Author: cpascoe

Meet the Residents 2: Laura Darling

Hello! It’s been a busy time for me of late. I am a near obsessive planner, and after the New Year I enjoyed drafting out a new batch of lists, sub-lists, objectives and timetables. This activity always makes me feel more organised.

What followed was the inevitable period of staring at a blank page, unable to decide what to do. Because though I love the planning – if I task myself with working on a particular project that day I instantly want to work on ANYTHING else. Something that usually helps is a good old deadline, and the first one that came up was for the Kelpies Design Illustration Prize. The book was The Hill of the Red Fox by Allan Campbell McLean and is set on Skye during the Cold War. I wanted to explore the mystery of the plot through the layout, and chose to show elements of the text as clues.
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Soon after I’d finished this I was thrilled to find out I had been picked by Edinburgh City Council to illustrate their Early Years Music Resource. This was a fantastic opportunity with a very tight deadline which I really enjoyed.
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February Mini Exhibitions

Happy Monday everyone.

In the ECA Illustration Department we are kicking of the week with two new mini exhibitions. The Illustration studio is now home to ‘Bright and Early’ and ‘Boxes’, both collated from different projects completed by students of the Illustration Department in the past ten years. The Illustration Archive of past work is an excellent resource for research and inspiration, we look forward to finding new and exciting ways of sharing archival with our current students.

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Boxes 

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Meet the Residence 2: Jessica Kettle

Drawing trips and inky fingers

As a fan of cooking and physical labour I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to discover the joy of printmaking. Rollers, spatulas and squeegees are my new favourite toys.

Over the past months, a couple of drawing trips have provided me with some valuable relief from ‘illustrator’s block’ and I have enjoyed playing around with sketchbook work in the print studios.

In November, we took a group of students to Oban. Despite grand plans to ‘capture the essence of Oban’ in my sketchbook, the majority of my drawings from the trip seemed to be dedicated to old couples in cafes and charming houses on hills (with the odd shell painting for balance). Resigning myself to the fact that I find people more interesting than landscapes, I enjoyed lifting characters from my Oban sketchbook into experiments with monoprinting and screenprinting (see pictures).

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December’s drawing trip was to the ever glamorous Gala bingo in Meadowbank. A wild night was had by all as I’m sure this luridly coloured screenprint shows.

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My children’s book work continues to simmer along gently and I have found myself considering serious philosophical questions such as ‘how much cleavage can you give a hippo?’ and ‘can a sausage dog and a hedgehog fall in love?’.

And finally, as a Christmas bonus, here is print of a bird. Birds don’t need an explanation.

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Friday Talk with Jonathan Gibbs ‘The Minds Eye 2: Poetry & Place’

This Fridays professional practice talk will be given by the one and only illustrator, print maker and inspiring ECA Programme Director, Jonathan Gibbs. We look forward to hearing about the challenges and successes of his established career, in particular new works produced during his recent sabbatical.

Educated at the Central School of Art and the Slade, Jonathan works in wood engraving, drawing and painting. Alongside teaching in the Illustration Department, he regularly exhibits in Edinburgh and London.

Students and staff enjoyed a selection of Jonathan’s prints earlier in the week at the opening of his latest exhibition in the Edinburgh College of Art Sculpture Court. On the evening Jonathan extended the theme of rivers from his work to the entertainment, playing a selection of river themed music on the guitar, accompanied by his son Thomas Gibbs on the clarinet.

We look forward learning the journey behind his latest work this Friday.

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See more of Jonathan Gibb’s work at: http://www.jonathangibbs.com

Jeans for Genes T-shirt Design Competition: The Pin-Up

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This year Edinburgh College of Art Illustration Department will once agin be collaborating with the fantastic charity Jeans for Genes, designing a limited edition T-shirt to raise crucial funds to support children and families with genetic disorders. Each of our second year students are aiming to design a fashion illustration to embody the key messages of the charity while appealing to a mass market of fashionistas. The selected design will be modelled and promoted by some of our favourite celebrities, creating a fantastic platform for the winners work. Our students are well underway on this challenging and rewarding brief.

This morning we enjoyed a very positive and constructive critic of our students proposed ‘Jeans for Genes’ T-shirt Designs. Special guests, Dr Tessa Hartmann and Laura Patterson joined us to share their extensive knowledge of aesthetics, marketability and current fashion trends. Our students are now eager to take Tessa and Laura’s advice on board as they move forward with their designs. Many thanks to our knowledgable judges, we are all looking forward to seeing the final selection.

To find out more about the charity:

http://www.jeansforgenesday.org/

To see previous winning designs:

http://www.jeansforgenesday.org/pressoffice/tshirtdesigncompetition

Meet the Residents Part 2: Megan Taylor

Hello there! Now that Christmas is over I am back to the studio and back to reality. I’ve been reflecting about my work and practice almost too much recently, constantly questioning who I am, what I am creating and why. I am still at the answer: “I’m not quite sure!” What I do know is that I am inspired by what I am creating, and am excited by where it takes me.

Sketchbooks and journals are a huge element of my practice- I like to keep all my ideas and thoughts in the one place to refer to when I am in a bit of a dizzy (which is a lot of the time!). Recently, my work has been exploring themes of Obscure and Observe, where my drawings look to challenge two dimensional and three dimensional space working together as one entity. Absurd? Yes I think so too!

Here are some examples from my current sketchbook. This work tends to begin with a site: this can be from real life, a place within a film or magazine, or completely imagined. I investigate these spaces through observation, drawing, photography and collage; architectural patterns appear repeated and elongated, where perspectives and vanishing points are emphasised.

http://meganelizabethtaylor.com/

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15 Things Not To Do With A Baby

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A huge congratulations to Alumni Holly Sterling on the release of her new children’s book ’15 Things Not To Do With A Baby’. Her playful and vibrant illustrations sit perfectly with the text by award-winning author, Margaret McAllister. ’15 Things Not To Do With A Baby’ gives light, loving and humorous advice to new parents and siblings, for instance ‘don’t lend your baby to a kangaroo, plant your baby in the garden, or take to school with you – and definitely don’t send your baby to play with an elephant!’. This exciting collaboration is currently ‘Book of the week’ with the UK’s leading independent children’s book magazine, Books for Keeps. 

Read the shining review from Ferelith Hordon below:

‘Her cheerful illustrations emphasise the underlying closeness of this family, turning what could be very difficult emotions into ones that can be handled with laughter. This effect is enhanced by her soft palette and chunky shapes. Her baby and his older sister bounce off the page with an endearing cheerfulness that demands a positive response. Here is an artist who, like Sarah Garland, is portraying a recognisable family with a freshness that is immediately attractive. The topic may not be new but the presentation is lively and engaging and establishes Sterling as an illustrator to watch.’

Holly Sterling has seen many successes during and following her time with us at ECA, achieving a Highly Commended for the Macmillan Illustration Prize and winning the Seven Stories/Frances Lincoln Illustration Competition in 2013. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Holly’s flourishing illustration career.

Find more of Holly Sterling’s work below:

http://hollysterling.blogspot.co.uk/

Honourable mention for 3rd Year student in 3×3 International Illustration Competition

A huge congratulations to Liv Wan on her recent success in 3×3 Magazine’s 11th Annual International Illustration Competition, receiving an Honourable Mention for her personal project “Illustrated Travel Guide of Taipei”.

Liv’s work will be published on the 3×3 website in 2015, giving her fantastic exposure which we are sure will open many doors for her Illustration career. Liv shared her experience on her blog:

I got the email from the 3×3 magazine team when I finished work and I was on my way home. I was so excited, especially after a hard late shift at work, that I cried my eyes out in the back of the taxi. I really hope I didn’t freak out the driver! I’m still in the very early stages of my illustration career but ever since I started my HND course I’ve been working non-stop extremely hard. This “Honorable Mention” is the first non-educational nomination or award I have ever received and it’s an international and non student competition. Hopefully this will benefit my illustration career and bring in more clients.

To receive an honourable mention in a professional illustration competition mid way through your studies is a wonderful achievement, we are looking forward to seeing what Liv will conquer next.

Taipei-map-header shilin-night-market-illustration-2 yangmingshan-mountain-hot-spring-illustration maokong-tea-garden-illustration taipei-101-illustration To enjoy more of Liv’s work, please visit: http://livwanillustration.com

Anatomical Museum Drawing Project

This morning in the Illustration Department, we are enjoying looking through the 2nd years anatomical illustrations, influenced by their recent drawing trips to Edinburgh Universities Anatomical Museum.

During this first semester we asked our students produce an anatomical drawing journal. These sketchbooks were intended as a research tool for recording observations and exploring ideas. In addition to a drawing journal, the 2nd years were asked to build a portfolio of large scale observation life drawings, culminating in 1 large, resolved, A1 drawing (pictured below).

Whilst anatomy is an area of science dedicated to the study and dissection of the bodily structure of humans, animals and other living organisms, our students were encouraged to approach ‘anatomy’ in the broadest sense, exploring art, design, science, ethics, life and mortality amongst other things.

Students used drawing to explore the Museum’s broad and diverse anatomical collection, documenting the scientific artifacts, the building itself, overheard conversations and the stories that unfolded during their research.

As well as producing a diverse range of successful illustrations, this project has also paved the way for future collaborations with the various schools of Edinburgh University. A huge thank you the Anatomical Museum for sharing their collection with us. And of course, thank you to the 2nd year students for their hard work and dedication to this exciting and challenging project.

To find out more about The Edinburgh University Anatomical Museum, please visit:

http://www.anatomy.mvm.ed.ac.uk/museum/index.php

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Winter Feast

As our first semester draws to an end the illustration students are joining with EUSA for a festive celebration. Today Teviot Garden hosts the annual Winter Feast, where students from across all areas of the university come together to enjoy a hog roast, mulled wine & cider, carols music and craft stalls.

Many of of illustrators will be hosting stalls, showcasing their own beautifully designed christmas cards, wrapping papers, prints, artists books and other illustrated gifts. Check out the pictures below for a sneak preview of what our students have on offer today.

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Kitty Concertina by Vapuri Karinen
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Reversible New Town/ Old Town Zine by Victoria Ball

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Make sure you check out Winter Feast today between 11am – 6pm, all our welcome to join the festivities!