For anyone whose interested!

Andy Warhol fans?

There's an exhibition - Warhol & The Diva - on at the Lowry in Salford between 25th June and 25th September for anyone whose interested. I'm heading there this Saturday and I'm rather excited! Plus it's another opportunity to add to my Andy Warhol print collection! 

Here's the website for all details http://www.thelowry.com/events/andy-warhol-divas/home

:)

Tate!

So I woke up today and thought I'd make good use of my day off and visit the Tate Art Gallery in Liverpool. Between the 24th June and 16th October, the fourth floor of the gallery is occupied by the paintings of Rene Magritte; The Pleasure Principle. However, after viewing an introduction to his work, I did not feel that I would be able to relate to his work. Therefore my focus then turned to the rest of the exhibitions at the gallery, which brought me to one of the first artists I was introduced to; Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987).

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol by Vladimir Gorsky

Warhol was an US painter, film-maker and author, and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement.

Andrew Warhola was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents had emigrated to the USA from Ruthenia, a region now in the Slovak Republic. Warhol studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1949, he moved to New York and changed his name to Warhol. He worked as a commercial artist for magazines and also designed advertising and window displays. In the early 1960s, he began to experiment with reproductions based on advertisements, newspaper headlines and other mass-produced images from American popular culture such as Campbell's soup tins and Coca Cola bottles. In 1962, he began his series portraits of Marilyn Monroe. Other subjects given similar treatment included Jackie Kennedy and Elvis Presley. The same year he took part in the New Realists exhibition in New York, which was the first important survey of Pop Art. Warhol was now established as an internationally famous artist and throughout the 1970s and 1980s exhibited his work around the world. Even though he died unexpectedly in 1987, his work is still appreciated by many.

 

'Campbell's Black Bean Soup'  1968

Warhol painted familiar consumer items such as coca-cola bottles or soup cans throughout the 1960s, the earliest examples first shown in New York in 1962. Asked why he painted soup cans, Warhol replied, 'Because I used to drink it. I used to have the same lunch every day.' Using screenprinting, Warhol could simulate the mechanical effect of his source to the extent that the resulting image appears almost untransformed. Yet, the rich colour, enlargement of scale and unifying black outline are reminders that these are commercial techniques being used in the context of high art, no longer selling products, but presenting them as objects for contemplation. As such, they pose radical questions about the value of art and the way it is consumed.

'Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom' 1985

Warhol's 1985 series of screenprints Reigning Queens included colour portraits of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Margrethe II of Denmark, Beatrix of the Netherlands and Ntombi Twala of Swaziland. The images of Elizabeth II were based on a photograph taken for her Silver Jubilee in 1977. Warhol presents the Queen as an iconic and overtly glamorous figure. His own lines, added to the photographic image, suggest the stylised make-up of a Hollywood star, associating the portrait with the cult of celebrity that was prevalent in the 1980s.

 'Warhol'

Due to being 'reintroduced' to Andy Warhol, I decided to buy this in the Tate Gift Shop. The book consists of detailed information about his life and the influence behind his prints, which are displayed chronologically. The captions underneath each print also include the title, the date, the media used, the size of the print and where it is located. 

Close cover before striking (Pepsi Cola), 1962, Acrylic on canvas, sandpaper, 183 x 137cm, Cologne, Museum Ludwig.

I'm attracted to the vibrant colours within this print, the simplicity of the sketch and the block colours creates a retro effect, the hand-made typography is a bonus! 

 'Marilyn' 1964

I bought this Marilyn print when I visited an Andy Warhol exhibition in London a few years ago simply because I admire the print itself. I'm inspired by the screen printing methods he uses to create his sketches, I'm attracted to the use of colour, plus I'm a fan of the topic behind this particular print. To add to the collection, I bought this Campbell's Black Bean Soup print today at the Tate Gallery. 

'Campbell's Black Bean Soup' 1968

 

"Beauty? What is it? - Beauty in itself is nothing" - Andy Warhol.

The Picture Book

A bible of contemporary illustration, compiled by award-winning designer Angus Hyland, The Picture Book presents a broad spectrum of styles, techniques and subject matter representative of current trends and innovations to create a stunning compendium of work. Each artist's work is accompanied by a self-portrait and a short, illuminating profile exploring their inspirations and their approach both to illustration and to their career.

Angus Hyland ran his own studio for 10 years until he became a partner at Pentagram Design, London, in April 1998. He has won over 100 creative awards for his work, including two D&AD silvers. Angus has also edited the successful illustration books Pen & Mouse and Hand to Eye.

I received a mini edition of this book last year, as a present for starting university and I've referred to it a couple of times, usually when I've ran out of inspiration or simply need motivation to explore and finish sketches.

Jonathan Tran.

Born in Gibraltar, 1980, Jonathan Tran crawled his way over to Britain at the age of three. Here, as a child, he honed his drawing techniques on doors, walls, wardrobes and any other surfaces he could get his hands on. It wasn't long until he moved onto Central St. Martins where he did a Foundation Course in illustration, followed by three years at Kent Institute of Art and Design.

Tran now spends most of his time making images. Most of his inspiration comes from other contemporary artists, in all fields, not just illustrators. For example, he is beginning to revisit his Craig David collection for some truly amazing ideas.

Unfortunately the images I've selected aren't in The Picture Book, I actually found them online and decided to use these two due to the composition and the colour and the fact that out of his portfolio these are my favourite. These in particular remind of a screen printing project I completed during my Foundation Degree in college and seeing this artists work has inspired me to go back to the skills I learnt in college and create prints, completely new and experiment with proportions, compositions, colour and media. 

Also a beautiful portfolio online.. http://www.jtran.net/

Stina Persson.

"Stina Persson has lived, studied and worked in Tokyo, New York, Florence and Lund, Sweden where she was born. She says her illustration style is basically about finding the right balance between the edgy and the elegant, the raw and the beautiful." To achieve this, she uses ink, watercolour and gouache, as well as Mexican cut paper and photo incorporation.

Star of the book for me; I realise I've already mentioned her within another post, however seeing her illustrations in The Picture Book, I couldn't resist and just had to mention her again! I first came across her work during my Foundation Degree in Illustration. There's something so beautiful about her work that I'm always inspired no matter what she creates. I warm to the vibrant colours of her sketches, I admire the way she paints and uses the media, I'm attracted to the way the watercolours blend effortlessly within each of her sketches, I'm inspired by the fun, playful energy her work gives off, I enjoy the topic that she associates her work with.. I could go on forever. It's because of these reasons that I've referred to her work so many times within individual, very different project briefs.

Her website again (to save you scrolling down!).. http://www.stinapersson.com/

Elective

At university I chose an elective project to fulfill the first year of my course. Out of a number of briefs, I chose the one that was the most appealing to me which I believed I would be most comfortable in. The brief I chose was to design a tattoo for the first line of the poem Ode. Ode is an 1874 poem written by the English poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy to which the opening line is 'We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.'  

I was firstly influenced by anything I saw that could relate to this project, however after a few experiments I decided to not take the typical route of drawing something musical or music related. I explored several beginning ideas and then expanded them by selecting the best aspects of different sketches and combining them together. I also played around with different typography due to the fact that certain imagery needed a particular font to suit each other. My personal opinion; I'm not really fond of coloured tattoo's so I decided to keep everything black and white, either in black fine liner or using tonal pencils. I worked mostly within my comfort zone, drawing things that I wouldn't neccessarily draw myself however I kept them of a small proportion and quite detailed. I'm uploading a select few which I believe are the better images from the project so here are my ideas;

A key, shaded in using tonal pencils, with additional floral detail in the background.

A rose, drawn simplistically in black fine liner, some broken lines to give a delicate effect.

A skull attached to butterfly wings, the main outline drawn thicker in black fine liner. I was originally planning to use tonal pencils to finish this sketch, however I just preferred it the way it was.

 

A skull surrounded by roses, shaded in using tonal pencils. Added leaves for detail.

A flower (shaded in using tonal pencils) and the Ace of Spades. Decorative swirls to added more detail. I saw something like this browsing online and regardless of whether I was going to use it as a final piece, I still wanted to create this anyway.

A peacock, drawn in black fine liner, simplistically drawn with detail in the feathers.

A different styled key, with added wings.

A peacock again, shaded in using tonal pencils, added swirls at the end of the feathers for detail.

A heart, drawn simplistically in black fine liner, added swirls for effect. Kind of a Si Scott moment.

Previous skull and roses, with typography added to suit the image.

Previous rose, with calligraphy style type to give a more delicate effect.

Second peacock, slight change in detail to the end of the feathers (I prefer this way) and typography added to suit the imagery.

Heart again, this time shaded in using tonal pencils, with a calligraphy style type to suit.

 

Full wings, a tattoo ideally to cover the back. Drawn and shaded in using tonal pencils and the typography was added at the end of the sketch.

Hand Job.

 

Michael Perry’s Hand Job: A Catalog of Type gathers the work of 55 artists who, in rebellion against computers, excel in hand-drawn typography and design.

Michael Perry has some interesting ideas and imagery on his website; http://www.mikeperrystudio.com/

It's become kind of routine for me now to pick out the illustrators that I'm attracted to, inspired by the most, so here goes.. 

Andy Beach.

Andy Beach lives and works in Philadelphia. He spends his days as a Graphic Designer at Urban Outfitters (which I am also a fan of!) Nothing too detailed, but I'm attracted to the simplicity of the plain coloured background and the use of hand-written typography within this image. I feel inspired to have a black page in front of me and simple explore typography techniques and write whatever I feel or think of. 

http://www.for-hire.blogspot.com%20/

Deanne Cheuk.

 

Deanne Cheuk is a New York-based art director, illustrator and artist from Perth, Western Australia. Compared to Andy Beach, Deanne is more vibrant and elaborate with her typography. I think I'm also attracted to the simple concept of her use of colour.

http://www.deannecheuk.com/

Not that it's really related to this book in particular, however I was browsing on her website (as you do!) and after seeing this, I'm tempted to buy a Dell Laptop just for this custom cover, designed by Deanne Cheuk (not to mention it's girly and pretty.)

Adrian Johnson.

 

Liverpool born Adrian Johnson has developed a unique and strongly identifiable body of work. Attention to detail, humour and a simple timeless sophistication mark him out as one of the leading illustrators currently practicing. Flicking through, I was firstly attracted to the vibrant colours that caught my eye, then actually reading this sketch in particular, made me smile (always a good point.) The type he uses produces a rough printed retro style.

http://www.adrianjohnson.org.uk/

Si Scott

During my Foundation Degree at College, I briefly looked at Si Scott's work but never really played around with his technique or style, however now I have some free time to explore so I decided to take a look at his work and see what I could do. I think I want to explore this further, however for now I've just started by creating a copy of one of his more recognisable sketches, and playing around with small sketches of butterflies.

Drawn in simple black fine liner, it's definitely not perfect to original but it's close.

Three butterflies; all black fine liner, just playing around with compositions and 'swirly' patterns. I'm contemplating exploring this further and into something bigger but I'm not sure what just yet.

Si Scott's website.. http://www.siscottstudio.com/

Type Brief

My response to a brief during first year of university;

Okay, so the whole idea of the brief was we had to create an image of a person or creature using typography which had to be our own initials, in my case JTW. I quite enjoyed this brief, I like experimenting with typography and it was nice to have a brief within my comfort zone. So here's what I created;

Yes, I'm a fan of black fine liner. I think I was also going through a drawing 'peacock' phase. If you see my response to a separate brief around the same time as this one, you'd completely understand. 

My second response;

A different style than my first response, the obvious difference being I created the first image using my initials, where as this sketch I use my initials to fill in aspects. I think I prefer my second response, due to my influence being an illustrator that I've related my work to a couple of times previously. Stina Persson is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden. Her sketches consist of watercolour, acrylic and inks, cut paper and collage and sometimes photo incorporated. I particularly liked the pose within this image and decided to recreate her sketch using my initials for this brief. 

Check out her website! http://www.stinapersson.com/

Ultimate Illustration!

Ultimate Illustration! takes a comprehensive look at more than 300 illustrations by today's most celebrated illustrators from around the world. Each artist goes beyond the traditional and sparks imagination by experimenting with different design ideas, styles, and techniques. Interviews—in which they discuss their artistic backgrounds, techniques, and professional ambitions—are also included. This book is a must-have resource for artists, creative professionals, art students, and all those who take pleasure in illustration.

The editor; Eva Minguet Camara is pop-culture and style expert, and a writer and editor for Monsa Publications.

I bought this a while ago, 244 pages of a variety of illustrators has to spark some inspiration right? Flicking through, I couldn't help but concentrate on the similarities between particular illustrators. Maybe it's due to the fact that their not my personal style or my comfort zone but I found them rather sinister either in the topic of the sketch or how they are composed. To name a few; Steve Lawson, Jason Maloney, Ana Juan, Osvaldo Gonzalez, Scott Radke, Blue And Joy, Jason D'Aquino. Don't get me wrong, I believe each illustrator has their own style to which they do really well however I don't think my own work could ever really relate.  However their are a few that I am inspired by. 

Alison Casson.

The reason why I chose Alison Casson (apart from being attracted to the cover of the book itself) was because of her unique blend of mixed materials that she uses to create these rather quirky sketches. I'm inspired by how she creates collage by combining painting and pencil, fabric and sewing techniques and digital imagery. Her methodology results in strong, hand made nostalgic images. 

 

I feel I can relate to her sketches simply due to the fact that she uses lyrics as inspiration for her imagery, which for me, sometimes lyrics inspire the whole sketch. Therefore, I particularly like this Alison Casson sketch which unfortunately isn't included in Ultimate Illustration!  However it can be found online on her website.. http://www.alisoncasson.com/

Frank Papandrea.

 

"My pen and ink illustrations are influenced by Albrecht Durer's engravings, begin with subjects that matter."

I was firstly drawn to Frank's work due to the fact that it stood out within Ultimate Illustration! because of the media that he uses. Compared with every other illustrator in the book, his engravings are rather rare and unique. A similarity between Frank's engravings are the topic, it's inspiring to see an illustrator produce something that makes you think about issues in the world. Ultimate Illustration! also includes a mini interview in which Frank explains the process behind his work, which is also a bonus!

Nanami Cowdroy.

Out of every illustrator within this book, I'm inspired mostly by Nanami Cowdroy. Simplicity is created through the media she uses, however the some-what complicated imagery and detail really adds to the sketch itself which I admire. Even though I've never come across this artist before, I feel I can relate to her work simply due to the fact that black ink, hand-drawn, watercoloured illustrations are my comfort zone. I also feel I can relate due to something she said in her interview;

"To be honest, my artwork isn't directed for any particular sector or industry, it's a personal art style which I guess can lend itself to different creative fields dependig on what they are and what they represent."

There's some more beautiful illustrations on her website.. http://www.nthread.net/