Category: Collaborative Projects

The Bunkhouse Project

During last year’s summer break four of our third year Illustrators ventured out in the wild in order to paint a mural based on the landscape and history of Glen Coe.

In preparation for the project Eden Reeve, Han Deacon, Jo Ruessmann and Rosie Hawtin paid three visits to the Bunkhouse hostel and met the owners of the hostel and Benjamin Tindall architects who accepted their design proposal and directed them during the process.

The interior was painted using emulsion paint in different sections of the building; to most of the group this meant working in a new way, to a large scale and in collaboration with fellow illustrators.

Alongside being attacked by midges, as we were told, the 4 spent many busy hours completing this bold and evocative mural. We believe it will serve as a wonderful addition to the bunkhouse visitors’ experience of the Highlands.

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Artists in Residence Ceramics Workshop

Last Wednesday we had the first part of a two day ceramics workshop in the Illustration department, led by two of our artists in residence, Rebecca Brown and Sarah Bissell. Working with stoneware clay, everyone handbuilt whatever they fancied – whether it was inspired by a larger project, a functional piece or by playing with different ideas in order to get used to a new material.

By the end of the class we had created a collection of pieces that included mugs, wall hangings, spoons, dogs, cauldrons and cacti, among a variety of other bits and pieces.

The pieces will be fired this week and on the 23rd the second part of the workshop will take place, which will involve painting and glazing the work before it’s fired for a second time.

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Living Patterns

Exhibition Poster - Living Patterns

An exhibition of patterns inspired by the Water of Leith.

This project began with a walk down part of the Water of Leith by Postgraduate students in the Illustration Programme. Illustrator and tutor Astrid Jaekel introduced students to the waterway that meanders its way through the city of Edinburgh and reveals a rural pathway in the heart of the urban city. She then asked students to design an illustrated repeating pattern in response to their experience.

The open brief allowed the group to demonstrate the diversity of the subject, resulting in a broad variety of patterns portraying both commuters and those using the waterway for leisure, allotments, wildlife and generally a sense of the everyday life of this environment.

The patterns will be on display at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre until 7th July 2015.

Astrid Jaekel and a student hang the exhibition
Exhibition at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre

Exhibition at the Doubtfire Gallery

This month, the Edinburgh College of Art Illustration Department is pleased to present Escapade, a collection of works created by students, staff and notable alumni exhibited at the Doubtfire Gallery. We are excited to share our experience of what Illustration means to us as individuals and as a collective.

One of the most exciting aspects of Illustration is the wide-range of media where work can make an impact. The ECA Illustration Programme drives its students to apply their talent across a diverse range of end channels, from books and exhibitions to packaging, digital media and community arts. It is a dynamic and fast paced discipline that pushes the limits of both the artist’s and the viewer’s imagination.

Guided by acclaimed Illustrator and Programme Director Jonathon Gibbs, the course has thrived from its collaborative studio culture. During their time at ECA, students undergo countless tutorials, workshops and critics from the Illustration staff, their peers and successful practitioners, many of whom previously studied at ECA. The exhibition includes works from across all stages of the Illustration Programme’s creative community, from developing fourth year talents and fresh new graduates to the distinguished staff and alumni who inspired them.

All exhibiting Illustrators are currently living and creating work in the city of Edinburgh. Their collection of Illustrations offers a wide variety of themes, techniques and styles, all in celebration of their connection with Edinburgh College of Art.

Make sure to check Escapade out between 11th April – 2nd May. Find more information at the link below:

http://www.doubtfiregallery.com

ECA Illustration 2015.qxp_A5

ECA Illustration 2015.qxp_A5

The Last Great Voyage of Discovery  

One hundred years ago, in 1914 Ernest Shackleton set sail with a team on the last Polar expedition of its kind, his aim to cross Antarctica via the Pole. This was the last great adventure of discovery, exploration today is rooted in scientific endeavor, and it is a story littered with intriguing details of reindeer skin sleeping bags, penguins, tinned food and lots of ice.

First year students from the Illustration Programme at Edinburgh College of Art were asked to respond to the story of the Endurance expedition and create an illustrated map of the journey. In addition to this they were asked to construct an artifact that illustrated an element of the narrative.

Maps come in all shapes and sizes. They are made for a specific purpose and include particular information that informs us, or take us on a journey. Students were asked to draw as many ideas as they could from the maps they studied in the immense collection of the National Library of Scotland – this included colour, textures used to mark terrain, timelines, lettering, borders, contour lines, latitude/longitude grids, references, size, shape….and of course the frying pan shape of Antarctica!

The results are currently exhibited in the National Library of Scotland, giving students the opportunity to share there illustrated discoveries with the public. A huge thank you to the National Library of Scotland for collaborating with us on this adventurous, challenging and greatly rewarding project.

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Student Exhibition at Simpson House

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Simpson House Show

Illustration students from Edinburgh College of Art are collaborating with the Simpson House counseling center to meet their desire to have some fresh, original artwork to permanently fill their center. Twelve illustration students have created work to donate to the center, which will be installed during Innovative Learning Week.

To celebrate these artists contribution and to raise awareness for the wonderful services the Simpson House provides to the community we are holding a showcase evening at the Simpson House.  The show will be on Thursday, February 19th from 5:30-7:00 at the Simpson House, which is located at 52 Queen Street.  All are welcome to attend, have a cuppa, a chat, and see some lovely illustrations.

The Simpson House center provides counseling and support for individuals affected by alcohol and substance abuse within Edinburgh.  To find out more about the center you can visit:  http://www.simpson-house.org

If you have any questions regarding the illustration show email:  froggatt.sarah@gmail.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

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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Drawing Book – An Orkney Journey

It’s here! ‘Drawing book’ has finally arrived from the printers and it looks fantastic!

At the beginning of this semester our students went on a trip to the lovely Orkney islands, to work with the children of Papdale Primary School. Working with Children’s author, Vivian French, our illustrators and the students of Papdale created an imaginative and engaging narrative, ‘Craigs Gallery’. Over the course of the week this narrative was developed into a beautifully illustrated concertina story book for the children to enjoy.

Students also explored Orkney in it’s landscapes, spirit and community, producing an abundance of observational drawings. These illustrations were collected into ‘Drawing Book’, a collaborative book intended to capture the students experience of Orkney. The book contains beautiful sketches, paintings and photographs of the journeys taken and the people met (as well as a wonderful fold out concertina of ‘Craig’s Gallery’)

To celebrate the arrival of ‘Drawing Book’ we have also filled our studio with lovely rolls of drawings created for us by the Papdale Primary School students. Everyone has had a great time exploring all the different characters, the perfect way to brighten our studio through the winter.

A big thank you to everyone involved and to Allander for producing our little book so beautifully.

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Christmas Crafternoon

As we revealed a couple of weeks ago, ECA and the National Museum of Scotland have been working on a very exciting and festive collaboration. Our talented third year students have each designed a Christmas activity sheet, inspired by the weird and wonderful world of the museum. A small selection of the student’s projects were chosen to be printed in large batches to be used by groups of children in the museum. However both ECA and the National Museum of Scotland were overwhelmed with the amazing ideas of all the students and wanted to showcase their work on the web. Follow the link below to browse the downloadable activity sheets and print them out at home (a great way to keep kids entertained for the whole of the school holidays!)

https://sites.eca.ed.ac.uk/eca-nms/ 

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