Task 2- Influences

Task Instructions

Choose 5 things that inspire or influence your work. These can be people, things, places or experiences that have had an influence on your work as an illustrator - they don’t have to be illustrators, they can be anyone or anything. Write about how they have inspired you and include imagery to support your writing.

1    1. Architecture

I have also had a secret love, and interest in architecture of all shapes, ages and styles. No matter what age the building is I feel that it shapes its surroundings, each building creates a different atmosphere, whether it’s an old building which is crumbling which is sitting alongside a modern glass panelled building, in a busy city street, the relationship between the two building whilst possible juxtaposing one another, creates character and informs the space and people around it.

It is a fact that I original wanted to become an architect, but my passion for art over rid my ability and likeness of maths. I have always been interested in the unusual shape and shadows created by buildings, especially with modern buildings, I particularly like the work of architect Frank Gehry. He creates these wonderfully complex buildings, using elegant curves, which twist in between one another, forming a mesmerising piece of art, which is baffling.

Frank Gehry
Reviews on theater, Reviews on music, reviews on books, reviews on art, reviews on travel, reviews by steve cohen, the cultural critic. (2017). The Cultural Critic is your source for in-depth reviews on Theater, Music, Books, Art and Travel.. [online] Available at: http://theculturalcritic.com/frank-gehrys-innovative-architecture/ [Accessed 10 May 2017 21:43].

Frank Gehry
modern architecture. (2017). Frank Gehry. [online] Available at: http://historyofmodernarchitecture.weebly.com/frank-gehry.html [Accessed 10 May 2017 21:44].

I feel that architecture is a huge part of illustration, buildings and city street compile lots of landscape, and because they are so diverse and adaptable you are able to include lots of subtle detail which provides the reader with a little more information, further extending the narrative. This I think is particularly effective in children’s books, being able to hide information in the backgrounds of buildings, in shop window, on signs, and things popping out behind them, keeps children entertained, an example of this is the ‘Where’s Wally’ collection, which involves hundreds of buildings, and spotting Wally and other characters within the buildings keeps children occupied for hours.

Mentalfloss.com. (2017). 14 Facts About <em>Where's Waldo?</em>. [online] Available at: http://mentalfloss.com/article/90967/14-facts-about-wheres-waldo [Accessed 10 May 2017].

I love the challenge that illustrating buildings presents, no matter how abstracted the building is, there has to be some form of accuracy, in order for the laws of physics to work. There is both a satisfaction and a frustration which observing drawings, sometimes drawing just using your eyes isn’t enough, so a little maths and a steel rule is necessary, to illustrate the beauty of buildings.

2. Theatre- dramatic writing

Plays and dramatic writing are not as popular as the good old novel, but I think they should be and are on equal pedestals in my eyes. There is something about a play which is honest. A novel shares every inch of detail, describing every feature of the setting, every character and every one of their feelings. Whereas as a play is stripped back, writers only include what is necessary, and because of the lack of description characters’ lines are more precious, as it’s what the character says which describes the character, rather than the author doing it for you. Because of this characters appear more honest and translucent, their feelings are presented by what they say, and because of the limited information the audience is given your imagination is able and is allowed to fill in the gaps. This means that every person who reads the play has a different vision of what the play visually looks like on stage and what the characters look like.

When these already exciting plays, which most people have never read then take to the stage it is magical. I think there is something special about a live theatre performance, compared with a film. People make a real effort when they attend a play to musical, dressing up in the finer clothes, whereas for seeing a film in the cinema we just dress in casual, down clothes.

Live theatre provides a different perceptive of the story, the story literally comes alive, you fell more immersed in the world created before you. The characters which you love and hate have been transformed by the actors, whether they look like the character you depicted in you imagination, it doesn’t matter as the play proceeds you ignore this fact, and either love or hate the character just the same.

I draw on play scripts and theatre performances in my work. I think that drawing inspiration from plays is a little less mainstream that drawing from books. They are a little less sort of, which is unfortunate, but provides me with some amazing concepts. I admit I don’t tend to draw from life at the theatre, I like to engross myself in the story, but when you step away from the theatre, the 2 to 3 hour show is visually penetrated in your imagination, later stored for a spark of inspiration when it is needed.

My favourite plays are those which push the boundaries of what can and cannot be spoken about. Controversial plays such as ‘ A Streetcar Named Desire’ (1947), by American playwright Tennessee Williams, and ‘Spring Awakening’  by German dramatist Frank Wedekind. ‘Spring Awakening’ is a coming of age play, it explores the struggles of teenagers, and the lack of communication between teenagers and adults which has devastating consequences. First performed in 1906, but later revived as a musical in 2008 is a fantastically controversial and emotional play, which I was fortunate enough to see. The music adds another dimension to the story, really portray and multiple layers of emotion which this play needed. In 2016 the musical was revived again on Broadway, and again the envelop was pushed further, it was performed by the Deaf West cast, meaning that deaf performers were involved in the performance, along with hearing performance. They all performed sign languages meaning that the play was able to be performed to everyone, adding an amazing physical dance like feature to the musical.  

Spring Awakening, by Deaf West
BroadwayBox.com. (2017). Spring Awakening Discount Tickets - BroadwayBox. [online] Available at: http://www.broadwaybox.com/shows/spring-awakening-1330/ [Accessed 10 May 2017].

Spring Awakening, by Deaf West
Isherwood, C. (2017). Review: ‘Spring Awakening’ by Deaf West Theater Brings a New Sensation to Broadway. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/28/theater/review-spring-awakening-by-deaf-west-theater-brings-a-new-sensation-to-broadway.html?_r=0 [Accessed 10 May 2017].

Every time you see a play, even if you have seen it 20 times in a row you experience a slightly different variation every night, something that cannot be achieved with film. The only unfortunate thing is, is that it doesn’t last forever.

3. Textiles

I have an interest in fabric and surface design, inspired by my mum who was involved in the fashion industry I was brought up with wearing crazily bright colours and patterns, some of which I now don’t approve of. I think it was actually my Mums influence that sparked my interest in art. In my current illustration work I am looking into surface design and pattern making. As an experiment I made a series of patterns which I then applied to notebook covers and sold these at the Stroud Fair Illustration.

 More recently I have been interested in surface design. For another module I made a series of abstracted cards, and using these designs I then produced wrapping paper, the designs looked really effect when scaled up. For this I research surface design, inspired by a lot of stationary work found on Pinterest – my board link is- https://uk.pinterest.com/evecooper733/tickets/.

patterns by the way. (2017). [online] Available at: http://ritajardon.tumblr.com/post/22441062742/via-melanie-bowles [Accessed 10 May 2017].

make, M. (2017). Landscape in purple (half metre). [online] M is for make. Available at: https://www.misformake.co.uk/products/landscape-in-purple [Accessed 10 May 2017].

I am really inspired by the textured created from printed imagery onto fabric, I think illustrative work can be enhanced by printing it onto fabric. By doing so I think you open other doors offering you are options to create work, making the fabric into bags, bunting, clothing etc. By using textiles in your illustration work you also open to door to producing self-published work, something I am thoroughly interested in doing.

So I think that using textiles and surface pattern has really influence my work over the past year, and because of this success I will continue to research and hope to produce work designed to be printed onto fabric.

4. Traveling- (Getting lost)

I haven’t really travelled a lot during my life, but when I do do I love it. I strangely enjoy being able to get lost in a new environment, able to explore aspects of a new place which isn’t on the tourist map.

I don’t even have to travel the globe to love discovering new places, simple taking another route in my home village, I think is a wonderful thing, you also relive the place which you have known for years all over again but in a different light. I think that is you explore the area without a map or any guidance you seem to look more closely at your surroundings, absorbing the settings, architecture and nature, until however, you get completely lost and then start to panic. But I think that there is a thrilling feeling when you do get lost in a place, and once again discover new and inspiring aspects of a place.

As I don’t travel a huge amount I like to experience traveling and compile a list of places I want to visit, by watching YouTube vloggers who, as a career travel and document their travels. Bloggers include, Louis Cole, Jacksgap and Karl Watson.

I feel that by traveling and drawing on location, you not only develop your observational drawing skills, but you learn more about the location than from simply googling a place. From studying the location first hand you get to understand the environment, you get to experience the people, what surrounds your point of focus and what atmosphere is created, which I think enhances your illustration more so.

I am inspired by vloggers who travel, but equally working on location is a huge and important part of my work, and I think I perhaps need to travel a little more.

5.  Fantasy and adventure Books

I have a little guilty pleasure for adventure and fantasy books. I think there is nothing more exciting and fulfilling to immerse yourself in a fantasy tale. I find there is something lovely about being to escape to an imaginary story, which in some ways you can connect to and other ways just completely absorb into it, emphasising and hating characters. I think by imagining someone else’s story, and engaging in their world, allows you to forget your, creating a new world that you can enter at your will.

My favourite books are still those that I had read as a child, the Harry Potter collection, the Divergent trio logy and The Lord of the Rings collection. I have read these books a thousand times over but I still love the worn, and scuffed old books, not matter what state and tea stains which have penetrated the pages. Whenever I want to read something, but don’t have anything I find inspiring I grab these books, although I have read them to death, I still manage to find something special that I hadn’t noticed before, which ignites by imagination and creativity.

These fantasy books although crazy and unrealistic in a sense they still contain elements which feature in my illustrative work, or at least spark my creativity. Learning and being inspired by authors rather than illustrators I find a little more rewarding because I am less tempted to copy their designs of characters for example. Instead my using words as relevance I think you can interpret the words as you see fit. A description of a character can be interpreted completely differently from person to person, which is a lovely thing to be inspired by.

Evaluation

Before completing this task I wasn’t really aware of what inspired me, I knew I was obviously inspired by something but what they were I couldn’t tell you. So from this task I have now to defined my inspiration, and have actually thought about why these things have inspired me, and what I can do to improve to gain more inspiration from my interests.