How to get a D&AD Award; Chris Arrowsmith's Journey

Chris who graduated this Summer won the silver award in the illustration category in the D&AD student awards this year.
He has recently been asked to answer a few questions for D&AD about his journey to his award so here is a copy of his reply.  We were so pleased, but not surprised, that we produced one of the best students in the country last year.
Not only was it a cool achievement but Chris is also a modest guy so we point you at his portfolio and blog (click the title link).

Norman Rockwell's America - Exhibition

From 17th December until March 27th the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition of the work of American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978). Rockwell was arguably America's most famous and popular illustrator of the Twentieth Century. The Gallery has all of his Saturday Evening Post covers over 300 painted over a sixty year career, as well as his other editorial and advertising work. His figurative paintings depict a classic Americana; heartwarming, and sentimental.

This exhibition looks well worth the trip to London. For full details click the title link.

The Small Stakes music posters by Jason Munn

Just received a really beautiful book of Jason Munn's Poster Designs. Jason Munn aka The Small Stakes has been operating since 2003 designing and screen printing posters and t shirts for the music industry for the likes of Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse etc. Simple layout and metallic inks used throughout. The book has been out for a few weeks and is published by Chronicle Books. Click the title link for his website.

Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing

Coming soon on a DVD near you Australian illustrator Shaun Tan's tale of the Lost Thing a short animated film by Passion Pictures Australia. Click the title link for information.

Big Bumper Xmas Link Update!

Hello - As you may have seen there has been a major update of the links from this blog.
If you are interested in illustration then you should be able to find something here for you? Please have a look at the illustrators web links, and learn from some of the best illustrators in the business.
I have also begun to link to illustration blogs, and illustration agencies too.
As well as adding links to other interesting related sites such as specialist bookstores and galleries etc.
The preston illustrators sites are due for a spring clean too - so you better have updated your site in the last few months or you may find your link will disappear... grr.

In the meantime have cool Yule and a happy new year!

Fancy a brew!

Year Three Illustration student Helen Draper set up a performance installation piece in the window of Brucciani's on Fishergate in Preston. Based around her love of tea Helen has created a tea dress made out of over 300 teabags and staged a tea ceremony in the window of  the well known Preston tea shop.

We still can't decide whether she should brew up an enormous pot of tea at the end of the Summer show?
The stunt was featured in the LEP and you can read their story by clicking the title link.

Images 35 Selection

How good are we?! Its that time again when we can blow our own trumpet as no-one will do it for us!

The Association of Illustrators annual jury selection of the best of British illustration IMAGES 35 has been made and a few former UCLAN illustration students and friends of the course have been selected for this prestigious annual and show.

We are particularly pleased to see that last year's graduates Andy Thomson and Rob Gill have been selected. Recent graduate Liam Derbyshire, and current MA Children's Book Illustration student Carly Gledhill have also been selected. So well done all four of you!

Andy Thomson

Rob Gill

Carly Gledhill

Liam Derbyshire

Well done too Kevin Hauff, Jill Calder and David Hughes former visiting lecturers to the uni.
I trust I haven't missed anybody from my list.

Working Drawings Conference at Sheffield Hallam

Get yourself along to "Working Drawings" a conference to be held at Sheffield Hallam University on Friday 3rd December 2010 with speakers Steve Smith (Neasden Control Centre), Jill Calder, and Roderick Mills and an exhibition featuring the work of:
Neasden Control Centre, Ken Garland, Ed Fella, Abram Games, Alan Fletcher, Milton Glaser, David Hughes, Freda Sack, Fraser Muggeridge, Saul Steinberg, Jason Ford, Mark Todd, Morag Myerscough, Lee Ford, Frazer Hudson, Simon Spilsbury, Catherine Dixon, Mick Marston, Margaret Huber, Jo Hasssall Richard Hollis, Roger Bateman, and Third Angel Theatre Company.
The exhibition will be at Sheffield Institute of Arts Gallery, 153 Arundel Street until the 24th December.
Looking at the way in which drawing transcends the language barrier this sounds like a fascinating show and series of talks click the title link for further details on booking etc.

Folio - The Folio Society Magazine April -June 1967

The Folio Society and House of Illustration are sponsoring a competition to illustrate The Outsider by Albert Camus. The Folio Society (click the title link) publishes beautiful illustrated books for adults (rather than for children) by subscription and they have worked with many of the country's finest illustrators. By a strange coincidence Mr Bainbridge from the Disciples of Design discovered some copies of the Folio Society Magazine from the 1960s that were once a part of the Graphics course archive. I have posted an article here by Nigel Lambourne from 1967 (I was nearly 2 years old!)

 

Above you can read a fascinating short article about autographic techniques in book illustration by Nigel Lambourne (1919-1988) an excellent draughtsman Nigel Lambourne was an illustrator and printmaker who trained at the RCA. By "Autographic" here he means illustrations that are directly printed into the publication rather than being photographically reproduced and then printed. 

I may feature Nigel Lambourne as another "forgotten" illustrator shortly.

The final illustration is a frontispiece and is a reference to the last phrase in the article and is by John Lawrence a nice two colour print from a plastic "plate".

Forgotten illustrators; Paul Hogarth ( 1917-2001)

This is the first in an occasional series of profiles I have decided to start about "forgotten" illustrators. When I get blank looks on the mention of an illustrator's name I will probably add them to this list. Paul Hogarth is someone most current students (in my experience) have never heard of.
Back in the eighties as a design  student in Manchester Paul Hogarth was one of the illustrators I took for granted. His work had adorned the covers of Shakespeare in paperback when I was at school, and the novels of Graham Greene when I was catching up on some reading from the library. 
When I was studying illustration his work was everywhere, not only in the Manchester Polytechnic collection I seem to remember.His prints seemed to be on sale everywhere, particularly through the Francis Kyle Gallery, whose posters appeared on the Poly noticeboard, and I am sure I remember them on sale at Habitat?
His reportage work appeared in magazines and in books celebrating Graham Greene country, Gerald Durrell country, and John Betjeman country. Originally from Kendal, Cumbria/ Westmorland, he had studied at Manchester Art School, though not especially celebrated by the students when I was there, he was eventually honoured by the Met in 1999. 
He was a prolific and successful illustrator. He was an excellent draughtsman, and watercolour painter whose "descriptive" work especially of buildings and landscape are light and characterful. 
He led an interesting life too, described as an "angry young man", a left winger he ran off to join the Spanish Civil War aged 17. Later still he painted camouflage during WW2.. 
He travelled extensively and this formed the basis for much of his observationally-based work. His autobiography is entitled Drawing on Life.

Andy Thomson for The Gift

Andy Thomson has produced this illustration for friend of prestonillustration Mr Andrew Griff Griffin's up coming short film "The Gift". Griff kindly came to visit Preston illustration students last year. The film was co written by Griff and author Philip Ardagh and filmed in Kent. Intriguingly described as a story about a pylon, a nest and a gift. We look forward to seeing the film.
You can follow the making of the film here.
http://www.storknest.co.uk/
Whilst Andy's blog is a click away on the title link!

Lonely Hearts by Lee Ford

I just wanted to showcase the work of another former lecturer at Preston - Mr Lee Ford for his Lonely Hearts illustrations - click the title link to have a look at them all. I just think they are fantastic! Lee is now teaching at Sheffield Hallam. The Kiss illustration takes me back to being 16 ha ha!

Wrestling With Angels by Chris Harper

Many of you will remember Mr Chris Harper former illustration tutor of this parish. Chris has been selected for Images 34 (see previous posts), and he has kindly sent through a copy of said excellent image. Chris is now teaching illustration at Huddersfield University.

The circle is complete...nearly

Andy Bainbridge completes his circle 28th September about 5pm...
Well nearly completes it.

Vote for Andy Thomson on Threadless

Andy's T Shirt design is up for voting on Threadless' website follow the title link and vote for his design.

Kayleigh O'Mara

Kayleigh O' Mara is featured with the second issue of Oh Comely magazine, her cat and rabbit badges are being given away with the magazine. Oh Comely is a magazine "that inspires people to be creative, talk to their neighbours and explore new things, rather than buy stuff or lose weight."It says here.

Images 34

Hearty well dones, firm handshakes and slaps on the back for Rob Gill and Alex Barrett recent graduates who have both been selected for Images 34 the Association of Illustrators Annual.

Rob for this piece of work from a University project for an anti litter campaign.

Alex Barretts selected piece was "Unleashed" that was used as publicity for the University Summer Shows a year ago. Both Alex and Rob are currently employed working within design studios. Rob's  website and blog are already linked off this blog, whilst more of Alex's work can be seen here: http://www.alexanderbarratt.com/

In addition former Uclan lecturers Kevin Hauff and Chris Harper have been selected (I will endeavour to get some images to blog soon!) and quite a few of our recent visiting speakers - well done to Chris Vine, and to Jill Calder who won a silver award for design illustration, and David Hughes who won the critics award.

Jill Calder http://www.jillcalder.com/

David Hughes won the critics award for this piece " Walking the Dog"

Mr Hughes' highly entertaining blog can be found here http://wdavidhughes.blogspot.com/

Also one of my former students from ye olden days at Bradford College Jonathan Burton who went on to MA study at Kingston (I can't really take any credit, as he never showed up at Bradford...) won the silver award for book illustration with this:

See more of his excellent work here: http://www.jonathanburton.net

Katie Hanratty in Anorak

Anorak the happy magazine for kids has used ex Preston student Katie Hanratty for their Happy Activity Book for Kids. Out now the mag was published last month. She is represented by illustration agents Eastwing http://www.eastwing.co.uk/artist/katiehanratty/

How to Create a Portfolio and Get Hired by Fig Taylor

A good friend of the course here in Preston, Fig Taylor has lectured a number of times to Preston illustrators has a new book out. If it summarises, and I haven't read it yet, even a small amount of her extensive knowledge and no nonsense approach to illustration it will be well worth purchasing. Fig has many years experience as an agent, lecturer and a portfolio consultant for the AOI. I intend to get a copy as soon as possible, and I advise any recent graduates to get one too. I shall ask our library to get it pronto.

And look at this spread about self promotion that features former Preston student Jay Taylor and one of last year's visiting speakers Gemma Correll finger on pulse as always (ahem).

As the blurb at Laurence King says: "This is a must read for any student wishing to progress into further or higher education or employment. How to Create a Portfolio shows the many different types of portfolio needed for a broad range of art and design careers.  Practical advise is given on how to put together a portfolio both traditional and electronic, this book also provides a great resource list for further research.

'How to Create a Portfolio and Get Hired by Fig Taylor is priced at £19.95 from Laurence King.

For Just One Day - Marc Boutavant

The other book that I really like at the moment is "For Just One Day" by the French illustrator Marc Boutavant, the book has been out for a year or so in the states and came out here in February published by Tate publishing. To be honest I didn't realise the Tate published children's books? But as these things do on the net this has led me to another blog - the apple and the egg - which discussed the book a while ago and you can look through all the spreads for this book by clicking the title link!

Chris Haughton - A Bit Lost

I decided to kill a few hours in Liverpool the other day and visit Waterstone's children's book department. A few books caught my eye but I really like this "A Bit Lost" by Chris Haughton published by Walker. You can visit his site by clicking the title link.

This book really stood out among some fairly conservative offerings, although Walker Books do seem to be publishing some really nice things at the moment. It was first published in Korea however. It's a beautifully designed book, witty and amusing illustrations by this Irish illustrator who has worked for The Guardian and many others. He is probably best known for his work with People Tree the Fair Trade fashion company. There is link on his site to a talk by him at Offset 2009 too.
The People Tree company has its website here:
http://www.peopletree.co.uk/

Intuition at the Whitworth Manchester

I have been interested in Outsider Art for some time and have finally got round to seeing the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester recently. The Musgrave Kinley collection comprises about 800 pieces of work donated recently to the Whitworth Gallery. 


As you know Outsider Art is artwork created by untrained, self taught or the mentally ill. Artists working outside the conventions of the traditional artworld. Outsider art and Art Brut has been a major influence on the development of illustrator's visual language. Particularly in "new wave" of illustration in the early to mid eighties in the UK, and its influence is still visible in many contemporary illustrators. I could name any number of illustrators but Benoit Jacques, and Phillippe Weissbecker spring to mind perhaps even Chris Corr. Although folk art has a part to play there too. Perhaps the current vogue for folk inspired artwork is a similar yen for the honesty of untrained image making.


I was not overwhelmed by the show as a whole but there are many interesting pieces in it. It was good to see some of Henry Darger's originals as I missed the show in London a while ago.The works that stood out for me were by Adolph Wolfli, and Scottie Wilson, I like the obsessive and repetitious line work of Wilson. Many of the three dimensional sculptural pieces were very good too.

It is certainly worth a visit and the show is on until January.

Design Week & Esra Roise

Norwegian illustrator Esra Roise was featured on the cover of Design Week a few weeks ago for an article about the rise of illustration. I rather like these fashion oriented drawings they are lively and well observed - if clearly based on photographs there is something of the spontaneity of facebook photos and snapshots about some of them?
If there is a trend I have noticed recently it is the rise and rise of figurative drawing in contemporary illustration, and particularly a return to traditional pencils and paint.
Anyway I was on holiday when this article was out so missed it in the newsagents if anyone bought a copy I would love to read it...

There is a title link to Esra's website.

Esra Roise is represented by the "boutique" illustration agency - The boutique illustration agency is a trend discussion for another post... check it out:

www.higginsonhurst.com

Alison Hardcastle and Lucky Dip

I recently stumbled across this fantastic, and funny, little limited edition book by Alison Hardcastle in my studio. I bought it a while ago at Leeds Artists Book Fair (I think?). I have a few of her books as I think her ideas are great! There is a link to her work and shop if you click on the title link.

www.alisonhardcastle.co.uk