Category: Trips

Picture Hooks Conference

On Saturday students and staff of Illustration travelled to Glasgow to attended this year’s Picture Hooks Conference at the Centre of Contemporary Arts. Now in its third year, the conference gives illustrators the opportunity to hear from leading experts from the world of children’s publishing.

There was an excellent range of speakers involved in both the making and publishing of picture books who shared their valuable knowledge with the audience.

Tessa Strickland, co-founder and Editor at Barefoot Books spoke about the things she would like to see in an applicants portfolio. “Can you tell a visual narrative? There needs to be a visible transformation, a character that changes throughout the story – there are people who are starters and people who are finishers. You need to be a starter and a finisher.” She also gave some general advice to illustrators who are trying to find their feet in the world of illustration “Life is short. Become the illustrator you want to be!”

Joel Stewart, award winning author and illustrator of over 20 books, spoke about the synthesis of digital applications and hand drawing and how the two seemed to increasingly blend together seamlessly within his work. It was interesting to hear Joel speak about how he considered himself more of an observational than an imaginative draughtsman and how he felt the teaching of academic drawing was an important part of Illustration training.

Andrea MacDonald, Executive Editor for Picture Books fromPenguin Random House gave insights in to how picture books work to comfort, challenge and open up new worlds to their audience. She gave advice on how Illustrators can approach publishers and spoke about the pressure author/illustrators can face when making a second book after a first successful one had been published.

Nicki Field, head of illustration at Jelly Agency, shared her experiences on the many other opportunities for illustrators to sell and license their work. As a Brighton graduate of Illustration Nicki was able to provide a unique insight based on her diverse background. She suggested that illustrators should define their practice and “work on what you think is you, your niche.” She advised not to set up multiple identities for different aspects for your work (just imagine they would all be called in for meetings at the same time) but instead to “be the same person but channel multiple aspects of your work in different ways” and “to be innovative and to do what you can to keep ahead”. She also spoke about the value of self-initiated work and how small ideas can have a big reach.

We met a lot of established and budding illustrators as well as interesting speakers, each offering a different perspective on the many aspects of the picture book and publishing industry. Altogether this was a very inspiring day for us!

1Tessa Strickland,  co-founder and Editor at Barefoot Books

2Joel Stewart, Illustrator

49Andrea MacDonald, Executive Editor for Picture Books from Penguin Random House

15Nicki Field, head of Illustration at Jelly Agency

17Catherine Lindow, one of last year’s Picture Hooks mentees

18Lucy Juckes and Vivien French, initiators of Picture Hooks

20ECA Illustration students feeling inspired after the conference

 

 

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

Illustration Meets Comedy

Last night the Illustration staff and students ventured out of the studio and into the wild world of experimental comedy!

As their final major project for the year, our first years have been exploring a broad variety of storytelling techniques. Experiencing everything from traditional scottish tales from kilted storytellers to a chilled afternoon listening for the narratives in a folk music performance. Our budding illustrators are then given free reign to create an illustrated response to the week’s event. The finished pieces have ranged from traditional to conceptual to the completely fantastical, reflecting the vast range of interests and specialisms within the year group.

This week we visited ‘Electric Tales’ at the heart of Edinburgh’s comedy scene, The Stand Comedy Club. Described as ‘a blended mix of comedy and storytelling, a night of funny yarns and verse told by a range of performers, with the sole aim of cheering you up’ we knew we were in for enjoyable evening. The show offered our illustrators a variety of starting points for their individual projects, from risqué tales to fully costumed impersonations of Susan Boyle. Drawing throughout, both staff and students took inspiration from the venues buzzing atmosphere, producing energetic and responsive sketches of the comedians and audience.

We look forward to sharing the students’ developed illustrations, grown from this unique form of storytelling event. A huge thanks to The Stand for allowing us share in your creativity and for the endless amount of cheer and laughs (many at our expense).

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Another Oban adventure

by Jessica Kettle (Illustration Artist in Residence)

So, the weather is getting cold, the days are getting shorter and that can only mean one thing, it was time for another drawing trip to Oban.
For the third year running, this November saw a set of enthusiastic ECA students from Illustration, Graphic Design and Animation don their best waterproof clothing and hit the small Scottish town of Oban for 4 days of intensive drawing time.
After a rocky start of cancelled trains and torrential rain to greet our arrival, we finally arrived at the youth hostel late Thursday evening, soaked to the skin but, luckily, with spirits not too dampened!

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The students were given a few small briefs to get them started and inspired. A map of Oban with a small red dot on was their challenge for the next morning, to find the place the dot represented and explore it. Each student was also given a collection of clear plastic bags for collecting interesting bits and bobs they encountered on their adventures. These bags returned in the evenings with anything from old books to dead crabs in them and once the sun went down, the tables of the youth hostel’s kitchen were monopolized by students, drawing, painting and chatting about their day’s discoveries.
No trip to Oban would be complete without a trip to the pub so on Friday night we hit our local watering hole, armed with sketchbooks and drawing implements.  Needless to say, we stood out like a sore thumb, taking over about three tables, nursing 5 drinks between us and playing rounds of ‘exquisite corpse’, but luckily the locals tolerated us with good grace and we even won a bottle of wine from the pub quiz (could have been the whole quiz we won if it hadn’t been for that damn geography round)!
Saturday, we took a ferry to the Isle of Mull.  Commuting didn’t stop us from continuing to fill our sketchbooks (although trying to take a photo did land Astrid with a slap on the arse for getting in the way of an angry woman’s sea view!

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Overall the trip was a great success. Students from different disciplines were able to meet, share ideas and techniques and most importantly, step outside the confines of their studio routine to refresh their practise, taking some of that fresh sea air back with them!

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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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Seamonsters of Portobello

Last Friday our department welcomed a group of pupils, teachers, parents and grandparents from Towerbank Primary School. The children from Portobello had been working with our Second Year students and the author Vivian French to create a picture book about a sea monster.

Our students incorporated the children’s drawings into a large book, as well as creating little sea monster books of their own, both of which they presented to the pupils on Friday.

Quite possibly Edinburgh's longest book!
Quite possibly Edinburgh’s longest book!
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Early masterpieces by aspiring young artists.
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Peony and her book, with sea monster cake in the background.

It was fun to have visitors in our department, a big thank you to everyone involved!

Out and about with Catharine Davidson

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Students hard at work on Calton Hill
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Show and Tell at the end of the session

Our 2nd year students had a great morning drawing on Calton Hill yesterday, under the guidance of artist Catharine Davidson. Luckily the weather played along and the day was dry, sunny, mild and not windy – a rare occasion as any Edinburgh resident will tell you – and resulted in a great variety of observational drawings.

Next Wednesday they will scale Blackford Hill! Fingers crossed that the weather stays nice.

Illustrators invade Oban

Cheerful faces all around, in spite of almost arctic conditions - photo by Lucas Clauser
Cheerful faces all around, in spite of near Arctic conditions – photo by Lucas Clauser

The annual Illustration trip to Oban is quickly becoming a beloved tradition, and this year our illustrators were joined by a number of Graphic Design and Animation students on their quest to draw, explore and develop their work while breaking out of their daily routines.

Setting off from Waverley Station on a Thursday morning, we arrived in Oban just in time to see the sun dip into the sea (rather spectacularly so) and got a first taste of the short northern Winter days. The good weather was to last, and even though temperatures remained around freezing point, our time in the Highlands was marked by bright weather and, unusual for Scotland, very little wind. We stayed in Oban’s Youth Hostel, which is right by the sea and made a great base camp for the following days.

Perfect drawing conditions – photo by Jo-fan Liao

On Friday Astrid began our stay handing out maps and sketchbooks, and sent each student off to draw and document a different location in and around Oban. Each of them returned with cold fingers, a diverse range of drawings and evidence of where they had been, and a starting point for further exploration of the area.

Saturday students were free to take their drawing further in a location of their own choice, with the majority catching the ferry to Mull and set off for Tobermory, Salen or Duart Castle and making the most of the stunning weather outdoors. The conditions for drawing were great, with warming sunshine and lack of wind, and nobody lost any fingers in the cold.

Duart Castle on Mull - can you spot the illustrators in the distance?
Duart Castle on Mull – can you spot the illustrators in the distance?

Sunday, our last day in the area, saw most students explore the the town and its immediate surroundings further, with some walking to the hills and forests and others heading for the local cafes to shelter from the cold. By 6pm everyone had made it onto the southbound train, which took 21 weary but happy students back home to Edinburgh.

An exhibition showcasing drawings from our Oban trip will be coming to the Andrew Grant Gallery soon, drop by to see some great work!

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13-aliceWe went on a school trip to Oban in November. We were 24 Illustration students, 3 Artists in Residence, and 1 Studio Assistant. It was a research trip: we were looking for things to draw!07-kasia  Oban is a seaside town on the West coast of Scotland. Most people travelled up by train. We got there about 4 o’clock Thursday. We checked into the Youth Hostel and all sat down together to eat a big bowl of pasta. We talked a bit about how we were going to work the next day: Astrid gave us all Evidence Bags so that we would collect artefacts to inform our drawings. Then we went out into the seaside storm and ran to the pub for shelter. In the pub we played typical Illustration games like Exquisite Corpse. And we drew the inside of the pub. There was no mistaking us: we were art students abroad.02-kasiaOn Friday we started the real investigation. We walked around Oban looking for things. Before dinner we got together and spread all our findings out like a strange jumble. There were leaves, flowers, litter, and shells. Some people had bought plastic toys or curiosities from charity shops. There was an abandoned wig and a whole lobster. It was lots of material to draw! 06-kasia

On Saturday, people ventured a bit further afield: some to the nearby islands, and some to the Sealife Centre. Again we met up in the evening and shared our day’s drawing. People had started to think about what it was they wanted to present as a document of their trip.

 

Our drawings and artefacts are going to be exhibited in Sculpture Court in the first week of December.

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Emily Hair’s words. Pictures by Kasia Matyjaszek and Alice Spicer