschooling her daughter.

Portrait-erika-rier
How did you find the colouring book open brief and why did you decide to enter your work?
I’ve been following Amelia’s Magazine for ages and had been wanting to contribute to an open brief for some time but the timing was always off. I’d even got a sketch together for the That Which We Do Not Understand brief but was in the middle of a time sensitive project that prevented me from getting my submission done. When I saw the colouring book brief I was so excited. I swear I get at least 2 messages a week from people asking that I do a colouring book. I haven’t had time to draw a whole colouring book but I could definitely manage the two pages for this brief!

Til-Death-spread-Erika-Rier
What inspired your piece and how does it tie in with ongoing themes in your work?
As soon as I read the brief I knew that I wanted to draw some sort of stand-off between the two pages. I wanted the drawings to work together as a whole but to also work on their own as well. In my self-directed work, I have been exploring themes of violence, war, and struggle. The idea of a standoff definitely played into the themes I’m currently obsessed with. I also draw a lot of strange creatures, women who are half bear or have butterfly wings as well as centaurs and satyrs. I decided one side would be winged creatures facing off against land creatures. While I was working the piece it came to me that the two main figures were obviously at some point best friends, but things had gone south and now they’re battling it out on these two cliffs.

Kitty-Mommy-erika-rier
How has your crafty upbringing affected your current approach to illustration?
I come from a family filled with textile enthusiasts so from a young age developed a passion for sewing, embroidery, and knitting. For a long time I created a line of handmade clothing which I sold in NYC and stores around the country. I love the texture, colors, and patterns in textiles and those are what influence my illustration and drawing the most. I love bringing the flat, repeating patterns of textiles into my drawings, creating landscapes made up of repeating patterns.

I think the biggest thing I’ve gotten from my history of labor intensive craft work that I bring to drawing is patience. Threading a loom or hand stitching a quilt are massive, patience-sucking undertakings that have helped me develop the ability to stick through a very detailed drawing and to spend most of my days sitting at a desk creating work.

Sit-Still-erika-rier
What does your series Of Monsters & Women explore?
Of Monsters & Women is an open ended, loose series I’ve been working on for most of the year. I’m not even sure when it started, me drawing monsters and battles but now it seems to be the entirety of my self-directed work. In the most basic way these pieces explore struggle. They depict scenes of hybrid creatures and women in battle, often over trivial things. The series is exploring the internal turmoil I experience in my daily life as a woman, mother, and human. I’m also very interested in pushing against the trend in pop culture art of women being depicted as very passive and empty in pretty portraits. Life is full of battles and struggles but art depicting women seems to be all vapid stares, sexy poses, serenity, and/or maternal softness. I want to create art that shows the part of being a woman that is a battle between one’s self and one’s culture.

Rest-Area-erika-rier
Why are you learning Norwegian?
When I was very little, my grandmother whom I lived with, had a friend who visited regularly from Norway. She somehow sparked a strong desire to go to Norway in me. I’m not really sure what it is that I find so fascinating, pictures of it remind of where I grew up on the very Northern tip of the state of coastal Maine. I started learning the language so I could visit there but ultimately, after moving around America so much, I feel as though I’d like to live abroad especially in a country where English is not the primary language. I’ve also been learning Spanish because I like the idea of Peru as well. Norwegian though, has totally captured my imagination, I’ve never been so excited about learning a foreign language since I started learning it. The words are at once so familiar and so crazy sounding that I can’t help just saying random sentences just to hear them spoken.

The-Escape-erika-rier
Can you tell us anything about the children’s book you are working on?
Yes! This book has been a long time coming for me. It started with a funny name my daughter called herself when she was very little, the Crispiest Turtle. That name just stuck with me, I wrote it down and doodled some characters of it. She also told me a very enchanting story including a seagull and some very unfortunate whales and octopus. I’ve had a difficult time deciding exactly how to write the story but have finally finished a rough draft which pleases me.

Turquoise-is-for-Protection-erika-rier
You create dream artwork and family portraits to order, what have been the most memorable commissions? (I want one, such a great idea!)
I love creating custom artwork for people, I learn so much about them and their families. One of the first family portraits I did is still one of my favorites. The woman sent me pictures of her family and pets and then a stream of consciousness list of things that were meaningful to her family such as goats, poetry, elephants, mangoes, Hindu goddesses, unicorns, feathers…. The list was quite long but I managed to fit in everything, except for the goats. Another one was a woman who asked if I could read her favorite book and do a drawing of some of the creatures from the book. I just received a new commission to illustrate a story a woman has written for her boyfriend. When it is finished, she’ll have a single copy made and bound to give him for his birthday.

And-the-Boat-That-Goes-erika-rier
Why have you moved so much and what is your favourite bit of America?
I was born in Northern Maine and since then have lived in Vermont, Connecticut, New York City, Arizona, Washington state, and currently reside in Portland, OR. I move for many reasons, it started just to get away from my tumultuous family. Since then it has developed into a desire to experience new places. Lots of people love travelling but I kind of despise travelling. I feel like it gives you such a superficial, romantic view of a place. I love living in a new place and learning all of it’s intimate details. There are also practical reasons. We recently left Washington state and a big part of that was wanting to live someplace with a better public transportation system. I never learned to drive and Portland, OR is much easier to get around without a car.

New-Day-erika-rier
How do you fit everything in around family life and how does being a mother inform your work?
It is really hard to fit in everything so there are things I let slide, like cleaning the apartment or having a social life. Right now my family and my art are the most important things in my life so I focus mostly on those and let the other things slide. Attachment parenting has been the thing that I feel like makes my current life possible. My daughter is 12 now and homeschooled. She is a patient, focused, and self-directed young woman and I really feel like attachment parenting is to thank for that. The first 5 years of her life were hard, all I really did was parent, I did draw and sew still but not like I can now. That time I put into attachment parenting has paid off tenfold and helps me to pursue art while raising my daughter the way I’d like to raise her.

Being a mother affects my work so much it’s hard to even tease it out of the whole. Being a mother has changed how I look at the world and how I look at myself. The struggle to bring up a child who can survive in this crazy society but has not lost her magic is the biggest battle I wage everyday. Trying to figure out when to protect my child, when to let her wage her own battles, when to expose her to the ugly parts of life, these are all things that make up my real life battles every day and seep subconsciously into my drawings.

Many thanks for such an informative and interesting interview Erika! I love that my open briefs attract artists from all over the world as well as artists closer to home. Look out for plenty more international talent in Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday September 17th, 2015 8:25 am

Categories ,Adult Coloring Book, ,Adult Colouring Book, ,Amelia’s Colourful Colouring Companion, ,Attachment Parenting, ,Coloring, ,Coloring Book, ,Colouring Book, ,Crispiest Turtle, ,Erika Rier, ,Homeschooling, ,interview, ,Motherhood, ,Of Monsters & Women, ,OR, ,portland, ,That Which We Do Not Understand

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