Personal and Professional Practice: 2015

Friday, 25 December 2015

Mince Pies

I really enjoyed creating these Christmas snacks and this type of casual fun arts and crafts is definitely something the Christmas period puts an emphasis on. I want to carry this aspect of creativity in my spare time, not regarding briefs, through my SunDIY project.

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/135967983970/261215-mince-pie-attempt-during-the

DIY Quick Christmas Cards

Berlin Day 3 Flee Market

Berlin Day 2 Art Galleries

Berlin Day 1

Scattered around Berlin are vintage photo booths, these add such as nice nostalgia to the city.
Not only because they are vintage booths but also because they are a really nice way to capture a moment from your time in the city! I love that they instantly print (give or take ten minute wait) and you can have them as a tactile reminder to put in a scrap book or on your wall as a reminder of the trip. I am interested in the choice of vintage booths so below is a list of some of the benefits of using these rather than digital!

It utilizes an old fashioned film and liquid developing process to produce photos on film and liquid developing process to produce photos on film. The photo is taken by a vintage camera within the booth that reflects your image onto the film strip. There is no digital computer technology involved with the vintage photo booth.
The classic photo booth can be developing pictures while guests continue to take photos. A new photo session can begin every 30 seconds, however the photo strips take about 3 minutes to develop. The booth is capable of taking about 120 photos per hour.
Since the classic photo strips are developed and are actual film strips, they can last over 100 years. There are still photo strips in existence from the early 1900's.
The classic film strip has a matte finish and measures about 1.5" x 8". The strip includes 4 photos. A logo can be placed in between each photo on the strip if desired.
Since the classic photo booth develops photos rather than prints them, it is not possible for it to produce copies.
The classic photo booth can produce photos in colour or black and white but they ones I can across in Berlin were all black and white.

We visited the Brandenburg Gate, built as a symbol of peace in the 18th Century, and it was so beautiful because there was a remembrance for refugees at the same time as well as a huge lit Christmas tree. There were speakers talking about the refugees now and in the past and their were roses and candles placed all across the sheets of names and dates on the floor.
This was a great visual display of respect, remembrance and thought towards peace, kindness and acceptance.

Monday, 30 November 2015

Artist Research: April Coppini

http://aprilcoppini.com/about.htm

Vivienne Westwood Animation

https://www.instagram.com/p/-uARg_EM-N/?taken-by=viviennewestwoodofficial

Christmas Theme: Katie Hickey

https://www.facebook.com/katiehickeydraws/?fref=ts

Photoshoot

http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/2015/11/alessandro-michele-gucci-designer/photos/slide/1?mbid=social_facebook

Printer: Rushka Gray

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qhlhz

Monday, 23 November 2015

John Watters and Patrick Feedback and Advice

Before I went into my one on one tutorial I came up with a few questions/topics I wanted to ask about...

Work experience - easter?
Visit studios/agencies? Day trips?
Email?
Anthropologie? -email?
Creative CV? Separate to academic CV?
Project Pack? Colourful? Pattern?
Masters? Vis com?
India Brief? - book/media/pages/size/theme- daily life/people/pattern
India Brief - photography?
Book cover? Sleeve/painted material etc

John suggested that perhaps my India project could be expanded and that I should definitely be more ambitious, why not contact publishers? An India travel guide? Research publishers! Contact them and ask them questions about what they would be interested in seeing in a book about India by an illustrator... what can the fact I am an illustrator add to a book? (A lot!) but think USP!

John also suggested keeping a record of a wish list in general.. this way you can think about what it would take to make them happen and soon enough you may have done them!

Give the reader/viewer/observer MORE! Think about senses! Touch, smell, taste, sound not just sight in order to give an Indian experience told through my experience.

Also when regarding contacting and visiting artists, think about artists for COP such as Polly Morgan, contact her and ask her advice and her opinions - for example on if taxidermy is one form of human dominance over animals in a negative way? Or if she sees it as an expression and celebration in a respectful way of the animal, or a respectful way of confronting the relationship between humans and animals?

Patrick also gave me a lot of feedback about my India reportage project. He reminded me that Laura Carlin would have created the illustrations for her book 10 Days in Tokyo, within the 10 days she was in Tokyo... unlike me, who will be creating the majority of the work in retrospect. So with this in mind I will definitely not be doing 14 Days in India!

Patrick suggested it was crucial to give myself a mission statement for my India project in order to give my work direction. Obviously I want to include colour, pattern and people as these aspects are what I am extremely passionate about. But he reminded me of how important it was to break out of the square of the page! To work on separate pieces of paper, using interesting and cool stock. Using mixed media, found objects and printing! Think hidden collage and texture. Think something to excite and engage the reader, fold outs, flaps, things to engage with! Also what can lead the reader onto the next page, cut outs? One continuous line spanning through the book? Colour? e.g. red leading onto next page? Think India- layers, clutter, disorganized, friendly, people of all ages, colour, rush e.g. traffic vs relaxed rules on the road! Juxtapositions.

Think themes... organise your photographs into themes! Edit them. What would look good black and white? What has great colour? What could you screen print black and white then add colour?

My India project must be intriguing - using media and the content - think layout, perspective and cropping... looking through my sketchbook work it was disappointing to see how safe I'd stayed. He was not a fan, and neither was I, that a lot of my work stayed firmly in the centre of the page and did not venture off the page.

3D- overwhelm the observer - scent! suggestions like, tea time! and masala chai tea bag hanging.

Indian Mixed Media

-Fine art book-

We thought a fine art type of book would be really cool as it would be 3D and full of the chaos of India conveyed through print, materials and illustrations.

Photographs could be photocopied onto cool stock...

...organised into themes such as faces and places

...black and white and then colourised by hand

Prints and drawing and stitching onto material.

Loose paper, newspaper - experimenting!

Check if you have any Indian newspapers. - Checked and my mum had them and shes thrown them in the bin.

EXPERIMENT WITH PRINT - START NOW - there is a print room drop in tomorrow so if I prepare some lino cuts tonight I can do them tomorrow.

ESTUDIO PPP - to catch up! They will be putting up their presentations on estudio soon so once its up read them and write reactions to them on my PPP blog!

Your own website. Buy domain name?

Portfolio - digital and physical portfolio

BE BRAVE IN REDUCTION - don't be scared of taking things away. Practice with negative space in your work!

I discussed my project pack and business card design etc with Patrick as my pack last year was far too girly as I wanted some edge particularly to do with 'wasps' and to add some juxtaposition and intrigue... he recommended Angela Carter for inspiration...

Angela Carter - wasps, anthropomorphic, 'A Night at the Circus'.

CONTACT PEOPLE STARTING NOW

Publishers!

Agents!

Ask questions related to your projects!

PRINTING - 14-19th Dec the print room should be empty!

BERLIN TRIP IN XMAS HOLS

Similar but much shorter project to India - reportage brief... but this time a collaboration with another illustration student - research psycho geography - collect things, map your way. draw a line and draw what you find/your experiences along the way.

BLOGGING. MAKE TIME EVERY DAY DEDICATED TO PPP BLOG. (6am-7am?)

Feedback on PPP Blog...

So far... not ideal...

POSTS NOT JUST LINKS ALICE!
POST WHAT YOU LOVE.

Describe why you love it, why you hate it, why it inspires you and how it informs your work!

For example my Magpie page on my Tumblr, but with description and analysis!

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/tagged/magpie

Agencies!

Today we had a presentation about agencies which I found really helpful as it described their pro's and cons as well as giving a brief description on what they do.

I think agencies definitely sound like a good idea particularly when starting to deal with contacts and getting your name out.
www.prospects.ac.uk
^use this to aid research!

Amanda Hall's blog was recommended to us as a good example of how to structure and use our own blogs... http://www.amandahall-illustration.com/
Her email address is... ah@amandahall-illustration.com

Agency Pro's

Get you business.
You give them the authority to do this^
Organise everything.
Confident and professional with clients.
Security - deals with orders/invoice/payment.
Promotion.
Advice,

Agency Con's

The 'middleman' feeling.
Contacts are harder to make.
Fees - But their getting you the work!

List of Agencies to research:

Louise Chappel and Becky Bolton went with Jacky Winter.
Sue Doeksen's views on agencies.
oneluckyhelen.com
mullanillustration.com
Directory of Illustration
Plum Pudding
Handsome Frank
CIA - Central Illustration
Lemonade Illustration
Amanda Hall Illustration
Handsome Frank
The AOI
Jelly London

GIVE THE AGENCIES SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR YOU!

Competitive... so what can you give them?

Lets see this in your portfolio! - digital and practical.

Once you have an agent, never mention money to others!

Only the work they find you should get 30% - Give nothing until they give you the job!

Always read the contract - Read terms and conditions!

Thursday, 19 November 2015

MASTERS RESEARCH

http://search.arts.ac.uk/s/search.html?collection=courses&query=illustration&profile=_default&f.Course+level%7Cl=Postgraduate

http://www.rca.ac.uk/schools/

http://www.rca.ac.uk/schools/school-of-communication/visual_communication/ma-description/

http://www.rca.ac.uk/studying-at-the-rca/apply/applications-2016-17/

http://www.rca.ac.uk/studying-at-the-rca/apply/open-days/

http://www.adg.org/

http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/whats-on

http://www.anthropologie.com/uk/en/category/christmas+decor/christmas-readyingthehome-deckthehalls.jsp?cm_sp=TOPNAV-_-CHRISTMAS-_-READYINGTHEHOME-DECKTHEHALLS#/

http://www.postgraduatesearch.com/pgs/pgs_browse.pg_design?p_qual=masters&p_bcat=illustration&p_bloc=uk&p_stdy=study&page_no=2

Saw this book in uni today and I like it and I might buy it...

Good inspiration for sketchbook ideas to keep experimenting with different media and techniques.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sketchbooks-Hidden-Designers-Illustrators-Creatives/dp/1780670222

Thought Bubble Zine

Info about thought bubble

Insert blog post (tumblr) about cop zine

Thursday, 15 October 2015

August Art for Arthritis Project: UPDATE: Giselle's Family Portrait Finished

I have finally finished Giselle's family portrait. This illustration was done on A3 paper, in order to fit in a detailed portrait and background of the family holiday home in Cornwall in. I first sketched a rough out in pencil in order to arrange the individuals and background (as the reference photos of their faces were all from separate images). I then used water colour to add colour to the image. I then used black fine liner to draw in the details/faces etc. I wasn't happy with this as the final image though so I decided to add some depth by adding some acrylic paint to specific parts such as highlights and a border to fade into the image. Once this had been done I decided to neaten it up a bit by adding more details with some black fine liner, while I was doing this it allowed me to have another go at getting a better resemblance to the faces.

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/131222593830/151015

Find this on my Tumblr Blog under August Art for Arthritis Research; even though it has been finished in October, the proceeds are still going to this charity so I am keeping it under the same tag/page for now. I will be packaging and posting this image to the family in Ireland this week.

Wednesday, 14 October 2015

Graduate Scheme Research

https://jobs.theguardian.com/jobs/retail-and-fmcg/graduate-scheme/direct-employer/#browsing

https://jobs.theguardian.com/job/6190345/fundraising-and-marketing-graduate-programme/?LinkSource=PremiumListing

Meeting with Ingrid; Careers Advice

www.prospects.ac.uk

Employers + vacancies, sources
Jobs and work experience
Types of jobs - publishing, advertising, marketing and media
Account
Related jobs
Illustrator
Work experience in agencies and companies - Art directors
Email/ring up
careers - bottom of website
PR
Linked In - workshop? Summary - looking for work experience in... such as... I love... final year, experience in etc
Unify work- portfolio- something pulling it together - your USP
think of the sector
Magazines read- Creative Review, Mad (in lib) Writers and Artists Yearbook.
Graduate schemes are happening NOW
CV

Pottery Barn

http://www.newbarn.co.uk/pottery1.htm

Thought Bubble Zine

I was thinking of combining my COP3 project, focussing on the relationship between animals and humans, with my zone content.

The exploring this topic through art has been really interesting to me and I think the media I have been using in my sketchbook to do that would work well photocopied for the zine.

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

NEST

Here's my NEST submission for the topic of 'light'.

©12/10/15 ☁️

A photo posted by A WASP IN A WIG (@a_wasp_in_a_wig) on Oct 12, 2015 at 12:23pm PDT

I decided to focus on the feeling of lightness when flying... however I used my research from my COP3 project to fuel this idea; investigating into the fact that one thing humans have no mastered through evolution is being able to fly naturally (using our bodies not tools), this means that birds still hold this skill over us. It is a key thing that we, as humans, long for, and you can see this when you ask people what their super power would be, the answer is often 'to be able to fly'.

I thought this fitted in really well under the topic of light so I decided to send it in to see what they think of it.

Sunday, 11 October 2015

2015 Thought Bubble Zine Brief

Level 5 & 6 Summary Brief
Create an A5 12-page Zine plus front and back cover (4 A4 sheets photocopied, folded in half and stapled or sewn together).
Your choice of white or coloured stock.
There is an example mock-up of a zine on the noticeboard outside Studio 1.
Make a minimum of 5 copies to be sold at your table at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble dates: Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November
Zine deadline: Tuesday 11 November, 4pm in Room 236.
Zines must be packaged and ready for sale.

Friday, 9 October 2015

First Seminar

2 0 C R E D I T S

P P P

How do you present your work?

P O R T F O L I O

W E B S I T E

B L O G

E X T E N D E D P R O J E C T

B Y

D O C U M E N T I N G

E V A L U A T I N G

P R E S E N T I N G

T O A P R O F E S S I O N A L S T A N D A R D

__________

T H I S M O D U L E I S…

A L L A B O U T M E

M Y P R O F E S S I O N A L P R A C T I C E

My Reflections

My Individual Interests;

Briefs

Visits

Opportunities

Employment

Education

Skills

Open Days etc

( D O C U M E N T E D & E V A L U A T E D )

Communication;

At a professional level.

Across all medium.

Interact with my Artist Researches!

M E D I A

C O L L A G E

I N K S

M I X E D M E D I A

P R I N T S

P O T A T O P R I N T S

L I N O P R I N T S

Confidentiality with clients;

Read documents!!

Note to self:

Read my business book for some basic insight and knowledge.

Get tickets for V&A India

B E P R O A C T I V E

Engage with craft fairs/events etc

Say why!

Monday, 5 October 2015

Brand Research: Anthropologie

What does 'Anthropologie' even mean?

'Anthropology'

It is the study of humanity.

Its main subdivisions are social and cultural anthropology, which describes the workings of societies around the world, linguistic anthropology, which investigates the influence of language in social life, and biological or physical anthropology, which concerns long-term development of the human organism.

Eric R. Wolf states, "Ideas about race, culture and peoplehood or ethnicity have long served to orient anthropology's inquiries."

Anthropology in Art

One of the central problems in the anthropology of art concerns the universality of 'art' as a cultural phenomenon. Several anthropologists have noted that the Western categories of 'painting', 'sculpture', or 'literature', conceived as independent artistic activities, do not exist, or exist in a significantly different form, in most non-Western contexts. To surmount this difficulty, anthropologists of art have focused on formal features in objects which, without exclusively being 'artistic', have certain evident 'aesthetic' qualities. Below are some examples in this trend to transform the anthropology of 'art; into an anthropology of culturally specific 'aesthetics'....

Boas' Primitive Art

Claude Lévi-Strauss' The Way of the Masks (1982)

Geertz's 'Art as Cultural System' (1983)

Helpful reference link: http://hypergeertz.jku.at/GeertzTexts/Art_Cultural.htm

This topic also really links in to my COP3 project; considering the 'human gaze' in relation to animals in art.

YouTube:

Website/Shop link:

http://www.anthropologie.com/uk/en/category/gifts/gifts.jsp?cm_sp=TOPNAV-_-GIFTS#/

http://www.anthropologie.com/uk/en/index.jsp?cm_mmc=Bing_UK-_-Anthropologie_Brand_RAIS-_-Brand_RAIS_MTE-_-anthropologies

http://www.anthropologie.com/uk/en/blog/meet-the-maker-michelle-morin/

P I N T E R E S T

I am soooo happy they have a Pinterest with loads of fun, interesting and creative boards on- The link below is for their textures board, and I think that this board is going to have a massive influence on my COP3 aesthetic as I am studying animals and they are all about textures so this type of imagery will be at the fore front of my mind and inspire me to try out and experiment with new materials and the effects and feelings they can produce and portray!

https://www.pinterest.com/anthropologieeu/textured/

N O T E T O S E L F : Talk to Vicky's friend Grace as I think she is doing an internship with them concerning fashion. Research into the artists they use such as the ones featured on their YouTube channel.

Saturday, 26 September 2015

Artist Research: Victo Ngai

http://victo-ngai.com/

Q&A:

http://victo-ngai.com/305166/q-a

Artist/Designer Research: John Lewis Inspiration

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/128708193330/john-lewis-haul-packaging-and-design-that-i

Research into these brands and the designers/illustrators behind them.

Also brands/shops such as Anthropologie (absolutely love)

August Art for Arthritis Research UK: Danielle;Present for her mum

A friend of a friend asked for a portrait of her and her mum for a birthday present. She gave me a reference photo and asked for it to be done in a similar media to the others; watercolour and pen.

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/129353582235/180915-one-of-the-last-illustrations-for-my

Artist Research: Big Heads

Look over Big Heads videos for career/future inspiration etc:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL78i5MZE_znWHz1IzPqdFQ

BLOGGERS

GIIZELE OLIVEIRA

The happiness of drinking a real coconut water ❤️ thanks @marchcaps for the cap 🌈 photo by @xbananax ✨ #love #saopaulo #brazil #style

A photo posted by Gizele Oliveira (@giizeleoliveira) on Aug 1, 2015 at 11:21am PDT

https://instagram.com/giizeleoliveira/

INDIA ROSE

CP girls in TO

A photo posted by india rose (@indiaroseco) on May 9, 2015 at 1:49pm PDT

https://instagram.com/indiaroseco/

ALEALI MAY

039: @cmeocollective @vansgirls Shop my look @liketoknow.it www.liketk.it/1M20A #liketkit

A photo posted by Aleali (uh•lay•lee) (@alealimay) on Sep 21, 2015 at 10:51am PDT

https://instagram.com/alealimay/

CHARLOTTE GROENEVELD

Arriving at @officialdelpozo 🚀 Wearing this beautiful @gucci dress via @netaporter Premier Same-day delivery, which is now available in New York, London and Hong Kong • Photo by @jeffthibodeauco #NYFW #Thefashionguitar #ThefashionguitarinNewYork #CharlotteGroeneveld #NewYork #FashionWeek #SeeitBuyitLoveit

A photo posted by Charlotte G. (@thefashionguitar) on Sep 17, 2015 at 5:32am PDT

https://instagram.com/thefashionguitar/

MANSURGAVRIEL

MG SS16 shot by @tommyton ❤️❤️❤️

A photo posted by Mansur Gavriel (@mansurgavriel) on Sep 16, 2015 at 9:30am PDT

https://instagram.com/mansurgavriel/

MAGAZINES

I-D MAGAZINE

http://i-d.vice.com/en_gb

HI FRUCTOSE

http://hifructose.com/

ROOKIE MAG

http://www.rookiemag.com/

COMPETITIONS

DEUTSCHE BANK AWARDS fostering creative enterprise

'At Deutsche Bank we believe that being able to articulate your vision within a professional context is an invaluable skill that can turn talent into career success. For 21 years, the Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprises have offered training to thousands of students in their final year of study, helping them develop business plans for life after art school.

15 winning individuals and groups will go on to receive £10,000 in start-up capital to realise their business plan, along with business training and a mentor - to support graduates in their first year as creative entrepreneurs.'

PREVIOUS WINNERS:

https://www.db.com/unitedkingdom/content/en/Deutsche_Bank_Awards_for_Creative_Enterprises_offer_business_boost_to_creative_graduates.html

https://www.db.com/unitedkingdom/content/en/deutsche_bank_awards_fostering_creative_enterprise.html

Artist Research: Damien Cuypers

I really want to start doing some quick weekly blog posts about current relevant topics, particularly focussing on fashion illustration. This is not 100% the road I want to go down but it is definitely something I love and have a massive interest for in my personal life (I may not dress fashionably but I love the art form, the design, and the theatrics involved!)

Here is one artist I looked at on my Tumblr which really inspires me to create some spontaneous and quick sketches to capture the fashion world using a colourful media -one that I don't use enough of - coloured crayon/pencil.

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/129916925065/damien-cuypers-lfw-illustrations-as-part-of-his

I was thinking of using this idea for some of my Studio Practice self set briefs... perhaps featuring a blogger (fashion/beauty/baking etc) on my own Tumblr every Sunday (for example). I would create a few quick illustrations for them based on their own photos from their blogs/instagrams and then do a small section on why I really like them, why they inspire me or why they inspire others etc! I thought this would be a really good idea for me as I do this anyway I just don't write it down! It would be a good platform to build up for collaborations as well if I could draw their attention to my work and they could be a great promotional tool! This generation uses social media to really empower individuals and self set up businesses to get a fan base and loyal customers etc or to just get your name out!

I am constantly inspired on apps such as Instagram and follow loads of individuals and brands that I absolutely love! I always am seeing things that I want to interpret through drawing so this would be a great opportunity for me to do this. If I set myself a saturday or sunday morning -say 8am till 12pm to research, draw and write up the blog post it means I can do it often and reliably and practice sticking to a schedule and time limit regularly. This wouldn't seem like much at the time however over the year it will add up and if I use my Tumblr to create a particular page for this project it means that I can seperate this project into its own social media spot!... drawing in a new audience (that of the bloggers/brands and the bloggers/brands themselves) and it may lead to other opportunities of collaborations with them as they use visual ques on their own social media to entice people to the creativity of their brands etc so they may love some drawn work!... if not it is still something that I will enjoy and won't take too much time away from my other projects if I just focuss one morning a week purely on this particular project!

Saturday, 5 September 2015

Professional Skills and Knowledge

Professional skills and knowledge that I want to continue to develop over the next 12 months:
(and how)

Training and Development Oppurtunities

PGCE Research

MA Research

Zine: Vagina Dentata

Vagina dentata (Latin for toothed vagina) describes a folk tale in which a woman's vagina is said to contain teeth, with the associated implication that sexual intercourse might result in injury, emasculation, or castration for the man involved.

My friend Jasmine has launched a new project, called @vaginadentatazine. Dedicated to Sci-Fi & Fantasy Females, Issue 001 will be coming in 2016. 🚀

On the 4th Sept they got their first feature on Dazed & Confused Magazine and were ecstatic! Stating - A big thank you to @dazedmagazine & @ashleighkane 💚

They launched their feminist zine 'Vagina Dentata' at Ditto.
It consists of portraits taken of inspirational women that Yasmine Akim knows on a personal level, the photo-zine also involves written reflections on their lives and the freedom manifest within radical expression.

You can follow the zine over on Tumblr and Instagram at @vaginadenta

tazine 💌

http://vaginadentatayasmineakim.tumblr.com/post/109705875713/alexandra-moon-age

I have been contacting Jasmine about getting involved with producing any illustrations for the zine.

She responded: 'That'd be amazing, I'm running it alongside as my fmp, so am officially starting physical work on the first print issue end of September and will be doing like a call for submissions around the start of October, so I'll message you around them if that's alright? It'd be amazing to feature some of your work!' So I will be keeping that in mind for in a couple of weeks time.

Her Zine's Instagram has also been mentioned on Dazed and Confused Magazine:

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/26240/1/follow-these-zines-on-instagram-for-some-serious-eye-candy-follow-friday

Thursday, 3 September 2015

Jonathon Wayshak: Zine inspiration

https://www.pinterest.com/dearalice1/zine-inspiration/

Henry Darger

http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/7701/henry-darger-in-the-realms-of-the-unreal

COLLECTIVES

Research and contact:

PRACTITIONERS

Research and contact:

STUDIOS

Research and contact:

POKED STUDIO

POKEDSTUDIO is an international illustration, design and animation studio based in Cardiff, UK. Founded by illustrator Jonathan Ball who has built a reputation for wacky and non-conformist character designs, intricate worlds and edgy video graphics.

At POKEDSTUDIO we can happily work with 3D, vector and hand drawn imagery.

We create characters, illustrations, animations, adverts, packaging designs, logos display fonts, game concept design and storyboards

pokedstudio is represented by illustration agents / USA & Canada / Mendola Reps 212 986 5680
Holland / Shop Around 31 (0) 6 543 359 54 - Australia and South East Asia / Red Ape 61 414 964 108

CLIENT LIST

Brands

MTV, BBC, Sony, Playstation , Microsoft, Nickelodeon, Doritos, Channel 4, Fight My Monster, Mattel, Disney, Sprett, Sainsbury's, LBS, Britvic, National Library Wales, Brooks, Affinity, CFDT, Annabellecandy, Mofi, Rijo, Burger King, McDonald's, Hewlett Packard, Rossignol, Tiger beer, Ubuntu, Apoteket, Odwalla, Jumbo Dairy, Trend Micro, Activision, Argos, Atari, o2

Agencies

Sattchi & Sattchi, Proximity London, Sequence, Preloaded, Zodiak, Phenonemon, Love creative, CHI&Partners, Bowden Smyth, Banner, Landor, The Gild, Passion Pictures, Ogilvy & Mather, Leo Burnett, BBDO, Wieden Kennedy, TBWA Paris

Publications

Computer arts, Digit, .NET, Creativity Magazine, Popular Mechanic, FHM, Stuff, Men's Health, Vrij Nederland, 3D world, 3D arts, Super Modified, illustration Now Vol 4, Big Book of Illustration Ideas, FRRRESH, 3D Creative, Fast Company magazine, Art of Blender

Others

Project gooseberry, Haribo ( band ), Big Gigantic

Selected exhibitions

Pictoplasma - animations screenings - April 29-May-3 2015 - Berlin

Sho Gallery - we eat pixel dust - July 2014 - Cardiff

Mediatheque Noisy-le Sec near - video game art - 2014 - Paris

Penarth Pavillion- 2014 - Cardiff

Gallery la fayette - Make feet beautiful - 2009 - Paris

Digital artists award - 2009 - London

Rasterizing - 2009 - Glasgow

http://www.pokedstudio.com/blog/

AGENCIES

Research and Contact:

DUKE STUDIOS
Duke studios is an open collaborative space in the City Centre of Leeds. With a company motto of people first, business second, Duke is not your usual work space provider. Based around a co-working model, Duke Studios provides a range of workspaces, creative services and facilities.

http://duke-studios.com/about-us

CENTRAL ILLUSTRATION AGENCY
The Central Illustration Agency is one of the 'world's leading resources for the very best in contemporary commercial art and interactive motion graphics'. Based in the heart of london, CIA represent a strikingly diverse group of illustrators from all over the world working with advertising, design and publishing industries.

http://centralillustration.com/

ILLUSTRATION WEB
Illustration Ltd represents some of the 'world's finest illustrators'. Browse by illustrator, animator or style or through agents.
List of agents:
http://www.illustrationweb.com/Contact.aspx

http://www.illustrationweb.com/

http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/24720/1/fashion-v-censorship-a-history-of-banned-ads-miu-miu-tom-ford

Banned ads... why are they banned - societies taboos? Why are these more shocking than others? And what does this reflect about our society?

Inspo: Tavi Gevinson

An interview she did for TED talks:

ehfoiehief

Portraits: Animalistic

As part of my dissertation project I really want to explore how creating art that makes people look slightly animalistic disturbs us (well at least disturbs us in western society). I have started experimenting with portraits based on photographs of girls looking natural but looking straight at the camera as I think this really confronts the viewer with the emotional reaction directly - as if coming across this human in the wild/real life/face-to-face.

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/125002396405/250715-sketchbook-girl-model-art

I love it when you go camping or walking etc and you start to loose touch with your usual inhibitions... weeing in the woods, fields, not showering if there's no washrooms - just washing your face hands and feet, swimming in rivers getting muddy, sitting on the ground and sleeping on the ground, cooking with limited utensils, spending ages getting a fire going, playing and being imaginative and creative with the nature around you. Things that would mostly never be acceptable in your normal day-to-day living but yet are so natural to human beings.

I really want to explore our links with animals and how and why we have as a society seperated ourselves so much from our natural interactions with the world. We don't even look up at the sky half the time.

Books such as Lord of the Flies, programmes such as Island with Bear Grylls* and films like The Beach and Wild encounter this issue of our animal tendencies (in my opinion not just tendencies... we are all part of the animal kingdom really)... either warning us against it or just exploring it. I think people really worry that embracing animalistic ways means no rules and no order... but that is something the animal kingdom is absolutely full of.

For this project I want to explore the huge parts of life that link us despite our want of separation. The rawness of the animal kingdom is something artists also embrace; the raw truth behind our actions and behaviours. Art shows us our truth- the truths we usually avoid or don't face. But why don't we want to face them? The interesting thing about cultures and societies is our rituals; every animal and human is born, mates, and dies... and we all have rituals around this allowing us to continue and cope with celebration and loss so that it doesn't overwhelm us but lets us continue with survival of ourselves and our genes etc. Religions and other folklaw/tribal rituals do this. We face whats happened and move on. But gods and the spirits give us hope, give us a reason and an explanation. They allow us to continue surviving without driving ourselves crazy. I want to see what the rituals in the animal kingdoms are- if they too do this or if this is what defines us. I also want to explore the influence of animals as gods and spiritual motifs, and why those particular animals have been used? Throughout history we have been learning from animals and even chosen them as our gods. In today's society I think we need to respect and embrace these links in order to make people happier.

Working 9-5 sat in an office or school where you cant see a sky, the earth, or a plant (maybe just one cactus etc haha) then getting a stuffy train home, back to a closed in house and then perhaps to a boxy pub. No wonder people are getting so depressed. At least some people do this and get some social interaction with the other people around them, but what about those that don't. I really don't see the way a lot of people live there lives as a recipe for success based on our social and natural values that we have evolved to live with- being part of a collective society helping and being helped by others, working with the earth, with animals, gathering and collecting, being active and tactile with our environment. There's a reason you feel better after a run, and there's a reason you feel depressed and bored in the classroom/office room. It isn't natural for human beings to be sat on a computer all day.

I will be exploring and investigating the key themes that connect us all in the animal kingdom and the reasons for societies separation to this world.

* http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a593770/the-island-with-bear-grylls-to-feature-men-and-women-in-two-shows.html#~pneOgYvB7vagDD

Henley-on-Thames: Street Art

On the hunt for street art in this small middle class town is a bit of a challenge...

My findings so far:

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/125100331395/henleys-so-edgy-thoughtprovoking

Not too expressive of the youth in this society but more of a wannabee bansky thought provoking statement by someone wanting to push their own boundaries... but still in a suburban, respectable and safe way? Basically just not that shocking or imaginative haha but a good start.
Also liking the 'NO!' at the bottom. Henley youth has no chill.

New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: China: Through the Looking Glass.

Both my sister and I absolutely adored this exhibition. It was both the way the garments were presented within the exhibition itself; alongside videos giving contextual reference and the original pattern inspirations alongside the designers work. It was so good to see this link between the inspiration and the catwalk garment. I love history and I think it's great to be presented with the co-operation between the influences of the Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how this country has fueled the creative imagination for centuries.

This collaboration between The Costume Institute and the Department of Asian Art combines high fashion with Chinese costumes, paintings and porcelains. The dress below was absolutely stunning and the craft behind it was breath taking, as was with all of the other incredible garments, however this one in particular stood out because of the juxtaposition with the heavy but precious material (porcelain) used and the function of a dress - however this was definitely a work of art rather than a functional garment to do the shopping in! It really played with the inspiration behind the design by using actual pottery - not just the painted design used on pottery- embracing the work of art behind this chinese craft of the pottery itself.

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/128260773480/030915-amazed-by-this-dress-at-the-met-ny

The MET describes the exhibition:

'From the earliest period of European contact with China in the sixteenth century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from the East, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashions are infused at every turn with romance, nostalgia, and make-believe. Through the looking glass of fashion, designers conjoin disparate stylistic references into a pastiche of Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions.'

'The exhibition features more than 140 examples of haute couture and avante-garde ready-to-wear alongside Chinese art. Filmic representations of China are incorporated throughout to reveal how our visions of China are framed by narratives that draw upon popular culture, and also to recognise the importance of cinema as a medium through which to understand the richness of Chinese history.'

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/128262584225/videos-related-to-the-exhibition-china-through

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/129412634085/190915-sketchbook-work-in-response-to-china

Monday, 31 August 2015

Very STILL Life

So being bed bound and disabled has been really annoying as I have been unable to go to all the different exhibitions etc that I would like to... However it does mean I have the extra opportunity to sit back and enjoy my exciting surroundings...

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/128056682740

London: #WhatReallyMattersfest

My friend Rosie is involved in this project and if I wasnt on crutches I would have definitely made it down as I think its a fabulous idea to embrace Britains youth for their successes in motivation and creativity- this festival is aimed at the youth! Something productive and positive to see and be inspired by or get involved in! This is a theme I want to look at in my zine- however I am not sure yet whether the scene is specified to being like a comic or magazine...!

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/128056103175/festival-what-really-matters-tate

Henley-on-Thames: Printing Studios

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/128052839835/visited-a-print-studio-in-henley-today-which-was

Sunday, 30 August 2015

New York: Shopping Destination

One of our tasks in NYC was to find my sister a prom dress. We headed straight for Macy's. After a few trips to the changing room we were all starting to loose hope... until we headed upstairs where there was a floor dedicated to dresses and in particular ballgowns. There was even a section for fur coats to complete the outfit. (Obviously we opted out of the real fur coats however it was interesting to see that there must be a huge consumer market for it there :/ )

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/127957011580

I just found America a bit crazy and overwhelming due to its extreme capitalist and consumer values. A few days later we walked past a begger who was homeless and had been scarred from a house fire, he clearly couldnt work due to the intensity of his injuries and I realised I was so shocked because I have never seen someone obviously disabled begging in England. My mum works in social services sector and she told me a few basics about the differences between America vs England and its safety nets, however this is definitely something I don't know enough about but should do!

So I used the bag to create a collage based on a few more serious subjects. I did one page based on the faceless mass of homeless people - most of the time people don't even look them in the eye when they pass, this way they can continue their shopping with a clear conscience. If they don't notice them, they don't exist. I also put my 9/11 memorial ticket on the other page with falling stars; symbolising the lives that were lost in both the planes and buildings, the stars on the American flag and the star on the front of the Macy's bag.

Work Work

Every time I go to work I am inspired by both the work ethic of my boss and other employees and by the amazing locations, houses and decor where we do the events. Most of the time we do private events around oxfordshire/berkshire/buckinghamshire at peoples own homes or hired out venues. I am lucky enough to work for a well respected company so we often go to incredible stately homes and get a chance to see how the other half live. A few times this summer I have been running round the old servants quarters transporting champagne etc from one secret passage way to another... I find the interior and exterior design in these places absolutely breath taking and you just want to be really unprofessional and explore! I love that they have huge portraits of family members and really embrace their history and family. I also love all of the little details such as fire places, door knobs etc which are beautifully crafted... I even came across a toilet seat I wanted to take a picture of!

http://awaspinawig.tumblr.com/post/127985712800/peacock-at-work-yesterday

Here is a photo of an old pet I discovered in Fawley Court, one of the locations I worked in... this job also brings your attention to the amount of perfection and detail the 'upperclasses' have in their etiquette and behavior, for example we were scolded for not having the wrapper around the wine cut to a perfect line. It is a good glimpse into how important it is to have the most exclusive best of the best in some societies- I think this comes from investing money wisely for example putting money into property and into the right timeless quality curtains etc. However this job also opens my eyes to the amount of waste and how disposable money is to some people- you open catering (ginormous) fridges at weddings and they are overfilling with hundred pound bottles of champagne which we get told to constantly fill guests flutes with... the experience of the upper-classes is to have enough money not to worry about money. Tasteful extravagance and luxury.

This definitely influences my work as I always pick up on the intricacies and details in the designs around these houses. It also makes you think about why people buy things and who buys what and why- what are they trying to show or portray... or do they just like it- but why? These are important questions for me to think about as the work I do in my illustration will be likely to be involved in commercial items etc.