Sister Mary Corita Kent's 10 Rules for Creativity

Rule 1
FIND A PLACE YOU TRUST AND THEN TRY TRUSTING IT FOR A WHILE.

Rule 2
GENERAL DUTIES OF A STUDENT:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR TEACHER.
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS.

Rule 3
GENERAL DUTIES OF A TEACHER:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR STUDENTS.

Rule 4
CONSIDER EVERYTHING AN EXPERIMENT.

Rule 5
BE SELF DISCIPLINED. THIS MEANS FINDING SOMEONE WISE OR SMART AND CHOOSING TO FOLLOW THEM.

TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A GOOD WAY.

TO BE SELF DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A BETTER WAY.

Rule 6
NOTHING IS A MISTAKE. THERE’S NO WIN AND NO FAIL. 

THERE’S ONLY MAKE.

Rule 7
THE ONLY RULE IS WORK.
IF YOU WORK IT WILL LEAD TO SOMETHING.
IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO DO ALL OF THE WORK ALL THE TIME
WHO EVENTUALLY CATCH ON TO THINGS.

Rule 8
DON’T TRY TO CREATE AND ANALYZE AT THE SAME TIME. 

THEY’RE DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

Rule 9
BE HAPPY WHENEVER YOU CAN MANAGE IT.
ENJOY YOURSELF. IT’S LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK.

Rule 10
"WE’RE BREAKING ALL OF THE RULES. EVEN OUR OWN RULES. AND HOW DO WE DO THAT BY LEAVING PLENTY OF ROOM FOR X QUANTITIES." 

JOHN CAGE

HELPFUL HINTS: ALWAYS BE AROUND. COME OR GO TO EVERY- THING. ALWAYS GO TO CLASSES. READ ANYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON. LOOK AT MOVIES CAREFULLY, OFTEN. SAVE EVERYTHING IT MIGHT COME IN HANDY LATER. 

THERE SHOULD BE NEW RULES NEXT WEEK.

George Grosz The Big No

I just made it in the nick of time to the (now finished) exhibition The Big No by George Grosz at Linden Mill in Hebden Bridge- what a fantastic show (from Hayward Touring Exhibitions) of the work of George Grosz.

Grosz was one of the greatest satirical artists of the 20th century. A founder of the Berlin Dadaist "movement" and a revolutionary left wing artist in the Berlin arts scene of the 1920s, "he depicted the vices and injustices of a deeply divided society." Along with Helmut Herzfeld (who became John Heartfield) he introduced photomontage to the mainstream. Even some of his drawings are composed like photomontages.

Grosz was deeply political and fierce in his depiction of what he saw as a decadent upper class ignorant of the hardships endured by the majority in post WW1 Germany.

'In 1916 I was discharged from military service. The Berlin to which I returned was a cold and grey city. What I saw made me loathe most of my fellow men; everything I could say has been recorded in my drawings. The busy cafés and wine-cellars merely accentuated the gloom of the dark, unheated residential districts. I drew drunkards; puking men; men with clenched fists cursing at the moon; men playing cards on the coffins of the women they had murdered. I drew a man, face filled with fright, washing blood from his hands… I was each one of the characters I drew, the champagne-swilling glutton favoured by fate no less than the poor beggar standing with outstretched hands in the rain. I was split in two, just like society at large…'

The Big No features two portfolios of his drawings Ecce Homo, published in 1923 and Hintergrund in 1928. Ecce Homo was subject of a four year legal case for Grosz and his publisher accused of both pornography and bringing the German military into disrepute. They were acquitted.

The exhibition showed the full range of drawings from these portfolios and it was great to see such powerful, political and graphic works. He is fantastic at the depiction of the pompous self important and ignorant class that ultimately led to the rise of Nazism in the thirties. Bankers, businessmen and politicians...

Indeed Grosz himself was fortunate to escape Germany he left for the US in 1933 the day before the Nazis came to take him. They denounced his work as anti German; seized and destroyed it. As a communist party member he would certainly have ended up in a Concentration Camp had he stayed.

He lived and worked and taught in the States for the remainder of his career and only finally returned to Germany in 1959, he died that same year.

UCLAN's Josh Morris wins Unleashed 2013

Congratulations to illustration graduate Josh Morris who won the £500 first prize in the Unleashed 2013 Best in the North at the Chophouse Art Exhibition with his drawing "Piccadilly" at the Gala Dinner in Manchester on Thursday (18th July). Not only did he win the top prize but he also sold the drawing at the charity auction for North West Ambulance Service, taking home another few hundred pounds into the bargain.

The Unleashed Show exhibits a selection of affordable original art by final year graduates from Universities across the North of the UK; as well as UCLan student work there were graduate entries from MMU, LJMU, LMU, Stockport, Blackpool, Salford, Huddersfield, Sheffield Hallam, Derby in the exhibition at Mr Thomas and Sam's Chophouse.

Josh's drawing was made on site in Piccadilly during a final year reportage drawing project in Manchester city centre. Josh was also shortlisted for the prize with these drawings made in Church Street and Dale Street:



See more of his work here

See the other selected work in the Unleashed Exhibition at Mr Thomas' Chophouse Manchester here
The exhibition is a selling show and half of the proceeds go to North West Air Ambulance the other half to the student entrants.

Neil Gaiman address to the University of the Arts Philadelphia 2012

Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Make great art.

http://vimeo.com/uartsphilly/neil-gaiman-addresses-the-university-of-the-arts-class-of-2012

Das Association of Illustrators Illustration Award 2013

Congratulations to Ritwik Das 2012 graduate for being shortlisted for the AOI Illustration New Talent Awards in the self initiated category with his portrait of Tommy Cooper; a favourite from last year's degree show and People's Choice Award winner in the Unleashed Best of the North Illustration Awards. The judges in the category were: Liz Farrelly, Writer / Curator, Greg Burne, Director, Big Active ; Sarah Douglas, Creative Director, Wallpaper* So hearty well dones and pats on the back!!
You can see more of his work here and here. Just like that!

Preston Illustration Degree Show 2013

Well done to all the Third Year Illustration students for putting on a thoroughly professional and beautifully finished exhibition - there have been many kind comments from visitors. Well done on your degree results and good luck in London!

Stacy Barker: Rainstorm

Grace Mutton: Night Circus

Dan Morris: Nine Black Alps

Ed Allen: Trojan Horse

Josh Hill: The Illustrated i - Cuts

Nikita Horridge: Mine!

Josh Morris: Piccadilly Manchester

Lee Stephenson: The Knife Cover

Matt McVeigh: Cutlery

Suzie Mills:TS Eliot "And in the end..."

Sophie Corrigan: Ukelele Bear

Alexandra Tully: Bear is gom!

Rosie Vegro: Character studies

Jess Willcox: Vintage 

The culmination of three years study and creative endeavour by the Illustration students is launched at the UCLAN Degree Shows this Friday. This event is open to the Public with a Private View on the evening of Friday 14 June from 6 – 9 pm.

A selection of final year work will be on show at the D&AD New Blood show in Old Spitalfields London from the 2nd July to the 4th July. Industry only Private View on Tuesday 2nd July.

Mariella Mystery Investigates by Kate Pankhurst

Former student, part time lecturer, illustrator Kate Pankhurst has written and illustrated her own stories for children. Although Mariella is only nine she opens her own detective agency and becomes a totally amazing girl detective.

The books were published by Orion in April and are the first books written and illustrated by Kate although she has been published as an illustrator many times before!

I asked Kate how she came to write the Mariella books?

"The writing came about after I illustrated the cover for the Ghostly Guinea Pig as an illustration sample to send to publishers, just to show how I'd deal with a front cover illustration should they be looking to commission an illustrator. The agent I'm with sent the illustration round to a few places and the question was asked; was there a story to go with her ..."

I'd thought about who Mariella was and what world she lived in whilst doing the illustration so when I had the chance to present to a few publishers I pulled everything together and did a couple of illustrated sample chapters – and what do you know? Got myself a four book deal! 

Bit of a shock as I didn't and still don't really think of myself as a 'writer'."

Did she enjoy the process of being both writer and illustrator?

"It's been the best process ever, I've worked closely with a really talented editor at Orion who has supported me to pull the stories into shape and I've had SO much more control that I'd normally get over the design and illustration layout. There's about 250 illustrations in each book so editing, designing and illustrating them has been intense but amazing fun!

I've actually found writing a book this length is loads easier than trying to capture everything in 500 words for a picture book. I'm working on the third title now which is the Huge Hair Scare and the working title for the fourth book is The Curse of the Pampered Poodle."

Mariella Mystery Investigates "The Ghostly Guinea Pig" and "A Cupcake Conundrum" are available now from all good bookshops!!!