Amelia’s Magazine | The Ecologist Guides to Food and Fashion: an interview with illustrator Lucy Kirk

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to fashion cover

The Ecologist has just published two superb new books with Leaping Hare Press that detail the ways in which we can improve the food and fashion systems, both of which are so fraught with unethical and environmentally detrimental practices. The two petit guides are designed in an easy to read format and chapters are accompanied with some wonderful illustrations by Lucy Kirk, a contributor to Amelia’s Magazine and one of my star picks at her University of Brighton graduate show in 2012. Here she explains the process of working with The Ecologist and the creation of engaging illustrations from often difficult subject matter.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to fashion - cottonkiller

How did you get hired to create illustrations for the new Ecologist Guides?
I graduated from the University of Brighton in 2012 and during the final degree show Ivy Press visited the exhibition and later invited me and a few others to visit their Lewes office to show them more of our work. After a rather nerve racking (on my part) portfolio meeting, they kept my details on record. A few months later I received an email from James Lawrence at Leaping Hare Press asking if I’d be up for doing some initial drawings, which later lead to the project.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to fashion - harris tweed

What was the process of creation and collaboration with the Ecologist like?
The art director James Lawrence was great to work with, he sent me the authors’ written text and brief ideas he’d had as starting points for me to work with. This being my first major commission it was hard not to find it a little daunting, so having some key notes was really helpful. It allowed me to interpret the text creatively but not get to lost.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to food - WORKERS

How many images did you have to create altogether and how long did it take to get together all the images for both guides?
I think roughly about eighty. I started working on the project during the summer of 2012 but it continued on and off until november 2013. It was more of a collaboration to be finished as and when the text was complete. I think I preferred this process rather than a block of solid work, as it allowed me to approach each section of drawings with a fresh mind.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to food cover

What materials and techniques do you use when you work on line drawings like this?
As often as possible I like to work with loose cartridge paper rather than a sketchbook, a big pot of black ink (which I normally spill) and a new paintbrush. I like a tiny brush; the ones used for model railways are my personal favourite.

Where did you find inspiration for the images?
Sometimes from reference photography, if there was a particular message to portray or imagery I had no previous knowledge of. Other illustrations were inspired by things around me. My parents live on a farm in Nottinghamshire, which proved helpful when it came to working on some of the food drawings.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to food-packhouse

What was the hardest aspect of creating images to accompany often difficult topics?
I think it was hard not wanting to offend anyone, but James was good at suggesting alternatives and ways to avoid this. I found that trying to marry imagery to sometimes upsetting text can be tricky, but I think that overall everyone who worked on the books has done a great job.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to fashion - roadkill

What was the worst thing that you learnt about the food industry?
There were lots of interesting things I learnt about the food industry that I either knew little or nothing about. It opened my eyes to the conditions of workers that I think is sometimes easy to forget. The exploitation of some women working as tea pluckers in East Africa was particularly upsetting.

What was the most interesting thing you learnt about the fashion industry?
There’s a section on slow fashion which I think is great: it is the process of making clothing that lasts a long time and is often sourced and produced locally or via fair-trade. There’s more of a stress on quality of garments rather than quantity and it’s becoming more and more popular. If you are interested in fashion I think it’s definitely something you should be aware of.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to fashion - sew machine

Has doing this project altered the way that you relate to either fashion or food, and if yes in what sort of way?
Yes, I think it’s easy to turn our heads and forget issues that are happening around us and trick ourselves into believing we are not personally responsible. I’m not saying I’ve become vegan overnight but it has definitely made me become more aware. I think both authors approach both subjects in a way that’s an interesting and informative read and I’d recommend them to a friend. I’ve already leant my copies to my grandma.

Lucy Kirk - Ecologist guide to food - cows

What else are you working on in 2014?
As well as doing illustrations, I also co-direct a stationery business called Pen On Paper with my friend and fellow artist Millie Popovic, who is also a Brighton graduate. So day to day our time is taken up designing new products and printing orders. We have some events and projects later in the year which I can’t yet reveal yet but I am very excited about. But when I’m not screen printing cards, I’m working on a new ceramic series which hopefully will be ready soon. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to work with clay, so it feels good to go back. I’m also a new member of the illustration collective Puck and there’s lots of exciting things happening with them this year, which I’m looking forward too, including some exhibitions and maybe some publications.

The Ecologist Guide to Food and the Ecologist Guide to Fashion are out now, published by Leaping Hare Press and available from all good bookstores.

Categories ,Ecologist Guide to Fashion, ,Ecologist Guide to Food, ,Ecologist Guides, ,fairtrade, ,interview, ,Ivy Press, ,James Lawrence, ,Leaping Hare Press, ,Lucy Kirk, ,Millie Popovic, ,Pen On Paper, ,Puck Collective, ,the ecologist, ,University of Brighton

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Amelia’s Magazine | Now What: University of Brighton Illustration Ba Hons Graduate Show 2012 Review

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Pippa Toole
Image by Pippa Toole.

There were a host of specially curated graduate design exhibitions in London last week – including work by my old gaff, the University of Brighton. The intriguingly titled Now What took place in trendy Netil House at the north end of Broadway Market, a spacious venue that allowed the graduates to spread out and make imaginative use of the space. Although poor lighting made it hard to take decent photos of some of the work I found plenty of student talent to admire: first up the graduating illustrators, many of whom played extensively with the medium: working in 3D, photography and set design.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Lucy Kirk
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Lucy Kirk
Lucy Kirk describes herself as an illustrator, model maker and farmer’s daughter, and her Farm Sale display featured a delightful combination of energetic line drawings and ceramic models of farm workers and their beasts at work and play.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Scarlett Wilson
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Scarlett Wilson
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Scarlett Wilson
Beautiful painterly illustrations and interesting mark making from Scarlett Wilson.

Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
I loved Pippa Toole‘s gothic work, inspired by gang culture and slogans on bikes and leather jackets: all tattoos, posturing and meaty limbs.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 Jonathan Andrew Taylor
Now what university of Brighton 2012 Jonathan Andrew Taylor
Jonathan Andrew Taylor had created strange little characters and also has a website called theinternetmakesmetired.com – which features a shaking distressed man crumpled on the floor. I know how he feels at times.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Joanna Rutter
Joanna rutter
Joanna Rutter mixed print with textile design in her beautifully laid out display.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 Emily Frances Barrett
Emily Frances Barrett created strange worlds teetering and tilting with wooden Ewok style walkways and platforms bearing exotic plants. I’d like to tell you more about the thought processes behind her models but the website on her business card doesn’t work. Doh.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Alex Wells
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Alex Wells
Inspired by octopi, Alex Wells had created a stunning decorative typeface.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Jack Felgate
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Jack Felgate
Jack Felgate‘s work was titled A General Dissatisfaction with the World and featured an assortment of intriguing subjects painted in photo-realistic style on wood (a nuclear bomb, a penis shaped cacti).

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Kotryna Abromaityte
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Kotryna Abromaityte
Black lino cut prints by Kotryna Abromaityte were inspired by folk tales from around the world – most notably a sadistic Lithuanian tale.

amy eyelyn hughes
Strange watery people from Amy Eyelyn Hughes. Nebuchadnezzar: ‘sniggering at a banana or a peculiar shaped tree stump.’

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Rufus Day
Pretty typography by Mia Warner on skateboards by Rufus Day, clearly an enthusiast (of skating).

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Zoe Landry
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Zoe Landry
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Zoe Landry
Zoe Landry screenprinted on cardboard for Houses to Build. I was also intrigued by The Endless Forest, a small installation consisting of wool, wire and mirrors.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Elisa MacDougall
I really like the way that Elisa MacDougall draws people in loose ink brushes: strange that her website too (like theinternetmakesmetired.com) features a cowed person on the floor. What does it all mean?

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Sarah Julia Clark
Who Runs the World? GIRLS – Genius collaged screenprints featuring well known lyrics bathed in a metallic glow, by avid feminist Sarah Julia Clark of Studio Her.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Tom Matthews
Bag Head, Red Face, Cracked Milk, by Tom Matthews.

Now what university of Brighton 2012
For sale: an assortment of brilliant artworks. I really wanted to buy that ace Beyonce poster but I had no money on me. Next up: a review of the graphic designers, also on show at Now What. You can read my reviews of last year’s University of Brighton illustration show here and here.

Categories ,2012, ,3D, ,A General Dissatisfaction with the World, ,Alex Wells, ,Bag Head, ,beyonce, ,Broadway Market, ,Cracked Milk, ,Elisa MacDougall, ,Emily Frances Barrett, ,Farm Sale, ,graduate, ,Houses to Build, ,illustration, ,Jack Felgate, ,Joanna Rutter, ,Jonathan Andrew Taylor, ,Kotryna Abromaityte, ,Lucy Kirk, ,Mia Warner, ,Model Making, ,Nebuchadnezzar, ,Netil House, ,Pippa Toole, ,Red Face, ,review, ,Rufus Day, ,Sarah Julia Clark, ,Scarlett Wilson, ,Set Design, ,Studio Her, ,The Endless Forest, ,Tom Matthews, ,typography, ,University of Brighton, ,Zoe Landry

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Amelia’s Magazine | Now What: University of Brighton Illustration Ba Hons Graduate Show 2012 Review

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Pippa Toole
Image by Pippa Toole.

There were a host of specially curated graduate design exhibitions in London last week – including work by my old gaff, the University of Brighton. The intriguingly titled Now What took place in trendy Netil House at the north end of Broadway Market, a spacious venue that allowed the graduates to spread out and make imaginative use of the space. Although poor lighting made it hard to take decent photos of some of the work I found plenty of student talent to admire: first up the graduating illustrators, many of whom played extensively with the medium: working in 3D, photography and set design.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Lucy Kirk
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Lucy Kirk
Lucy Kirk describes herself as an illustrator, model maker and farmer’s daughter, and her Farm Sale display featured a delightful combination of energetic line drawings and ceramic models of farm workers and their beasts at work and play.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Scarlett Wilson
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Scarlett Wilson
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Scarlett Wilson
Beautiful painterly illustrations and interesting mark making from Scarlett Wilson.

Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
Pippa Toole Brighton What Now
I loved Pippa Toole‘s gothic work, inspired by gang culture and slogans on bikes and leather jackets: all tattoos, posturing and meaty limbs.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 Jonathan Andrew Taylor
Now what university of Brighton 2012 Jonathan Andrew Taylor
Jonathan Andrew Taylor had created strange little characters and also has a website called theinternetmakesmetired.com – which features a shaking distressed man crumpled on the floor. I know how he feels at times.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Joanna Rutter
Joanna rutter
Joanna Rutter mixed print with textile design in her beautifully laid out display.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 Emily Frances Barrett
Emily Frances Barrett created strange worlds teetering and tilting with wooden Ewok style walkways and platforms bearing exotic plants. I’d like to tell you more about the thought processes behind her models but the website on her business card doesn’t work. Doh.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Alex Wells
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Alex Wells
Inspired by octopi, Alex Wells had created a stunning decorative typeface.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Jack Felgate
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Jack Felgate
Jack Felgate‘s work was titled A General Dissatisfaction with the World and featured an assortment of intriguing subjects painted in photo-realistic style on wood (a nuclear bomb, a penis shaped cacti).

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Kotryna Abromaityte
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Kotryna Abromaityte
Black lino cut prints by Kotryna Abromaityte were inspired by folk tales from around the world – most notably a sadistic Lithuanian tale.

amy eyelyn hughes
Strange watery people from Amy Eyelyn Hughes. Nebuchadnezzar: ‘sniggering at a banana or a peculiar shaped tree stump.’

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Rufus Day
Pretty typography by Mia Warner on skateboards by Rufus Day, clearly an enthusiast (of skating).

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Zoe Landry
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Zoe Landry
Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Zoe Landry
Zoe Landry screenprinted on cardboard for Houses to Build. I was also intrigued by The Endless Forest, a small installation consisting of wool, wire and mirrors.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Elisa MacDougall
I really like the way that Elisa MacDougall draws people in loose ink brushes: strange that her website too (like theinternetmakesmetired.com) features a cowed person on the floor. What does it all mean?

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Sarah Julia Clark
Who Runs the World? GIRLS – Genius collaged screenprints featuring well known lyrics bathed in a metallic glow, by avid feminist Sarah Julia Clark of Studio Her.

Now what university of Brighton 2012 -Tom Matthews
Bag Head, Red Face, Cracked Milk, by Tom Matthews.

Now what university of Brighton 2012
For sale: an assortment of brilliant artworks. I really wanted to buy that ace Beyonce poster but I had no money on me. Next up: a review of the graphic designers, also on show at Now What. You can read my reviews of last year’s University of Brighton illustration show here and here.

Categories ,2012, ,3D, ,A General Dissatisfaction with the World, ,Alex Wells, ,Bag Head, ,beyonce, ,Broadway Market, ,Cracked Milk, ,Elisa MacDougall, ,Emily Frances Barrett, ,Farm Sale, ,graduate, ,Houses to Build, ,illustration, ,Jack Felgate, ,Joanna Rutter, ,Jonathan Andrew Taylor, ,Kotryna Abromaityte, ,Lucy Kirk, ,Mia Warner, ,Model Making, ,Nebuchadnezzar, ,Netil House, ,Pippa Toole, ,Red Face, ,review, ,Rufus Day, ,Sarah Julia Clark, ,Scarlett Wilson, ,Set Design, ,Studio Her, ,The Endless Forest, ,Tom Matthews, ,typography, ,University of Brighton, ,Zoe Landry

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Mike Gale of Co-Pilgrim and review of A Fairer Sea

Co Pilgrim by Gemma Cotterell
The Traveller by Gemma Cotterell. This illustration was inspired by the concept of a A Fairer Sea, title of Co-Pilgrim‘s album. The octopus is taming the sea with his melodic folk music.

Co-pilgrim is the new project from Mike Gale, who has enlisted various friends to join him on A Fairer Sea. The album opens with a rollicking beat before the more melancholic Trapeze takes over: songs are inspired by the difficulties of a trans-atlantic relationship, combining often sad lyrics with beautiful tunes and harmonies. Third in the beautiful title track A Fairer Sea makes copious use of slide guitar to create a gentle slice of Americana that belies the lovelorn words. Other highlights include the combination of upbeat chorus and lonely lyrics on I’m Going to the Country, and the final tune, No Guiding LIght, a spiritual questioning in times of woe. Mike Gale has successfully woven together different musical genres and personal experience to create a gorgeous album that deserves a wide audience.

Co-Pilgrim by Lucy Kirk
Co-Pilgrim by Lucy Kirk.

Why Co-pilgrim
My mum actually came up with the name, I just liked the sound of it. I didn’t want the project to be called Mike Gale. Co-pilgrim felt like a good name for a band that isn’t strictly a band in the traditional sense in that we don’t really have a fixed line up, people can come and go as they wish.

co pilgrim album art
I believe this is the most recent of many projects for all your members, what has been your musical trajectory so far and how did you end up here?
Everyone in the current line up apart from Claire ( vocals ) has known and worked with each other for at least 10 years or so. Myself, Andy ( bass ) and Tom ( drums ) were all in a band called Black Nielson. We were lucky enough to get picked up by Joe ( Slide, vocals, keys ) and his brother Robin’s label Truck records about 13 years ago and released some albums through them. I’ve worked on and off with both brothers since. After Black Nielson split I travelled around for a while and worked on Co-pilgrim songs with the people I met but when it came time to make A Fairer Sea I wanted to work with the people that I felt most comfortable with and had the biggest musical connection to, I was lucky enough that Joe, Tom and Andy wanted to do it. We’re also really lucky to have Claire, who is Joe’s wife, on board because her beautiful vocal harmony is exactly what we’ve been missing.

Co-pilgrim by Carley Chiu
Co-pilgrim’s ‘Surreal fantasy land‘ by Carley Chiu.

You are a fan of both Smog and the Beach Boys – how do these two influences manifest in your music?
I think that they both make music designed to get right into your soul. I know some people may consider Bill Callahan‘s music to be a bit miserable and The Beach Boys to be happy and full of sunshine but I think the opposite is often the case. Bill Callahan‘s lyrics are more often than not really funny where as a lot of Beach Boys songs are heartbreaking, especially the later stuff when Brian was losing his way. I guess the thing that I take from them both the most, apart from the harmonies is the idea that just because the feel of a song is happy or sad it doesn’t mean the lyrics need be the same, I really like that trick.

Co-Pilgrim by Carina Martina
Co-Pilgrim by Carina Martina. Co-Pilgrim’s album A Fairer Sea inspired my illustration with its aquatic references and dreamy melodies. 

Would it be fair to say that Co-pilgrim is a combination of folk and country, with a strong American influence? Why do you think British bands have taken Americana to heart in recent years? 
Yeah I suppose that’s fair, though the first bands that I really fell in love with were Stiff Little Fingers and The Jam, I still love them and they’ll always have an influence on me and my songs. I’m not sure It’s only been recently that British bands have been influenced by Americana, I think It’s been an influence for a while, maybe a few breakthrough artists have made it seem like a recent thing? To be honest I’m not really even sure what qualifies a band to be called Americana, it’s quite a broad genre.

co-pilgrim
A good melody is clearly very important to you, how do you write your tunes? 
Thanks, yep, the melody is definitely the most important part of any song for me, then the harmonies. My songwriting style is quite simple I guess. I just sit with my guitar for a while until I find a few chords I like and then try to mumble a melody over the top. I don’t always write a full song in one go, often I’ll have a bunch of little sections that will all end up in different songs. Lyrics always come second to the melody for me, though I really am trying to work harder on my words.

co-pilgrim
Is there a theme to the new album, and if so what is it?
Yeah, the main recurring theme of the album is a long distance relationship I was involved in a while ago with a woman from New York and the struggles we faced in trying to make it work. I moved over there to be with her but ultimately we couldn’t keep it going. It was nobody’s fault and she’s still a dear friend.

YouTube Preview Image
What is title track Fairer Sea about, and what was the idea behind the accompanying video? Who made it?
A Fairer Sea is again about that same relationship. It’s just about how with a bit more luck then maybe we could have made it. The sea is the distance we always had to fight against. Claire from the band and our friend Suzy made the video, it came out brilliantly and fits the theme of the song perfectly.

co-pilgrim
What can we expect next from Co-Pilgrim?
We are going to release a couple more singles from A Fairer Sea over the next few months. During that time we’ll also be starting to record the next album, I’m really excited about the new songs. We’ve got some festival appearances booked over the summer including my favourite little festival, Wood Festival. We’ll see you there!

A Fairer Sea by Co-pilgrim is out now on Battle Worldwide Recordings.

Categories ,A Fairer Sea, ,americana, ,Battle Worldwide Recordings, ,beach boys, ,Bill Callahan, ,Black Nielson, ,Carina Martina, ,Carley Chiu, ,Co-pilgrim, ,Gemma Cotterell, ,interview, ,Lucy Kirk, ,Mike Gale, ,new york, ,review, ,Stiff Little Fingers, ,The Jam, ,Truck records, ,Wood Festival

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