Pitcha Pitcha presentation

As a collective we wanted to celebrate all variety of skills within the design field, as we are all different and it is reassuring to upcoming creatives to embrace what they are good at and enjoy, and that there is room for variety in the industry. Our aim to showcase a variety of work will also be beneficial in drawing in more creatives in to creating as there will be work suited to everyone for a source of inspiration, and even to recognize what they don't like. I came forward with the concept in which the group understood and agreed instantly allowing everyone to have a fair contribution and spot to talk and show their work.

A strong collective supports and happily shows each others work, so within our pitch we showed examples of all our work to give watchers a grasp on the variety we want to display and showing our own work and combination of skills. I showed my motivational mantras cover as it was made for first years, intended to provide positive strong quotes to accelerate confidence and productivity whilst giving useful advice of what to remember in first year, so including this felt important as we have a similar aim to show the public what the creative industry is about. I also showed a poster from my latest campaign designs for Thirsty Planet, in which I feel my approach to the brief was bold and grabs attention which we would want our publication to do in a similar fashion, making the public feel part of the collective using similar language.

My focus was colour, and these show two different ways of using it combining traditional print with digital which I enjoy doing within my work. AWOL are all about getting as many people involved and interested as possible in contributing their skills and with this, hoping to break the stigma seemingly still present within the public and I am proud of my collective and what we put together as we all had a fair contribution, staying true to our collectives ethos, and wanting to go further than an exhibition.

Artfromnonart by Goat Collective submission and positive feedback

Saw the call for submissions on the noticeboard which I always take a look at to get involved in submissions and helping out other students however I can, and it is to submit collages involving appropriation. As I had so much fun working on my cultural appropriation piece, and slight confidence based off comments admiring my concept, why not submit? If I get featured or not, we are learning getting involved is as important.

Along with this getting some positive comments, I also put up 3 motivational mantras from my publication last year and one of my peers said it really reminds her to initiate feedback and promotes her confidence in her decisions and work which is amazing to hear back. Have also had comments that say my work stands out and motivates well, which for my mantra as a designer is the best to hear. Putting your work up or submitting/showing where you can is well worth it for any feedback.

Collectives

Nuvo Collective
Goat Collective
Endless City

http://www.itsnicethat.com/news/new-exhibition-featuring-work-by-jean-jullien-and-stefan-marx-opens-in-la-3100317

speak to endless city
message goat collective

Update: Unfortunately Aaron at Endless City and I had conflicting schedules at the time but we are going to meet up at some point to discuss his work as he is a brilliant guy with links in Manchester and Leeds who I could learn a lot from.

Robin Eisenberg interview

Poster for Robin's interview with my Space Grrls design which was inspired after I interviewed Robin, emulating her space girl theme turning it in to a Spice Girls tribute which appeals to the same target audience of Robin's fans as her style is very feminine and bold which is what the poster represents and introduces the amazing interview in which she discusses her love for space.

Can’t wait to see the interview, and thanks again for being so rad! 

Talk soon! <3

Robin 

PS: I’ve attached a couple photos of me at my desk, too. haha! <3 

What attracted me to your work was your girl daydreamer, outer space bright badass inspired artwork , which gives such a distinctive look for your brand. How did this style begin and what things inspire you to create one of these images or gifs? 

Thank you! I have always loved drawing women and the moments in their/our lives, and I also have a forever love for all things extraterrestrial and dreamy. In the past, I used much more realistic colors but I started using bolder neon colors a few years ago. The art I started creating felt much more like the world in my brain that I was trying to express and I kept building on that style from there. 

Do you usually hand draw the type and designs? What is your design process? I am very new to digital illustrating but can see how rewarding it is seeing your work for companies and zines.

I hand draw everything, usually either directly into Photoshop or on paper with pen. I have never used vectors, mainly just because I’ve never learned and I feel more comfortable with more hand drawing.

How did you get in contact with Thrasher to create the amazing merchandise? They’re such a huge company! Also think your skater references in your work are so funny, as well as the pizza references, I can really relate haha.

Haha awesome! They actually reached out to me, which was amazing. I think they kept seeing my work pop up on Instagram - I have a drawing of an alien babe in a Thrasher tee looking out into space and I think Thrasher posted it on Instagram at one point. Then they ended up emailing me asking if I wanted to collab on a few tee designs. It was so much fun working with them and so rad to see the shirts everywhere! 

What set up do you prefer to be in when working on your design work, and if you listen to any music what music do you like to work to? When im painting I love listening to Hendrix and Lana Del Rey usually get lost in another world!

I am obsessed with my desk and my office, it’s honestly my favoritest place to be, haha. For me, lots of light is important! I also like having music on or sometimes I’ll have old Star Trek episodes on in the background. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Laura Marling, Erykah Badu, Lorde, and also Lana Del Rey haha! <3 

I am currently doing a graphic design degree and I don't really know which direction I am going in and worry about this sometimes. Were you the same and what is the best advice you could give to getting on track?

Totally. I think for me it was just a struggle to find my own style that felt uniquely me and no one else. I think it’s really hard to want to be inspired and feel influenced by other artists but still find a style that’s your own. For me, it was also just a matter of not wanting to feel bored with my own work - I wanted to feel challenged and excited. And definitely it’s also hard to know which direction to go in - illustration, graphic design, web design, etc. For me, I was never really that great at anything but just drawing, haha, so I went with that. I sometimes wish I was a better “graphic designer” as it would make my life a lot easier! Maybe I’ll learn eventually! 

What is the best advice you have ever been given career or life wise :)?

Probably just to not be afraid of weirdness or pushing your own boundaries! Keep surprising yourself! 

Who or what inspires you the most? Family or any other artists? I bet living in a place like LA is wonderful for inspiration...

I get really inspired equally by both nature and city life, so LA is a really awesome place for me. I love being in the middle of such a humming, busy place but also being able to drive to oceans + deserts + mountains whenever I want (although there is a ridiculous amount of traffic, haha). I also get really inspired by futuristic books and movies. Oh and I’m obsessed with Planet Earth and always want to draw alien versions of the animals. 

What do you feel your biggest accomplishment is so far? You look like you're doing brilliantly with such a unique style which so many young females can relate to. 

Thank you so much! I think my biggest accomplishment overall has just been to reach a point where I am my own boss and I’m making a living every day doing something that makes me incredible happy. I’ve always dreamed of being in this situation and I’m so glad I’ve been able to make it happen. :) 

Any plans for the future, like any projects or anything else you want to learn?

Definitely! I really want to become a better animator, and start making longer and more complex animations. I also want to start creating larger scale pieces, murals and maybe even sculpture or installations of some kind. I would also LOVE to complete a graphic novel in the next couple of years! Can I pause time please?! Haha. 

I am doing graphic design but am evermore enjoying illustrating...I also enjoy having a feminine style with bright daring colours; when working for a client does this get compromised a lot?

Yeah, it definitely can be an issue in my experience. I’m fortunate to be at the point where I pretty much exclusively take on projects that I feel are in line with my style and that I would be proud to have in my portfolio. Sometimes, if I feel like a client wants something that doesn’t work well with my style, I’ll just let them know that it might be best for everyone if they look for a different artist who has the style they’re looking for. But, there definitely have been times in the past where I’ve ended up creating something that doesn’t really feel like my own work, which to me is really frustrating and ultimately kind of counterproductive. 

What would you say is the best way to get your design work out to clients? Do you network a lot?

I’m the worst at networking, haha! I know when I was first trying to get more work, I would draw people or bands that I thought were really rad, then send them the drawing or tag them on social media. It was helpful to get more people looking at my work and also fun to draw people who had influenced me. I ended up getting a few big projects that way and it was a cool way to connect with people who I thought were awesome. 

Which kinds of clients or pieces have you enjoyed working on the most and why??

I love working with bands as music is such a huge part of my life and was also my career path for a while (I used to play in a band called Crocodiles and it was so much fun!). I also love working with Giphy - I do a new GIF every week for them that’s based on recent news or happenings and it’s fun to be always working on something current and interesting. 

I really love all of your images but in particular the mermaid pieces. Currently have one mermaid tattoo and literally want to be covered, I really enjoy drawing them too! What do you love about mermaids?

Aw, that’s awesome! I love mermaids tooooo! I have a fascination for the ocean that I think is similar to my love of outer space… It’s such a huge place that is still relatively uncharted and I just think so much about the ocean and the beach is so dreamy. I love being by the sea, it makes me feel incredibly calm and happy. I also love learning about creatures under the sea and love the way the plants and animals look. If I could breathe and live underwater for a year and have some kind of cool mermaid dwelling I would totally do it.

Any bizarre stories from being a creative in LA?

So many! I grew up here too, so I feel like my life is just a series of bizarre, lovely and occasionally awful or boring stories about being a creative in LA, haha. Come visit and you can have an adventure and an LA story of your own!

The poster I created will hopefully be complimentary to her own pieces if put up somewhere in her beloved office, maybe, hopefully! 

The fact Robin responded and was so lovely made me smile from ear to ear! It has really made me confident in taking the chances to speak to people and not being put off by doubt they'd ever reply, and I preach this to my peers! Her responses made me realise a lot about my own style and interests which is why I asked certain questions, and the fact she still has so many goals she wants to achieve and develop skills further and she has already been so successful! from all my interviews it has been stressed to do work that makes you happy, an online presence will lead to amazing industry opportunities to take your work even further.

NEST Space submission

Inspired by the artist Robin Eisenberg who I interviewed, I seized the opportunity for the space theme to create a play on the Spice Girls and create feminine alien characters similar to which Robin does which is some of her most popular work. This is a very different approach to the Space theme and I am not confident it will get chosen but it was worth submitting as always!

This also gave me the opportunity to practice with my graphics tablet which I am getting more comfortable with every time I use it which is valuable in the industry and amending certain parts or quickly editing something is easier with this.

I took notice of the shading and highlights that need to be applied to the bodies to make them non flat looking which I was pleased with. Although it could be a lot better, this is a start in developing my personal style and concept ideas.

An event-ful day in Leeds- Walkabout in Leeds study task

Punk exhibition at Village

Although I absolutely loved the focus of the exhibition and the pieces so gritty/striking/nostalgic reigniting my adoration for subculture design, the size of the exhibition space really let it down and I could barely move.  The punk theme was refreshing as it was more post modernist which I always find a bit more exciting than really clean minimal design.
If I were ever to have an exhibition it would definitely be in a bigger space as the small space really irritated me.

Gig Posters exhibition at Munro House

This was such an exciting exhibition as it was music and traditional print based with live screen print! This was decent to walk around and look at every piece with ease as the space was more spread out- each piece was unique and really interesting which for music pieces I do also. This spurred me on to take the risk of screenprinting again for OUGD505 as the results are so truly unique, I can't avoid this amazing method for the rest of my life seeing results like these.

Out of Order level 6 exhibition at Colours May Vary

Whilst being proud to be an LCA student and enjoying the variety of illustration styles on display, the free business cards got me! As I have discussed previously I am a collector/hoarder of great design when possible, so creating these business cards was a brilliant move by the group as they are all up on my wall and I got to get their names and follow them. Giving out freebies is very beneficial and will make you more memorable, which I will do in future.