Influences - Practitioners

Serena Katt

Having not been familiar with Serena Katt's work before I was very interested in what the ideas were behind the images. It is clear that drawing is a driving force behind the success of her image making and illustration.

After reading Katt's blog it is evident that her work is heavily influenced by history, her own relationship with it and the way in which it is recorded. In a similar way, my project is headed in a direction of discovery of how my own relatives were affected by world war 2 in particular and the stories I find from this period. Therefore, I aim to create a personal reflection and interpretation of the things I find out, as well as being relatable to an audience.

I also enjoy the sequence of Katt's images and the approach to media - something I aim to bring to a conclusion with my own project over Christmas.

http://serenakatt.co.uk

http://serenakatt.co.uk/Sunday-s-Child

Edward Ardizonne

I am a huge admirer of traditional illustration and hand drawn looking processes. You can really feel the hand of the maker when viewing Edward Ardizonne's work which I think is partly due to his stylistic approach and the textures he used. Especially after the visual language session, texture something I want to experiment more with. In Ardizonne's work they are balanced around the page, which for me creates a depth and light/shade within the work. 

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/95/9e/00/959e00d23dd514d6447843c11d507967.jpg

Laura Carlin

The shapes and textures Laura Carlin uses to create characters is what drew me to her work in the first place. Shape is a difficult nut for me to crack but I am trying to incorporate it into my own work and experimentations. I am so used to using line work straight away and want to get out of this habit.
I think its great when you can see a process in someone's work, Carlin definitely has mastered subtlety and how to make an image show authenticity. I have quickly learned that I prefer a more traditional way of producing imagery than a completely digital method. Using digital tools just to add colour/texture and touch up, in my opinion, produces a much more authentic and hand crafted looking image.

http://anaglorya.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/laura-carlin.html

Olivier Kugler

I have been familiar with Olivier's Kugler work for some time but recently it has been great to learn the process of what makes a successful illustration. Kugler's approach to illustration is heavily research based, which I think is why his work demonstrates an element of real life and real situations. In much of his research, quotes and stories are included. Being able to portray humour/emotion is something I am really trying to get a grip on in my own practice, in many ways this is the key to illustration, to make someone feel something that is personal to their own life.

http://www.designplayground.it/2015/09/i-reportages-illustrati-di-olivier-kugler/