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- May 13, 2024
I found this extract online from teacher, lecturer, and bookseller Otto F. Ege. Back in 1949, he discussed the merits of illustration, and levelled it’s importance next to fine art. I think this is an important text which reinforces how illustration can be seen as fine art, and identifies how illustration is universally accessible and therefore more widely appreciated. Ege mentions it goes beyond barriers of class, that fine art struggles to achieve. Although fine art was seen differently at this time of writing, the point is still relevant today.
”When an artist creates a painting today, he must be definitely class conscious and remember that only a limited number of people with the necessary leisure, awakened interest, and keen appreciation will make effort to go the gallery to contemplate and enjoy the effort, and on rare occasions to buy it…When this same artist makes an illustration, he is concerned with mass, not class, reaction.”
Reference
Ege, O. F. (1949) ‘Illustration as a Fine Art’, College Art Journal, 9(1), pp. 3–11. doi: 10.1080/15436322.1949.11465908.
- May 11, 2024
Another inspiration I have found is Matías Larraín, who is an artist and illustrator from Argentina.
He makes playful, colourful pictures inspired by daily moments, food, animals, and generally everyday life. He seeks beauty in simplicity, using minimal elements to have maximum impact.
I love his use of colour, using solid and contrasting palettes, but you will see each colour subtly resembles the individual landscape elements. Green for grass, brown for a cabin log hut, yellow for wheat fields, or black for midnight sky. They remind me of loading placeholder images, which show the dominant colour on the specific photo.
I also enjoy the simple geometric shapes, which pair down the elements to their most basic form. Larraín successfully captures the positive potential and wonder of our world, using an adventurous and curious language to evoke happy reactions.
Take-away
Be more adventurous with colour, and think about how the landscape can be paired down to unique yet familiar forms. This familiar yet abstract representation could be seen differently by the viewer, but would create fun conversation for sharing of stories in nature.
How can you use colour and shapes to represent the positive, adventurous spirit felt within nature?
- May 10, 2024
I was pretty happy with how my ceramics were fired. Some were more rough than others, and one did break from being so fragile, but I did expect this as how thin it was (See the blue marked one below).
I’m using the underglaze pencils to draw onto my ceramics, just like the last project. I’m drawing lines onto them, ensuring a wide angle to reveal the pencil texture, as a thin solid line wouldn’t have the same raw effect. I’m trying to emphasize the idea of a line come to life, and the physical energy emitting from its sharp and unpredictable shape. The ceramic itself acts as the body to the line.
Drawing on my ceramics
I’m drawing simple patterns and solid colours on some. The process is pre-planned but somewhat intuitive, as I examine the piece I’m choosing the colour I think would best reflect what it represents.
For example, one is outlined in black, to represent a 2D outline drawing. The right image has a small pointed piece, like a dagger blade. I saw this piece as a totem pole, or a dug-up, broken, pottery piece. The design is a simple arched pattern which cuts off at all sides, giving the impression there is more to it, like the broken pottery, but also possibly suggesting rounded, stacked faces seen on a totem pole. The interpretive potential is endless, which I like. I encourage the viewer to curiously engage with my work and build a narrative using their own experiences.
The work accentuates the radiant beauty in the natural world through colour and a first-time perspective. These pieces, and my artwork in general, hopes to exercise the viewer’s curiosity, to inspect with sensory investigation, and experience joy of outdoor adventure.
Most of these will be in gloss finishes, to keep focus on the drawings.
Drawing on ceramic/final pre-glazed design
I am in love with this piece! I was inspired to mould a mountain , which ended in a vase-like piece.
With all my drawing translations, I’m using the most basic dimensions to express ideas of anthropomorphism and bringing something to life e.g. flat square to expanded cube = dead to alive. The geometric shapes allows the drawing to be the main focus. Similar to video game graphics, the shape could be seen as a ‘low poly’ version of the drawing.
I love the tactile and handmade nature of the ceramic, as it’s more representative of a landscape surface. I also like the solid background shapes topped with pencil detail, this is a recurring technique in my work. It created a solid and refined exterior, but is balanced with textural and naive lines. As shown in the video, I’ve roughly outlined what would be the corner points to suggest a graphic/comic appearance, where most content is outlined with black lines. I’ve taken influence from Jean Jullien’s large sculptures, and comic book styles.
I’m going to coat this in a clear glaze for a gloss finish, so the attention is on the design underneath. I look forward to seeing how this turns out!
Amazing Spider Man #90, 1970 (https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1647852)
Jean Jullien, ‘Filili Viridi’, 2022, Jardin des planted, Paris