In for advice and tutorials

Hi all!

If anyone is back in Brumland I am available for advice and tutorials. Email me to confirm a time.

Jess! The concept of using less literal forms to depict the story is fine, the line work looks like it was done as a monoprint, and if it isn't then that would be a really interesting route to take, as it would help you increase the tonal values and textures - apart from the eyes and mouth of the horned creature, there isn't much contrast, and this makes it difficult for the eye to be led around.

I like the concept of hand written type integrated into the melting pot, but again it's far too rough to be appreciated for what it could be.

All in all I would say it was a good rough to develop further compositional and tonal sketches upon.

Anansi and Death

This is my black and white design for a double spread from the Anansi and Death story.  It's from the part in the story where Anansi eats from the "Stranger's" pot of meat.

I wanted to try a surreal (or non-literal)  interpretation of this scene where Anansi actually is in the pot, balancing on the ladle to get to the meat.  I also wanted Anansi to look repulsive because my slant on the narrative is more sympathetic towards Death.

There is more work to be done on this double spread.  I wish to add a subtle colour palette to accent certain points in the drawing, maybe just Anansi's 'mask' and the text.  I also want to experiment with adding textured elements using Photoshop.

Linn Olofsdotter is my main comparative research.  I love the use of a subtle textured background.  Also her complex, flowing, organic forms are an inspiration to me.

To see my full preliminary work towards this design and other comparative research see my blog.

Bologna Children's Books

As I mentioned before I bought this years catalogue and I must say that the standards are pretty immensely high to get into it. Also, don't know if it's just the lack of talent in England or something but only one British illustrator got in this year, Alice Melvin.

Who did this book, sold in lots of arty places like the Tate.

A few of my favourites were...

Jan-Hendrik Holst of Germany

Anna Blaszcyk of PolandAnd Maurizio Quarello of Italy


On the positive side they are around 70% unpublished and alot were around our age. Also what I noticed was that almost all were done by traditional means, especially etching and acrylic...Only about 5 or 6 were heavily computer based.

The deadline is October 15th for work for this years exhibition!

Whoops...

I forgot...the rest of the pictures of wall art and others that I've collected can be found here...!

http://photobucket.com/artonwalls

City of Wall Art and Comics

I'm not sure if anyone has ever been to Angouleme but I'd really recommend it for the likes of...well..us XP I believe Chiu mentioned the international comic festival which is held there every year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angoul%C3%AAme_International_Comics_Festival

I believe its in January. Anyway...It also has a comic museum with alot of original artwork and such in it (which I didn't get to visit this time around but have in the past). However the most impressive thing, on the surface atleast is the vast amount of artwork on the cities world. It's literally a free for all when it comes to grafitti and buildings everywhere are painted up, some just with figures, other's with whole sides done.

Here are a few of my favourites.


(The Angel shadow was the shadow of an angel painted on the opposite building)




There were also alot of figures, I'm assuming by the same artist (but idiot that I am I didn't look at his name >.>"). I'm fairly sure they were stickers, since alot were torn or peeling.

Also, if you ever go there look for this shop.

A children's book shop that was like heaven...I had to be dragged out in the end. I only bought 3 actual books because by then I was horrifically poor (having been in spain for 2 weeks before I got there) but I also bought the Annual for this years Bologna Illustration Festival which was horrifically expensive...but worth it...Beaaautiful and really gives you an idea of what you need to do to get into the exhibition...But I'll out more on that at a later date!

Ryanair have also just started doing flights to Angouleme from Stanstead (the airport is literally a tent...and that is the only commercial flight that goes there >.>) something like every other day. I really want to make it to the festival, if I have the funds and although my Aunt has offered a house to me and 5 others at a push (they have 3 spare rooms...2 double beds and a floor XP) she does live in a small hamlet about 20-30 mins from Angouleme...so I'm not entirely sure how practical it would be o.o" We'll see anyway!

Jess

Anansi Again

Well, if you don't answer, it means I can help myself, Anansi said.

Anansi went to the pot and he ate and ate until his belly was full.

Death made a rush at him. Anansi fled.
They ran and ran, until they arrived at the village.

Heres my next attempt at the anansi story (Anansi and Death just to point out). I quite like it...I've really been struggling to make anything remotely worth while so I'm happy to make something that is semi acceptably...Not sure I like it enough to enter it (I'm still not that great at computer colouring) but after so long making nothing I really liked or thought decent this was great since I did them both in an afternoon.

Both are double page spreads, just within the measurements of Anansi (40cm by 60cm...providing that applies to it being so either way...I wouldn't mind some input on that question >.>") Equivalent to two A4 pages.

I'm gonna try them out in black and white and see how they look.

Does anyone have any clue how long it would take for a first class recorded delivery parcel to make it to France? I'm aiming to have it finished within the next week...the deadline is the 9th Septermber....so I need to know how long it'd take...

Anyway this is what I have so far, I may change it...I've got a basic storyboard done for it...might try as many as I can and then pick from them!

And Anansi...

I'm still struggling to think up what to do about this thing...I'm determined to enter something but at the moment I haven't drawn anything that has made me go OMG!
I thought about doing something using masks, being that they are so prevelant within African culture....

Went to see batman...so this sort of went abit comic booky....

Anansi falls in the ash, blinding death and making a run for it.

What I've been doing...

I haven't vanished off the face of the planet! And I have been doing work...admittedly I've been abit lacks with it but I'm getting in the swing of actually getting things done now.

Firstly just a few random drawings inspired by what I was watching (appologies for the shoddy copies, I took them on my camera since my scanner isn't set up).

Inspired by Cloverfield.Inspired by War of the Worlds (whats with all the alien films I've been watching o.O?)

Then I've also been working on a story about a young girl (who likes to paint) who goes to live with her auntie in France. She's made to live in the garage and protect the grain thats kept there from mice...but then she makes friends with the mice etc etc...Its just a stupid idea I've been playing with so I could practice a different medium, in this case paint XP